1. netwerx1's Avatar
    Yea yea, I know...but this time last year was not a great time for BB; there was the continued delay of the 9900 on AT&T, the huge outage, app developers jumping ship left and right...so I went to Android, with a Samsung Galaxy S II. It's a great phone, good platform, awesome app experience, huge developer community and tons of customization options. But After almost a year with it, I'm still missing something. I do miss the BlackBerry standard features that you have to use apps for in Android...I miss the keyboard, obviously...and the battery life.

    I figured I'd wait until BB10 was released, but its getting harder to hold out, and I'm starting to look at picking up a used 9900 (to hold on to my upgrade eligibility), then switching on over to BB10 when it arrives. But I'm concerned about missing the app experience, and concerned about what the app support in BB10 will be like.

    My last BB was a 9800 on OS6...how much better is the experience on the 9900, and particularly, for anyone who has come over from Android? Any other things I'm not thinking clearly about? Should I just man up and hold out for BB10?
    09-10-12 01:20 AM
  2. G-bone's Avatar
    Well, I'm holding out for BB X, but our stories are in many ways similar. My 'Berry blew up last August, so I took a ride on the Android train.
    Fun for a while, but no reception, complete absence of security, zero battery life...
    I grabbed a PlayBook and loved it.
    So, grabbed a 9900 and suddenly I've got great reception, security, only thing I'm missing is Kindle and a bigger screen.
    BB X will take care of that.
    Brand new Bold 9900 off Kijiji for $200, unlocked it, and Bob's your uncle, haven't looked back.
    Can't say if you'll feel the same way...I'm 'Berry by choice, 'Berry for life.
    deezy87 likes this.
    09-10-12 02:06 AM
  3. SK122387's Avatar
    If your last experience with BlackBerry was OS6, and you can get a 9900 at a good price WITHOUT using your upgrade, I'd say go for it. I came from a Bold 9780, also an OS6 device, and was really surprised at how much better OS7 is. Visually, they the OSes are almost identical, but OS7 is just a lot faster, the annoying clock barely makes an appearance on my 9900, and the improvements in the web browser are pretty substantial. It's the first OS BlackBerry has had that renders full web pages like iOS and Android (though the 9900 screen is obviously smaller, but still..it's tons better than OS6 devices).

    I don't know what apps you're using on your Android that you might miss. I think the 9900 is perfect for what it does. It doesn't have Netflix or Skype or Angry Birds, as you probably know...but really..with its screen being the size that it is, I don't know who would want those apps on it anyway.

    The battery life with the newer leaked Operating Systems is the best yet. I got my 9900 last August, 2011, and the stock OS was pretty bad for battery life. Pretty much any OS 7.1 version will give you good battery life. But for a couple hundred bucks, I'd say a 9900 would be great to have for the next 5 or 6 months, or whenever RIM finally gives us BB10.

    Like I said, I've had my 9900 since it launched on T-Mobile last August.. so it's a year old but I still love it as if I got it last week!
    shemaree09 likes this.
    09-10-12 03:53 AM
  4. chaddeus's Avatar
    Yea yea, I know...but this time last year was not a great time for BB; there was the continued delay of the 9900 on AT&T, the huge outage, app developers jumping ship left and right...so I went to Android, with a Samsung Galaxy S II. It's a great phone, good platform, awesome app experience, huge developer community and tons of customization options. But After almost a year with it, I'm still missing something. I do miss the BlackBerry standard features that you have to use apps for in Android...I miss the keyboard, obviously...and the battery life.

    I figured I'd wait until BB10 was released, but its getting harder to hold out, and I'm starting to look at picking up a used 9900 (to hold on to my upgrade eligibility), then switching on over to BB10 when it arrives. But I'm concerned about missing the app experience, and concerned about what the app support in BB10 will be like.

    My last BB was a 9800 on OS6...how much better is the experience on the 9900, and particularly, for anyone who has come over from Android? Any other things I'm not thinking clearly about? Should I just man up and hold out for BB10?
    Whats the app that you can't live without? I use the Samsung S3 and switch back to Blackberry within 1 month. I am pretty sure I can type faster with less error on Blackberry. On the S3, I am lazy to reply emails since I get a lot of spelling error. Most people don't know about this error since most of you are English native speakers. Here in Indonesia, we often mix English and Bahasa Indonesia together and thus making spelling correction a bit difficult.

    To me, a phone is a phone and it must serve that basic function very well before adding another cool features. The Android isn't a good phone out of the box. Plus the S3 comes with a lot of junk and you can't remove it unless you root it.

    So if typing (email or chatting) is your primary goal, then the Blackberry. If you find that you spend more time play games, then Android

    - Charles
    09-10-12 03:57 AM
  5. ForgWorm's Avatar
    I'd think its better if you would just wait for BB10.. the 9900 is much much faster than the 9800 even though its not as smooth as the S2. The battery life is terrible in the 9900.. even if you have the latest os which in this case is 7.1.
    The 9900 does have a great keyboard.. If I were you wait for the next generation Bold.. they wait will be worth it. Trust me

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    09-10-12 04:08 AM
  6. pr1nce's Avatar
    If you can pickup a cheap 9900 and keep your upgrade go for it. The 9900 is a great device. The best keyboard ever IMO and it's fast, it's an all around great communication device. My battery life is much better with the latest os 7.1.
    09-10-12 08:08 AM
  7. maxx71's Avatar
    I'd think its better if you would just wait for BB10.. the 9900 is much much faster than the 9800 even though its not as smooth as the S2. The battery life is terrible in the 9900.. even if you have the latest os which in this case is 7.1.
    The 9900 does have a great keyboard.. If I were you wait for the next generation Bold.. they wait will be worth it. Trust me

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    I totally disagree with Fogwrom on that count, i am using a hybrid OS and get a great battery life a lightning quick browser speed.
    Yes S2 might have a bigger screen but the 9900 has its own sweet charm, the combination of touch and type which is unique and unparalled. The security of Blackberry device is great and it is by far the BEST Communication device.

    I would suggest get a 9900 (old or new) and use it till the time bb10 comes across and once all of see what it can do(BB10), then take your own call.

    Till such time use a 9900 and i am sure your waiting time for bb10 will be a pleasurable experience than a painful one.
    Last edited by maxx71; 09-10-12 at 10:42 AM.
    09-10-12 08:47 AM
  8. bb624's Avatar
    My 9930 has great battery life! Use phone all day battery has never gone below 50%. Fabulous phone!
    09-10-12 09:07 AM
  9. texn884's Avatar
    How and where do you get the hybrid OS RC5?
    09-10-12 10:20 AM
  10. netwerx1's Avatar
    I don't know what apps you're using on your Android that you might miss. I think the 9900 is perfect for what it does. It doesn't have Netflix or Skype or Angry Birds, as you probably know...but really..with its screen being the size that it is, I don't know who would want those apps on it anyway.
    Whats the app that you can't live without?
    - Charles
    I went through the apps on my S2, and honestly, I think the one I'll miss the most is the Starbucks app. I don't game on my phone, and I rarely watch videos, when I do they are short Youtube videos and the like, attached to a story. Not at all a fan of trying to catch up on the latest episode of my favorite show, or watching a movie on a 4" screen. Instagram will probably be missed, and Pulse...there might be a few others.

    And this trend of making phones thinner...I'm not on board. I want to feel the phone in my hand, it's awkward holding a super thin phone to your ear in my opinion...but I digress.

    I'm leaning that way...I've had a few cool custom ROMs on this phone, and it's neat to be able to tinker, but it's starting to feel like wasted unproductive time, and there's always a little glitch somewhere to work around.
    09-10-12 10:34 AM
  11. anon4226395's Avatar
    I know that RIM would love that but I suspect given how superb the 9900 is, they might have effected an own goal. My 9900 was an early one which developed keyboard AND screen issues but now that both were replaced under warranty, I have to say this is the best smartphone I have ever used bar none. I would be loathe to replace it, especially as I would be losing the keyboard.... so to the OP, I say, get a 9900 (having checked its keyboard and screen function) and you may never want to change it...However when BB10 comes out WITH a keyboard, I will have a look
    maxx71 and jegs2 like this.
    09-10-12 10:38 AM
  12. netwerx1's Avatar
    Broke down and ordered a "white box" unused 9900 from an eBay vendor...decent price and 30-day return policy. I guess I'm back!

    *edit* Doh! Just logged in to my apps account to see what BB apps I still had access to...Mobihand is done, so I guess I have to re-purchase everything huh?
    Last edited by netwerx1; 09-11-12 at 01:57 PM.
    09-11-12 01:52 PM
  13. farmurr's Avatar
    I recently switched to an Android (Galaxy S3) but only lasted 1 month before coming back to my 9900. I thought the S3 would replace my 9900 and my iPad...but it really fell short on both accounts. It wasn't as good of a phone (keyboard, battery life etc etc) and wasn't as good of a browsing/media device as my bold and iPad respectively.

    I now have the Rogers 6gb plan and share the data between my 2 devices and couldn't be happier! It's good to be back!!
    09-11-12 10:46 PM
  14. St_Deborah's Avatar
    Yea yea, I know...but this time last year was not a great time for BB; there was the continued delay of the 9900 on AT&T, the huge outage, app developers jumping ship left and right...so I went to Android, with a Samsung Galaxy S II. It's a great phone, good platform, awesome app experience, huge developer community and tons of customization options. But After almost a year with it, I'm still missing something. I do miss the BlackBerry standard features that you have to use apps for in Android...I miss the keyboard, obviously...and the battery life.

    I figured I'd wait until BB10 was released, but its getting harder to hold out, and I'm starting to look at picking up a used 9900 (to hold on to my upgrade eligibility), then switching on over to BB10 when it arrives. But I'm concerned about missing the app experience, and concerned about what the app support in BB10 will be like.

    My last BB was a 9800 on OS6...how much better is the experience on the 9900, and particularly, for anyone who has come over from Android? Any other things I'm not thinking clearly about? Should I just man up and hold out for BB10?
    YES! I'm having the same dilemma. I loved my 9650, but when it was killed, I left Sprint and picked up a Nokia E71 (which I adored. It reminded me of the Blackberry with just a few more quirks: front-facing camera). After that I did something I'd never do again: I jumped ship back to android. Now, I liked android a lot when it first came out, but I outgrew it and actually chose my first Blackberry, an 8530, over the android models that were available.
    The problem lies in this. Now that I've gone from Captivate Glide to the Galaxy SII to the Galaxy SII Skyrocket, I'm used to the support, and some of the apps that I'm having trouble finding an alternative to on Blackberry. Foxfi being the most prominent one, I don't want to do without it. I can probably trade on some of the others. And, the no front-facing camera is a bit of a disappointment. It's not a for sure necessity, but I don't want to carry around an ipad or playbook. I have my laptop, and my smartphone. I like all-in-ones. When I'm on the go, whether I need to have a conference or I'm just missing my loved ones, who live far out, it's cool to be able to see them; especially my little ones when I'm away.
    I'm a freelance editor, and writer. The blackberry would make some things all the more easy for me. I would really like to go back, but I'm wondering if I'd give up too much to do so. My father has the Galaxy Note and doesn't seem to face all of the irritating errors of swype. But, I'm too petite for the gigantic device. LOL. That would be a funny sight.
    Last edited by St.Deborah; 09-13-12 at 10:34 AM.
    09-13-12 10:31 AM
  15. St_Deborah's Avatar
    Well, I'm holding out for BB X, but our stories are in many ways similar. My 'Berry blew up last August, so I took a ride on the Android train.
    Fun for a while, but no reception, complete absence of security, zero battery life...
    I grabbed a PlayBook and loved it.
    So, grabbed a 9900 and suddenly I've got great reception, security, only thing I'm missing is Kindle and a bigger screen.
    BB X will take care of that.
    Brand new Bold 9900 off Kijiji for $200, unlocked it, and Bob's your uncle, haven't looked back.
    Can't say if you'll feel the same way...I'm 'Berry by choice, 'Berry for life.
    THERE'S NO KINDLE ON THE 9900?! Maybe there's some type of mistake. This would be an absolute deal-breaker for me, so I'm hoping that I read that wrong.
    09-13-12 10:36 AM
  16. jegs2's Avatar
    THERE'S NO KINDLE ON THE 9900?! Maybe there's some type of mistake. This would be an absolute deal-breaker for me, so I'm hoping that I read that wrong.
    Yeah, but I've moved to Kobo anyway. Kindle is making it too hard to share their books across different platforms. For example, I like to remove a lot of higly-offensive profanity from otherwise good products, but with Kindle books I can't do that.
    09-13-12 10:53 AM
  17. squished18's Avatar
    Hijacking this thread, but regarding Kindle on 99xx:

    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...es-how-672338/

    BTW, I use a 9810 and Kindle works fine on it too.
    09-13-12 11:29 AM
  18. St_Deborah's Avatar
    Yeah, but I've moved to Kobo anyway. Kindle is making it too hard to share their books across different platforms. For example, I like to remove a lot of higly-offensive profanity from otherwise good products, but with Kindle books I can't do that.
    Oh, so, you can do that with Kobo, then? I didn't know that. I had Kobo on my first Captivate Glide, but didn't get a chance to explore it. The phone was defective. I'm assuming he Kobo app is available on BBs then? If, so, that is somewhat reassuring. I'll probably test Kobo out before I make my decision.
    09-13-12 11:33 AM
  19. St_Deborah's Avatar
    Hijacking this thread, but regarding Kindle on 99xx:

    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...es-how-672338/

    BTW, I use a 9810 and Kindle works fine on it too.
    Oh okay. I thought I'd read somewhere online that Kindle did work on Blackberrys. That's why I was so shocked when reading the previous quote.
    09-13-12 11:35 AM
  20. jegs2's Avatar
    Oh, so, you can do that with Kobo, then? I didn't know that. I had Kobo on my first Captivate Glide, but didn't get a chance to explore it. The phone was defective. I'm assuming he Kobo app is available on BBs then? If, so, that is somewhat reassuring. I'll probably test Kobo out before I make my decision.
    You can, but have to remove DRM first. Lots of applications out there for that. IMO, so long as you bought a book fair and square, you should be able to remove DRM, though think it's actually illegal in some countries - so be careful. Used to be easy to do with Kindle books too, but Amazon changes up their DRM scheme all the time, so it's getting harder and harder.

    Yes, you can get Kobo for the 99-series Bolds, though it's one of the lower-rated readers (probably too few features).
    09-13-12 12:12 PM
  21. Rootbrian's Avatar
    I'm loving the 9900. The day I got it, I saved up (like with the 9700) for an extended battery. Been using it since the day I got it after waiting for two weeks for it to arrive direct from china. It then swelled up and I order two new replacement batteries that didn't need to be decoded. Recycled the swollen battery and now am loving the double battery life. Two extended, including the stock one. Thinking of getting another 9900 gel case and gutting the one I got on clearance for use with the extended battery (cutting the area where the battery is covered by the case so it can be removed without taking the case off) as not to remove it all the time.

    I look at functionality, not just apps. Actually, apps are the final thing I would look at them choosing a platform. I choose core functionality over that. But it's different from other people's views.

    All in all, this 9900 has me sold and probably will be well after bb10 is in stores.

    Sent from The Root's Crackberry @ wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-13-12 04:19 PM
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