[JasonGallagher]

Wow. It's pretty effin good.

A little background, we've been a BlackBerry household for many years. Since the early Curves to the Bolds to the Torch and now the Z10, we've been loyal and preached their value as a 'communication first' device that served all our needs.

The game has changed and I fear I've been hiding under a blanket of stubbornness, ego, and pride, holding out for what may never come from the brand I'm so familiar with.

With BlackBerry clearly focused on enterprise, I'm really not sure why there's even ONE consumer customer let alone the few million that are holding on. I can't speak for the value in 3rd world where marketshare might be more because of data costs or other factors, but for 1st world regions I don't see any comparison. Using my wife's GS5 really made me realize first hand why everyone has moved, it does everything.

For the people that respond with 'its all preference, whatever works for you is what you should get', I caution you to look around. Aside from wanting to be different and standing out from the crowd in a less capable way, what is your argument in 2014? It used to be 'tool not a toy', I preached it too. Moot point now, every phone can be productive and with 3rd party app support you can now do MUCH MORE on a platform that has so much more available.

When bb10 was released I had a lot of faith. When ported apks became more available, followed by Snap and Amazon, I continued that faith. But let's all be honest - the experience is subpar. Getting something to 'work' on bb10 does not equal having it work well on a platform it's intended for. Google services, which EVERYONE seems to use at least one or many of their apps, obviously work a million times better on android.

Watching the Crackberry site deteriorate is depressing too. The fact Kevin left the helm and has refocused effort into diversifying the sister sites speaks to the fact this ship has sailed. Would he have done that years ago when BlackBerry was on top? Never. I'm not criticizing, it makes perfect business sense and I'd do it too, I'm just speaking to the fact all the signs are there and they've been there for quite some time.

In my opinion, BlackBerry is no longer for consumers. Period. Dismal numbers, dismal dev support as a result. Unless everyone on this site is a business user that has a vested interest in security, BES, and anything related, I find it difficult to see what the consumer appeal still is. Think about how many employees Google has dedicated to improving every little form and feature of their OS. How about all the 3rd party devs that support Android? Now think about BlackBerry. I could be wrong but I picture 5 guys in a room, and a couple 3rd party devs who have other jobs putting a 'best effort' approach into my mobile experience. It's taken me awhile but I now realize I AM A CONSUMER, and as one, I need to go with a platform that has the proper support for them.

I guess my point if any in this long winded rant is that whatever consumer preference there is to BlackBerry could just be shortsighted 'I'm used to it' mentality. I'm used to it too, and then I used the GS5 for a few hours and am now almost used to that, BUT with tons of added functionality that I've never had or may ever get with BlackBerry. I like the hub, but the notification shade works just as well. I like the keyboard but the stock galaxy keyboard is decent and SwiftKey makes it that much better. There's a lot of things I like and prefer with bb10, but I'm realizing, however late, that there's just as good things to get used to with android PLUS the million other things it seems BlackBerry can't do.

Let me close by saying thank you to Crackberry - I've been a member for years and both helped and been helped with many issues. I'll still check back, but I think I'll be getting an android in the coming weeks which I fear is a decision long over due. I still believe in BlackBerry as a company, and I most certainly think they can be a success in the enterprise space with their strength in services and security. I wish them success and maybe someday will return if the tides turn and their consumer offering becomes compelling, right now and sadly for some time, it simply is not.

Thanks for reading, this is clearly for my personal therapy, so I appreciate the outlet to vent

EDIT: changed some 'we's to 'I's to clarify this of course is my own personal opinion and experience. I feel like as part of the long standing BlackBerry community I share many similar sentiments to others, and I suppose those are the ones I'm writing for.

Posted via CB10

[AnimalPak200]

It's good to try other things, it really makes it clear what you can and can't live without. But if I was to get a top of the line android device right now, it would not be a Samsung!

[zamboni08]

Psh...lol.

I've used the HTC One and recently the S5 with an open mind. I've moved my line back to my Z30 both times.

Yes, actually it IS all about preference.

[RoseBud68]

Here is were you should have posted instead of starting a thread. Good luck with your new phone.
http://forums.crackberry.com/general...thread-260887/

[ericp2011]

Been there, done that, See you back soon!

[BBUniq01]

It is presumptuous of you to assume that most on the forum have not tried other devices and platforms. We are a BlackBerry and Android owning household, that switched from Apple. Security is top on my list and BlackBerry delivers with utmost efficiency. I will keep my Android tablet as a supplement. Ditto with my children.

Posted via Q10 with 1154

[earlym]

Sad!

The woman who introduced me to the merits of the Blackberry will now be getting a SG5. Her work deemed it necessary to have one for govt communications, security and such. But now, the same govt is issuing out SG5. Wow! I love my Z10 and yes, I do hold out hope that Blackberry will hear my cries for a more consumer oriented experience, but sadly, I think I'm having a cup...of "Kool Aid" (JJ reference)!

Yep. I bought lock, stock and barrel into the BB10 experience from Thors and where is he now? The promises of timely updates and the slick promos that had me believing we were next on top of Mount Smartphone. My Z10 with 10.2 is awesome on Verizon, but will we make it to the next level. I can run circles around my friends with SG5's and 5S's but those companies are R&D'ing right now on the "Next Big Thing". They're assuming the vacant winner's podium all because BB is still lacing their sneakers (or doing something on the ground, I can't figure out what).

Month-after-month, we the faithful Kool Aid stained cup holders spew out the talking points of a platform that has left us at the station. I have to make room for this new SG5 cus it comes with my lovely wife! Her and her govt cronnies sold me on the merits of security and now they've jumped ship to Android. She'll still sport her White Z, but she'll get a big dose of the "Next Big Thing" real soon. Alas, what is left to do? I love my phone and my wife and what they both do for me. But more and more, I'm beginning to believe that I'm holding onto a ticket for travel on a train that is never coming to pick me up?

Brilliant piece BTW. You should be a blogger.

Go BB!

[jhimmel]

I would have enjoyed the original post if he had kept it about his own experience without suggesting that anyone who doesn't agree has his eyes closed.

My wife had an iPhone. I tried it a lot and it is definitely not for me. Now she has an LG G3. I was very curious about it, encouraged her to get it, and went and bought it for her for her birthday. I liked the specs and wanted to see for myself how a flagship Android might work for me. I played with it quite a bit and I can tell you that I would not switch to it from my Z30 if you gave it to me for free. Don't get me wrong - for an Android device it is very nice and very capable, but FOR ME, and the work that I do, the Z30 flows better and is my preferred experience.

Please try to accept that fact that someone might legitimately feel different than you. Neither is "wrong".

So glad you have figured out what you really like though.

[grover5]

It really depends on your needs and preference OP. I'm using a Nexus 5 right now because my last Z10 died and I had to replace it immediately. Tmobile doesn't carry BB anymore and the university I work at uses google services now. So it seemed like the right phone to get. Anyway, I do like it quite a bit. I like the hardware and the software. It's a great device and it allows me to use google drive and hangouts for work in a way I couldn't before. I also get access to many more apps and I have google maps which seems to work better in the sticks than BB maps did.

That being said, it is not as good a communication device and it lacks many thing that BB doesn't. The hub is a much better communication organizer and launcher than anything on my nexus or that I have found for my nexus. BB 10 has a file manager. BB 10 actually has amazing file management between the device storage, SD storage, drop box and as many personal computers as you may want to add. My nexus can do most of this but I have to go app hunting to accomplish it. And it won't do it as seamlessly as BB does out of the box. Finally if anyone can help me stop conversations in my gmail on my nexus I will gladly pay you a large sum of money. But sadly I know that isn't an option.

In conclusion, OP, I do really like my Nexus 5 and will keep using it as my daily driver. But all of these platforms have their own strengths and weaknesses. You just have to figure out if your priorities line up with the strengths of the phone of your choice.

[EvEr34]

It's safe to say that most of us have tried something else at one time or another and are in fact not hiding under a blanket. Personally, i've owned an iPhone, an HTC one, and a windows phone. Once the novelty wears off i always seem to realize that my needs are always better met by my Q10 or Z30.

[JasonGallagher]

Thanks for the responses. My apologies for my own shortsightedness in associating my experience and justifications with others, I think that comes because I've felt I was part of a small 'hold out' community and we all had similar sentiments.

You're absolutely right that everyone has their own preferences, not everyone will like the same thing. I guess my point was that my own preference lies a lot on what I'm used to, that's what I prefer. What I've been used to with BlackBerry has been limited compared to what's available, and getting used to a new platform doesn't take long and brings a wealth of other features and functionality.

Maybe after I get fully used to Android I'll still prefer what I had with BlackBerry, I just can't see myself then making the decision to come back to a platform at the cost of losing so many other added value features.

Thanks again for the feedback



Posted via CB10

[mlbrowninsc]

To each their own as they say. Over the last year I have tried all the platforms. Had a Nokia 920, Galaxy S5, Z10, Q10, iPhone 5 and now a Z30. All of them had the good and bad points. For me BlackBerry has the best platform for what I do with a phone. I have an iPad to fill in any app gaps that may arise, but currently I don't have any. Overall I am very happy with the device I have and feel that the upcoming changes in 10.3.1 will make it even better. Enjoy your new phone.

[Jimberry Storm]

Sorry to see you go, but if you like Keven you know what he would say "there is no perfect phone, just the perfect phone for you"
As for me I will be sticking around, I just don't like the droid interface. If BB were to go away completely I would go to android before apple though. Good luck

[Joao Oliveira]

GS5 is nice, if you like to watch netflix on the phone, or play flappy bird... When it comes to comunication, it's not as good, simple as that...

I actualy like that Blackberry is back with focus on enterprise, wich means the phone is focused on productivity and comunication, not facebook, tweeter and flappy bird... I want a tool, not a toy... Especialy samsung, with all those cheesy eye catching useless effects... Well, it has "touchwizz" wich is dreadfull, I'll rather have a HTC One, you pay the same and it's not made of cheap plastic

[Carjackd]

Good luck with the device , I've tried them all, but when it comes down to a solid work horse, functionality, and security...bb is always where I end up. BB 10 is now a mature OS, and the company is headed in the right direction. I can't wait to pick up my passport in a couple weeks or sooner.

[skstrials]

kthxbi.

I have used Android and I absolutely hated it. My Samsung gs3 was a laggy piece of ****.

I even bought an otter box case, assuming that I would stick with Android but just couldn't handle opening and closing apps every time I get a message or a mail.

As for the extra functionalities, I am not sure what Google service you are talking about but I use Google for search and it works well on the browser.

Other than that, all of my Microsoft services (one drive, active sync mail and calendar) work very well with my Z10.

Sure, we don't have the finger print sensor and the heartbeat monitor. But I use the picture password and I use my middle finger to measure my heart rate for 15 seconds and multiply the value by 4 to get the heart rate bpm. My finger is more accurate than a heart rate monitor attached to a cell phone.

We know BlackBerry is not perfect but like I said, we can utilize our own finger for heart rate measurement. And use the phone for the actual communication purposes.

Posted via CB10 using BlackBerry Z10

[Ziro1]

My wife has the S4, my son, Note 3 soon he wants Note 4 and iPhone 5S.

I have used all 3 for good period, and I always go back to my Z30.
I just can't get used to pressing buttons to go back and forth!!!

[greenpoise]

I have a friend that has a Galaxy. He was showing me some pics on it and he was embarrassed swiping through them because it would like stutter or move instead of change from pic to pic.. he was embarrassed because minutes before showing them, he was bragging how once you go droid you dont go back.. As a linux puritan, you cant get me into that fork!! If there is EVER a native one, then I would probably try..but right now I just see it as a Malware Mobile..thats it..BB gives me the necessary. My 2 cents

[Carmels]

OP you've also pitted the SG5 against an older BlackBerry 10 device in the Z10.

If we're going to do a fair comparison. Let's see how well the SG5 stacks up against the Z30 or better yet, the new Passport. I can tell you right now no one in the current mobile market has a physical / capacitive keyboard! Just sayin!

Look! It's Zedzilla10! ?

[Mirk]

I find your assumption that we are all lone hold outs who have failed to look over the fence and see that the grass is green rather undignified.

Please speak for yourself and please keep your assumptions to a minimum.

[parapep10]

Comparing Z10 to the newest Galaxy phone is not even fair. Z10 is now almost 2 years old. I moved from Z10 to Z30 and it's night and day. Now with 10.3, better android run time and Passport. Then maybe you have a fair chance to criticize.

Posted via CB10

[spacemanZ10]

I'm hanging on till 10.3.1 I do love bb10 and it's fluidity but miss some of the apps not working perfectly and the amazon apps have been painful to use.
Also the bugs on my zed are getting me down. Not sure what I would move to done android os is ok. Hate windows phone os, and not sure about apple, though it can't be that bad, just hate the fact you pay for the name!

Posted by my splendid Z10

[JasonGallagher]

Just to follow up my post and some of the responses, my comments are the initial reaction when I got to seriously start using the GS5, realizing '...so THIS is why BlackBerry has lost so many customers!'

And to be fair, those customers haven't come back. Maybe they're on contract and in future they will, but I suspect unless there is a seriously compelling reason to do so they won't.

I'm not just talking about flappy bird and Netflix, both of which btw I can use on my zed10 haha. Or Skype for that matter. There are definitely bells and whistles which draw people, but seamless access to good quality services and apps is more what I'm speaking about.

I get that there are users here that have used other platforms for much more time than I have, and to those who still prefer BlackBerry in spite of its limitations, I acknowledge you. I simply don't see it, perhaps in time I might, but I can't see it now. I suppose for every 100 BlackBerry consumer users that switched over to a different platform, a couple came back and said they still prefer it.

There will always be a niche group of people with anything, and I'm perfectly ok in being in that minority, unfortunately with tech though it comes at a cost as we all know the relation between users and development. Yes bb10 has improved, but not nearly as much or as fast as it should, and I'm confident that's because of low userbase.

As a compromise which I see some people saying is that they have their BlackBerry for communication and an android/apple tablet for the apps and additional services. That could be a viable solution which I'm open to if the communication capability on an android phone didn't meet my needs. Personally I prefer to have my daily driver meet my needs, I don't like multiple devices for different things - I want one device for everything and it seems like android simply does it better than any other platform right now.


Posted via CB10

[dbmalloy]

Another great example of the "broad brush" effect.... the OP gives personal opinion which is helpful and then starts to flame by painting others and the site as blind... like why?? makes no point by it but to come off as trolling... Has the OP ever considered that BB is going after Enterprise in North America... they have released consumer devices ( Z3 ) in Asis but will make it our way eventually to North America.... they are focusing on Enterprise in North America for reasons of survival... for now they have lost the consumer market... perhaps if there is enough hardware success in N/A it will bleed over to the consumer market.... Even if BB is focusing on Enterprise.... why does that exclude the consumer market... In my opinnion iti is rather short sighted on the OP part to judge a device not on its merits but on his world view.....

[cbdwolff7]

Another" I like this product post, and I think you should look at IT too!!" It's a shame that people can't just express there personal opinion without the hidden misguided direction to sway another. I have tried all platforms for myself without trying to persuade another, or make someone sound ignorant. My Z30 is "MY PREFERENCE" and No one else's opinion to sway me. Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, ROCK what ever I want to use I will and have used my own trial and error testing. Thanks for the post OP!