[sandman10]

excellent thread, thanks.

[pantlesspenguin]

I find android quite easy to operate now. The result of the customisation is that the os looks exactly how you want it to look.
I can see why other features would appeal but when it comes to looks Android is literally what you make it.
It's been over a month now and i'm still missing the blackberry keyboard most of all.
I am looking forward to what blackberry will come up with next though

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

I can't remember if you mentioned this, but have you tried SwiftKey yet?

[pantlesspenguin]

Yes it is indeed. Horrid looking OS..

When you play around with Android phones in the store, the home screens are loaded with carrier widgets and crap that people who are messing around with the device put on there. The first thing I do when I get an Android device is to delete ALL the preloaded stuff off the screens and start building them the way *I* want. I really find it difficult to believe you really don't know the difference between widgets, apps, and running apps, unless you've never owned a smartphone before.

[Bbnivende]

I would really like to hear OP's take on the BB10 browser vs Chrome on the Moto X .
How about font size ? My main concern on trying out demo Z10's was the font size. I do like the way my Nexus interacts with the Google search engine.

You did not mention maps as well.

The one problem that I had with the Nexus was with the standard mail App. It did not load pictures properly.

Too bad that Google sold Motorola - so you are left with Lenovo support going forward.

[darkehawke]

I can't remember if you mentioned this, but have you tried SwiftKey yet?

I was going to. But I found TouchPal which is fairly similar to the blackberry keyboard. I will give the swiftkey trial a go

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[darkehawke]

I would really like to hear OP's take on the BB10 browser vs Chrome on the Moto X .
How about font size ? My main concern on trying out demo Z10's was the font size. I do like the way my Nexus interacts with the Google search engine.

You did not mention maps as well.

The one problem that I had with the Nexus was with the standard mail App. It did not load pictures properly.

Too bad that Google sold Motorola - so you are left with Lenovo support going forward.

Browser wise I think blackberry edges it. The speeds are similar with blackberry maybe slightly faster on some sites and chrome faster on others.
However the address bar being placed at the bottom on the blackberry is very useful and I always took it for granted.
But overall they perform similarly.

Maps I will give to google as blackberry maps were next to no use for me with no walking or public transport options. There is a big deal made on these forums over blackberry maps being accurate but the most accurate maps I've found has been Nokia's

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[Yatezy]

I have a GS3 with stock 4.3, and there is very noticeable slowing down. For example, when I take a screenshot, it takes a second for the image to be ready for processing (main thing I do is menu>crop, and it's not through a third party app) when previously on 4.2.2 and before, it used to come up and be ready instantaneously. Calls logs (through the native dialer) also have a horrible display time, ever since I got the phone, and 4.3 has done nothing towards fixing that.

Unless by "Android phones" you meant Nexus phones only, which is a very narrow definition of Android some people like to selectively use around here, often just to deflect criticism of the platform.

Not trying to push AOSP here but Samsung do a **** poor job of optimising anything.

I'm on the GT-I9300 so only have a gig of ram. The moment I moved over to an AOSP rom all lag from opening my dialler and gallery (I hated the gallery lag, at least 3 seconds to open) had disappeared. Updated to 4.3 and had a bit of lag and now on 4.4 and my phone hasn't run better. These are ROMs with lots of features and are built by guys/girls for fun without the cash cloat of Samsung behind them. 4.3 has been a complete disaster for Samsung, almost as bad as 4.2.2 (which they ended up skipping).

[Bbnivende]

I would not buy a all touch phone just for the OS. The Moto X is the same size as a Z10 yet has a 4.7 inch screen. No Bloat ware and has a apps store that has all of the apps. The Moto X is the same price as a Z10 at Rogers.

[darkehawke]

I would not buy a all touch phone just for the OS. The Moto X is the same size as a Z10 yet has a 4.7 inch screen. No Bloat ware and has a apps store that has all of the apps. The Moto X is the same price as a Z10 at Rogers.

The moto x has a bigger screen and is noticeably smaller than the z10

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[Bbnivende]

The moto x has a bigger screen and is noticeably smaller than the z10

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

That is my point . Consumers are more interested in the hardware than a OS.

Moto X 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm (5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 in)
Weight 130 g (4.59 oz) 4.7 inch screen.

Z10 130 x 65.6 x 9 mm (5.12 x 2.58 x 0.35 in)
Weight 137.5 g (4.83 oz) 4.2 inch screen.

[co4nd]

I don't need Google (or whomever else) tracking my every move.

Posted via CB10

Let them track me, I've got nothing to hide.

[darkehawke]

So a quick update after using android over a month and a half. People wanted to know how i would be getting on after some time.
So the device is still smooth and fluid. I have all my main accounts tied synced to the device. All the doomsayers saying i will suffer lag and slow downs after a month are wrong so far. but to be fair it's still early days so i will come back later on to see if they are right.
Overall my experience has been very pleasant. A lot of apps use gestures so it doesnt feel totally alien to blackberry 10 even if takes a little while to get used to the change.

Keyboard has to be my biggest concern when compared to the z10. I tried touchpal which offers similar functionality but it was not in the same league.
I tried swiftkey after pantlesspenguin suggested it, and that is the keyboard i have stuck with despite numerous other trials. Swiftkey is what powers the BB10 keyboard and it is deadly accurate. I dont think it has missed a prediction yet.
The only thing that makes the BB10 keyboard stand out over the stock swiftkey is the gesture flicks to complete words. Swiftkey has a swype like gesture based typing experience called Flow. While it works well, i dont like it and i have it turned off. If blackberry needs to make cash quick, sell their keyboard in the play store and it can generate revenue i'm sure. However Swiftkey has really made typing on Android a lot easier then it would be if it had not existed and is a great keyboard.

One area i have found where blackberry can stand out, is backing up devices. On android it is ridiculously complex to back up your device. There is no easy way without rooting your device.
If blackberry pulled their fingers out and restored Blackberry Protect to how it used to be then they would shine over Android here. Link simply does not cut it.

My Moto X has showed me that Android is not all about specs and experience is crucial. The time spent with Android 4.4.2 has rammed home that Blackberry 10 is not a refined experience. Using Blackberry 10 is nice most of the time but you can tell its a new OS. I fully expect, if Blackberry can keep going, with a few more updates to mature the OS then Blackberry 10 will be a great user experience.

How happy am i with Android after a month? i am very happy. I expected Android to be just a 2 year break from blackberry, but i really can not find too much to complain about. Moto Connect is a great feature. Being able to text and call from my web browser while my phone charges elsewhere in the room is extremely useful and Blackberry should be kicking themselves for not having this implemented yet.

Will i come back to Blackberry? its too early to say. I am Blackberry through and through but the ball is in their court to come up with the goods. I am looking forward to 10.3. I sincerely hope that Blackberry can come up with a device that will bring me home

[TgeekB]

So a quick update after using android over a month and a half. People wanted to know how i would be getting on after some time.
So the device is still smooth and fluid. I have all my main accounts tied synced to the device. All the doomsayers saying i will suffer lag and slow downs after a month are wrong so far. but to be fair it's still early days so i will come back later on to see if they are right.
Overall my experience has been very pleasant. A lot of apps use gestures so it doesnt feel totally alien to blackberry 10 even if takes a little while to get used to the change.

Keyboard has to be my biggest concern when compared to the z10. I tried touchpal which offers similar functionality but it was not in the same league.
I tried swiftkey after pantlesspenguin suggested it, and that is the keyboard i have stuck with despite numerous other trials. Swiftkey is what powers the BB10 keyboard and it is deadly accurate. I dont think it has missed a prediction yet.
The only thing that makes the BB10 keyboard stand out over the stock swiftkey is the gesture flicks to complete words. Swiftkey has a swype like gesture based typing experience called Flow. While it works well, i dont like it and i have it turned off. If blackberry needs to make cash quick, sell their keyboard in the play store and it can generate revenue i'm sure. However Swiftkey has really made typing on Android a lot easier then it would be if it had not existed and is a great keyboard.

One area i have found where blackberry can stand out, is backing up devices. On android it is ridiculously complex to back up your device. There is no easy way without rooting your device.
If blackberry pulled their fingers out and restored Blackberry Protect to how it used to be then they would shine over Android here. Link simply does not cut it.

My Moto X has showed me that Android is not all about specs and experience is crucial. The time spent with Android 4.4.2 has rammed home that Blackberry 10 is not a refined experience. Using Blackberry 10 is nice most of the time but you can tell its a new OS. I fully expect, if Blackberry can keep going, with a few more updates to mature the OS then Blackberry 10 will be a great user experience.

How happy am i with Android after a month? i am very happy. I expected Android to be just a 2 year break from blackberry, but i really can not find too much to complain about. Moto Connect is a great feature. Being able to text and call from my web browser while my phone charges elsewhere in the room is extremely useful and Blackberry should be kicking themselves for not having this implemented yet.

Will i come back to Blackberry? its too early to say. I am Blackberry through and through but the ball is in their court to come up with the goods. I am looking forward to 10.3. I sincerely hope that Blackberry can come up with a device that will bring me home

Nice, honest review. Thanks.

Posted via my Nexus 10.

[anon(19759)]

So a quick update after using android over a month and a half. People wanted to know how i would be getting on after some time.
So the device is still smooth and fluid. I have all my main accounts tied synced to the device. All the doomsayers saying i will suffer lag and slow downs after a month are wrong so far. but to be fair it's still early days so i will come back later on to see if they are right.
Overall my experience has been very pleasant. A lot of apps use gestures so it doesnt feel totally alien to blackberry 10 even if takes a little while to get used to the change.

Keyboard has to be my biggest concern when compared to the z10. I tried touchpal which offers similar functionality but it was not in the same league.
I tried swiftkey after pantlesspenguin suggested it, and that is the keyboard i have stuck with despite numerous other trials. Swiftkey is what powers the BB10 keyboard and it is deadly accurate. I dont think it has missed a prediction yet.
The only thing that makes the BB10 keyboard stand out over the stock swiftkey is the gesture flicks to complete words. Swiftkey has a swype like gesture based typing experience called Flow. While it works well, i dont like it and i have it turned off. If blackberry needs to make cash quick, sell their keyboard in the play store and it can generate revenue i'm sure. However Swiftkey has really made typing on Android a lot easier then it would be if it had not existed and is a great keyboard.

One area i have found where blackberry can stand out, is backing up devices. On android it is ridiculously complex to back up your device. There is no easy way without rooting your device.
If blackberry pulled their fingers out and restored Blackberry Protect to how it used to be then they would shine over Android here. Link simply does not cut it.

My Moto X has showed me that Android is not all about specs and experience is crucial. The time spent with Android 4.4.2 has rammed home that Blackberry 10 is not a refined experience. Using Blackberry 10 is nice most of the time but you can tell its a new OS. I fully expect, if Blackberry can keep going, with a few more updates to mature the OS then Blackberry 10 will be a great user experience.

How happy am i with Android after a month? i am very happy. I expected Android to be just a 2 year break from blackberry, but i really can not find too much to complain about. Moto Connect is a great feature. Being able to text and call from my web browser while my phone charges elsewhere in the room is extremely useful and Blackberry should be kicking themselves for not having this implemented yet.

Will i come back to Blackberry? its too early to say. I am Blackberry through and through but the ball is in their court to come up with the goods. I am looking forward to 10.3. I sincerely hope that Blackberry can come up with a device that will bring me home

Had the Moto X on vzw for a few weeks and went back to my q10. Loved everything about the X and it was really just the buttery smooth keyboard on the BlackBerry that brought me back. Wife has had the X now for a month or so and raves about it to her friends and family, and she is so not a phone person. So smooth, fast, no lag. Ever. Specs? Who cares. Experience is everything and the X is a killer phone. Even battery life is almost comparable to my Q.

[pantlesspenguin]

One area i have found where blackberry can stand out, is backing up devices. On android it is ridiculously complex to back up your device. There is no easy way without rooting your device.

Unfortunately, I think back up options depend on the manufacturer. My G2 comes with something called LG Backup Service which does backup/restore of home screen layouts, personal data (contacts, calendar, and messages), media data, apps, and system settings. I *think* Samsung has something like this as well. I definitely agree that something like this should come stock.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying SwiftKey!

[Tre Lawrence]

Unfortunately, I think back up options depend on the manufacturer. My G2 comes with something called LG Backup Service which does backup/restore of home screen layouts, personal data (contacts, calendar, and messages), media data, apps, and system settings. I *think* Samsung has something like this as well. I definitely agree that something like this should come stock.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying SwiftKey!

Re: backing up devices, Darke is correct IMHO. I didn't even know LG had its own utility. I think a unified service would be great.

One reason I like Android is that because I am rooted, I can have make, restore and edit FULL backups on the fly. I have one on SD, two in the cloud Dropbox and Drive and several more saved to external SD. You never know LOL. When a Nandroid is restored, the device returns to the exact state it was at the time the Nandroid was created. Pretty helpful in a pinch, and perfect for replacement devices.

But I do think a central service that does not require rooting would be good. Thanks for the heads up on the LG service. LG is sending me a Flex to review, so I'll check it out.

[Cyanide971]

Darkehawke,

Good write-up! I'm a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD user myself and use Super Keyboard. Have you tried it yet?

Unfortunately, my phone is really aggravating since getting the old 4.1.2 update, and I'm going to give the Z30 a shot on my extra, unused line.

Best of luck with your X!

[Yatezy]

Because I'm rooted I use titanium backup but I've heard good things about Helium backup, which seems to work for none rooted phones

[ubizmo]

I find the Google backup and reset option works pretty well, ota. And Nova lets me do a local backup of its settings.

Sent via Tapatalk

[crackbrry fan]

Let them track me, I've got nothing to hide.

I suggest you get to reading of how the Gestapo was born and rethink your comment again. And please don't think it can't happen again. Misuse and abuse of information gathered by various Governments through history and to date proves that this is wrong! And to OP great that you are enjoying the DROID but no thanks it's still a DROID I will stick to BlackBerry as long as they don't become another Android device.

Posted via CB10

[3Dee]

Such a great thread and review, am pleased to hear your experience has been so positive so far op, thanks for sharing it with us.

It really mirrors my own having moved to an HTC One last year in so many ways - as a longtime BlackBerry guy I thought my email was going to become unmanageable and that I'd need to spend my whole life worrying about malware, but found the whole experience much less different than I'd imagined. The main thing I missed, like you, was the keyboard, so I've ended up picking up a Q5 as a bit of a indulgence to use a BB keyboard to reply to messages where I feel I'd rather do so, which provides a great one-two combination.

Hope the experience continues to go well, and do keep letting us know.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!