[brucejr70]

Like the header says. I am thinking of going back to Blackberry. Presently I have a Galaxy S2. Have been with Blackberry before and have had the iPhone. Was looking at the 9860 (since I am with AT&T). I much prefer the all touch screen devices. I have had good luck with all three OS's (BB, Android, iOS). Have already looked at the apps I use frequently and BB has 15/22 of them. I am also looking at the Samsung Focus S. Have not used a Windows phone since the horrible Windows Mobile devices of old. I just like the look and feel of BB. I know OS 10 is down the pipe for BB. I have seen the supposed device that will have it. Does anybody know if current devices such as 9860 will be upgradeable to the new OS? Help push me one way or the other. Fence sitting is very uncomfortable.

[dbmalloy]

RIM has announced that there is no upgrade path for current OS7 smartphones which the phone you are looking at is one if.... BB10 will be a standalone mostly due to hardware consideration... RIM's pattern has been to orphan phones when a new line up comes out..... Not sure how this affects your discission..... All I can say is go for the one that excites you the most and gives you the flexablilty we all need.....

[RoseBud68]

Like the header says. I am thinking of going back to Blackberry. Presently I have a Galaxy S2. Have been with Blackberry before and have had the iPhone. Was looking at the 9860 (since I am with AT&T). I much prefer the all touch screen devices. I have had good luck with all three OS's (BB, Android, iOS). Have already looked at the apps I use frequently and BB has 15/22 of them. I am also looking at the Samsung Focus S. Have not used a Windows phone since the horrible Windows Mobile devices of old. I just like the look and feel of BB. I know OS 10 is down the pipe for BB. I have seen the supposed device that will have it. Does anybody know if current devices such as 9860 will be upgradeable to the new OS? Help push me one way or the other. Fence sitting is very uncomfortable.

No, The new BB10(BBX) will not load onto the OS7. Plenty of info on this here. I have the 9860 and love it, it works very well for me. That being said you need to find what will work for you.

[brucejr70]

No, The new BB10(BBX) will not load onto the OS7. Plenty of info on this here. I have the 9860 and love it, it works very well for me. That being said you need to find what will work for you.

No performance problems or anything for you? I never had any issues with my BB's. I know I have read articles and posts which indicate the OS 7 updates have really been good and OS 7 is very much an improvement over prior incarnations. Having active widgets is not a big deal for me having had all the different iPhones. Do the apps (like ESPN) have the capabilities of alerts? I ask this because I have not had BB since OS 5.

[ubizmo]

Are any of the 7/22 apps that aren't available for BB deal-breakers? Did you check in WP Marketplace to see if they're on the WP platform yet? WP is nothing like the old Windows Mobile; they probably should have chosen a different name for it, to shake off that impression.

I have a BB 9900 and an HTC Radar; I like them both, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses. BB OS is without a doubt more full-featured than the current WP7 "Mango", in terms of things such as the ability to customize notifications, home screen appearance, etc. WP is silky smooth, even on phones with moderate specs, and has SkyDrive integration.

It's not known whether current generation WP phones will be able to run WP8 when it's released in the fall. The dominant option seems to be yes, but there's nothing official. It's a certainty, however, that current BB OS phones will not run BB10. Not knowing how long you like to hang onto a smartphone, it's hard to say how this might influence your choice. And of course, not everyone will jump from BB OS to BB10 immediately--but many will, and many others will be tempted.

I see the next year or so as a contest between BB and WP more than a contest between either one of them and either of the other two gorillas in the room. This contest is only indirectly of interest to consumers, by the effect it has on developers. WP Marketplace just passed 70,000 apps. Nokia is in with both feet and is marketing aggressively, since their future is at stake. BB will need to make a big splash with BB10. Microsoft has the resources to play a strategic game; RIM needs to score immediately.

[brucejr70]

That is a really good point ubizmo. I usually keep a phone for about 6-9 months depending on how upgradeable it is. I am not one of these "fanboys" who claims that one brand/OS etc is better than another. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and depends ultimately upon the needs of the end user. Each carrier as well has its strengths and weaknesses. I have been with T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, and now AT&T. Each phone was great for me because of my specific need at the time.

[Frosty_Power]

Like the header says. I am thinking of going back to Blackberry. Presently I have a Galaxy S2. Have been with Blackberry before and have had the iPhone. Was looking at the 9860 (since I am with AT&T). I much prefer the all touch screen devices. I have had good luck with all three OS's (BB, Android, iOS). Have already looked at the apps I use frequently and BB has 15/22 of them. I am also looking at the Samsung Focus S. Have not used a Windows phone since the horrible Windows Mobile devices of old. I just like the look and feel of BB. I know OS 10 is down the pipe for BB. I have seen the supposed device that will have it. Does anybody know if current devices such as 9860 will be upgradeable to the new OS? Help push me one way or the other. Fence sitting is very uncomfortable.

I love my 9900, but I do have an S2, and had a 9860 for a short stint, 2 weeks, until I gave up. If your going to compare the 2 devices, IMO, the S2 blows the 9860 out of the water in every category. If you really want a touch screen only device, the S2 is near the top. The 9860 could have been designed so much better IMO. I think it's not wide enough so the keyboard on it is designed really bad with no other options at this time. I would have loved to see it have the 9900 shell with a large all touch screen. Typing on the S2 is decent for an all touch, typing on the 9860 is a pain. If your thinking of coming back to Blackberry, I'd choose the 9900 if I were you(because of the great keyboard), the 9860 IMO will be a disappointment comparing it to an S2.

[up488]

Why sit uncomfortably. Come on back! Its more fun on this side anyway!

The 9860 is an awesome phone, contrary to popular opinion and not upgradable to the upcoming OS but still a fine device. Depends on your needs I guess.

[Kofi901]

Blackberry is the way forward

[anthogag]

If you switch to BlackBerry you can stop wearing that foil hat

[brucejr70]

I was figuring I would go the 9860 with OS7 and get myself prepared for OS10 devices in Q4 2012 or Q1 2013. The build quality on the 9860 seems to be much more refined than the Samsung Focus S. Granted there are those that will scream dual core but just because something has more cores does not inherently make it better.

[tlo07]

If you are going to go for a W7 device, I would wait for the Nokia Lumia 900. Last rumor I heard was for a March release.

[brucejr70]

This is true tlo07. Lumina does have some sweet specs. BB7 does have themes now for the 9860 correct?

[brucejr70]

Got the Samsung Focus Flash. I may use it for 30 days and may go for either the Titan II or the Lumina 900. Stll eying the 9860.

[southlander]

I am using the 9850 and finding it quite awesome. I type almost only in landscape mode. Like one poster said, portrait mode is cramped for typing. I do not care though since I have typed on iphones as well and also find it too narrow in portrait. So in that respect the torch matches the best in class iPhone. I personally am not a fan of huge phones.

Os7 is fast. Now has hot spot, nfc, and a media service (dlna). Very full featured.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9850 using Tapatalk

[dollyjade]

Thats A great idea.....

[brucejr70]

I figure giving myself the 30 period Best Buy allows after a purchase plus having the buy back program, I am given a lot more flexibility with phone choice. As well I do not have to renew my contract with AT&T to get another phone. Having fun with the Samsung Focus Flash. Would like to see the Titan II in action as well as the Lumina 900. Kind of a bummer (like with BB10) that Windows says these 7.5 devices will not get OS8 . But as long as they can upgrade the existing OS within the abilities of the phones I am happy.

[up488]

Got the Samsung Focus Flash. I may use it for 30 days and may go for either the Titan II or the Lumina 900. Stll eying the 9860.

Oh well, everyone is allowed to make mistakes I suppose! Just kidding! No harm in trying new things to see how it works for ya. Guess i'll go now and enjoy all that my super awesome 9860 has to offer!

[brucejr70]

I have to say that with the all touch screen 9850/9860 BB did its homework for what the end user wanted. Where'as had always been focused on the business end user using such a device, they kind of lost track of the powerhouse consumer.....everybody else. I remember my first BB 7105t. Most people did not understand why you would need email on the go unless you where a world travelling businessman. Now this is the benchmark for a smartphone. Hopefully OS10 will give the functionality that consumers desire. As it appears the government and business communities now see other OS's as options. Let's hope BB doesn's go the way of Eckerd drugs. A company who expected people to go to them because of their name. Now people say "Eckerd who?"

[guerllamo7]

Just a note:
Since you have been away, I'd just like to point out there have been a few changes on BlackBerryland.
Besides the spec upgrades, which are nice, they have some BlackBerry additions that are very nice:

BB Protect - locate, place a message, lock, wipe, make a loud noise on your phone. Free
BB Music - select up to 50 songs per month and add any songs to your playlist from BBM buddies that use it. $4.99/mo but you get a few months free to try it out.

BB Traffic - updated for voice navigation. Free.
BB Travel - watches your messages for iteneray updates.

You already know about the e-mail and messaging as well as the keyboard.

I will say this. If you are interested in a BlackBerry consider the Bold or the Torch 9810 as well. I've helped several people upgrade to a better fit for them and the Bold and T9810 have received rave reviews but the one person that upgraded to the full screen torch was only O.K. with the switch. It could be just that person but the Bold and Torch 9810 users just loved them.

[brucejr70]

I have gotten used to no keyboard, from the G-1, to the Mytouch, to the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Atrix, and SG2. Not that keyboards are bad, I have learned to live without them. That is why the 9860 is so apealing to me.