The Official Blackberry Convert Thread

[bucky716]

1. Facebook Notifications - they've sucked since the Droids were released. Something most of us have gotten used to.
2. Twitter - The official app, Twydroid and Seesmic are all great.
3. Sound profiles - Sounds are overrated. keep it on silent and pick it up when you have a minute. only have it set to ring for phone calls.
4. Multi-tasking - press and hold the home button, pretty easy!
5. Closing apps - Android OS does not need every app to have a "close" button. The OS manages how it operates, unlike Blackberry. This is one of the most overlooked features and one of the reasons the debate goes on about the real need for a Task Killer app.
6. Organizing - Easy.. use all your home screens! It's different than others but again, one of the great things about Android is how you can customize it.

I said it in another thread, not every phone is for everyone. Sometimes a Blackberry is just better for some people.

 

[katrina2475]

Re: Blackberry did it better

The only thing i am missing from my Blackberry is my Facebook notifications. Everything else is just a learning curve and just gets better everyday.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[TallyHo]

The only thing i am missing from my Blackberry is my Facebook notifications. Everything else is just a learning curve and just gets better everyday.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

true true true!!!

 

[rion_j]

so for me, i'm not trying to have the same experience i had with BB. i came to Android for a new experience in smartphones and I'm so happy I'm hear now. BB is forever dead to me!

For twitter, the best client is Seesmic. Looks great, and you get notifications of new tweets

For profiles, you can either try Profiles or Setting Profiles. I've tried both and they both work well.

 

[Topweasel]

I think it fits in this thread so I am going to throw this out.

Any Blackberry user use BB Email redirector. Its an App that as a BIS user I could install on my machine and have it forward my email to cell phone. My work doesn't have a BES server, or a forward facing Exchange box. The only way to connect to our exchange server is to install a very restrictive VPN client onto a Winmo phone.

Just wondering if there might be a Android equivalent. Work doesn't pay for my phone, but as a computer tech getting requests forwarded to my phone (along with all email) is a nice thing to have. By Android I am also referring to Google, like if I could create a dummy gmail, or comcast account and have a program forward my emails to that and let me respond back as the exchange account.

 

[rjdangerous]

Could you imagine if I did a "things my droid does better than BB" post on crackberry?

I would run out of bandwidth!

 

[matthewdlyons]

I apologize that these thoughts aren't in numerical order. (I'm pretty much working bottom to top.)

I'm a little confused by #6. The only thing that shows on any of your screens are apps or widgets you choose. Even though the device comes pre-installed with certain apps, you don't have to use, or see, them. You can uninstall apps you don't want if you'd like to clean up your applications menu. I don't see a "replies" option, but there's definitely one for messages and friend requests. I get e-mails when someone replies to a thread I've written or commented on.

As for Facebook. Go into the app and press menu, select settings, and you'll see boxes to select the different notifications you'd like to receive.

Adontain covered the folders issue.

I guess there are certain apps that don't have individual notification settings, but most of the apps I use (gmail, email, twitter, google voice, google talk) all have different notification sounds.

I don't use Twitter's app. I use Seesmic or Touiteur. With either, you can search for users.

 

[anon(40252)]

I tend to agree with all of this. In fact, the BB was a more integrated experience. Having said that I am really enjoying android. There have been moments of frustration but I have worked around them, found alternatives or learned something new.

I could also make a list of what Android does better.

The official twitter app can search for users.

 

[heraldo]

1. Facebook Notifications - they've sucked since the Droids were released. Something most of us have gotten used to.
2. Twitter - The official app, Twydroid and Seesmic are all great.
3. Sound profiles - Sounds are overrated. keep it on silent and pick it up when you have a minute. only have it set to ring for phone calls.
4. Multi-tasking - press and hold the home button, pretty easy!
5. Closing apps - Android OS does not need every app to have a "close" button. The OS manages how it operates, unlike Blackberry. This is one of the most overlooked features and one of the reasons the debate goes on about the real need for a Task Killer app.
6. Organizing - Easy.. use all your home screens! It's different than others but again, one of the great things about Android is how you can customize it.

I said it in another thread, not every phone is for everyone. Sometimes a Blackberry is just better for some people.

The sounds profile thing is huge for me. But The primary reason i switched is speed. What is your last statement inferring? 7

 

[matthewdlyons]

I tried the varying sounds for different notifications, but when things are busy, I feel like I'm at a hand bell performance.

It can be a bit much.

 

[BoNg420]

Well go back to your BB, enjoy your ancient OS that the only thing they ever update is some the icons on and never change looks or content really. Enjoy.

 

[dachusa]

I to am a former BB user and feel like I am missing some of these features.

I agree with you on the sounds profile missing, I use my phone for both work and personal use and like to have a ringtone set specifically to my work email so I know if I can ignore a notification or not.

Also I am missing the bedtime mode feature. Used to use this to auto turn everything except for calls, sms and work email to silent, then turn the volume down. I am using Sound Manager now to auto turn my volume down on notifications and phone calls at night, but not quite what I want it to do.

With these limitations in mind, I have to consider all that I was limited by with BB before and I'm still happy with my move to DX.

---Extra note:
Also I wish I could slow down the alarm rate. The BB has a nice delay to playing the sound, but Android likes to go at rapid fire for playing the sound and vibrating.

 

[alphanu22]

The only thing i am missing from my Blackberry is my Facebook notifications. Everything else is just a learning curve and just gets better everyday.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

if you like the instant FB Notifications, download Bloo from the market place and let it run in the background-

 

[Hosehead]

Well go back to your BB, enjoy your ancient OS that the only thing they ever update is some the icons on and never change looks or content really. Enjoy.

Wow, easy there fan boy...god forbid someone actually points out that this OS is not perfect...

 

[Hosehead]

I'm a little confused by #6. The only thing that shows on any of your screens are apps or widgets you choose. Even though the device comes pre-installed with certain apps, you don't have to use, or see, them. You can uninstall apps you don't want if you'd like to clean up your applications menu.

There are several apps that come with this device that cannot be deleted/hidden (CityID for example). I believe that is what the OP is referring to.

 

[DocSavag]

Meh I hate the sound profile tool in BB. I takes me forever to get things set up. (I really hate it when guys who share this o/c phone with me change stuff in there and I don't know it.)

But again as someone else has already said: Not every phone is for everyone. Having choices is a good thing.

 

[matthewdlyons]

There are several apps that come with this device that cannot be deleted/hidden (CityID for example). I believe that is what the OP is referring to.

Thanks. I knew that, and should have added it to my comment.

 

[Hosehead]

Thanks. I knew that, and should have added it to my comment.

Damn shame too...I hate bloatware...LOL. I guess with 8 GB for apps I should just suck it up, eh?

 

[ottscay]

There are several things BB's still do better. Not enough to outweigh my switch to Android (for me at least) but it shouldn't be heresy to discuss pros and cons here. Heck, even iOS4 has a couple of advantages over both (though they don't really appeal to me at all).

Anyways, email/messaging and ring tone association were much better integrated on BlackBerrys. Not that I am in any way slighting my X, which I am most certainly keeping, I just hope that come Gingerbread (or else the "H" dessert) that they will be taken care of. Other things that could be improved are the on-phone calendar options when making an event, and letting you cut and paste from any text, not just stuff that is editable.

 

[rooktdphi]

As far as facebook notifications go, i just logged in to my account on my computer and set up the email notifications for the different specs that I wanted notifying for - email comes thru with notification and it works around fb not having the instant notification.