[michi123]

Hallo all!


Let me share my thoughts on my first blackberry experience coming from many years with windows mobile devices (and others like the old Nokia Communicator, all the SonyEricsson P-Series etc. - but that�s really long ago)....

My last five smartphones were WindowsMobile phones (including the Touch HD and the Touch Pro 2). While WM has come a long way as a business platform and has made huge improvements in stability, it still severely lacks in many areas. The latest OS (WM 6.5 and it�s variants) is almost the same as WM5.0 many years ago......even if I whip out my old and trusted Ipaq 3970 (one of the best PDAs of it�s days), I still can�t see that much of an improvement. The thing is: WM phones can do almost anything you want - but the interface is less than intuitive and you need to spend a lot of time customising those devices (ROM-flashing, registry tweaking, you name it). And while all this can be good fun, it takes time - a lot of it.
At some point last fall I realized I was spending more time with tweaking my phone etc. than I was with my wife and family. This realization and the lack of progress on the WM platform made me start looking for a new smartphone platform......so here it goes.....

IPhone: not an option. Unorthodox hardware combination: great graphics processor, but low resolution screen. No multitasking out of the box (and I was looking for a good out-of-the-box experience). Horrible battery life as reported by most users (can�t judge that myself, but was not willing to try). Lack of attention to detail: e.g. no number of remaining characters while typing SMS? Come on.... I-Tunes mandatory: hated I-Tunes from th ebottom of my heart ever since my first - and last - I-Pod....

Nokia S60: While the E72 does look great and provides most of the functionality I was looking for (in fact I just ordered one for my wife....so I will get to play with it anyway ;-)), S60 just doesn�t cut the mustard as a smartphone interface for me....too many clicks to get things done.....

Android: definitly something to watch in the near future, but at the time (couple of months ago) Android 2.0 was not ready, neither were any devices with a decent screen resolution (480x800).....and if I have to go without a keyboard, then at least I want a big, high-dpi screen. Will be watching the reviews of the upcoming HTC Bravo closely...

Blackberry: need to get an extra data option in addition to my data flat? No IMAP-folder support on BIS? Email size limit? Out-dated OS? Blackberry was not at the top of my list, rather at the bottom.....but still deserved some research. So eventually I ended up at crackberry.com (where else? ;-)) and have been reading the forums for a couple of months. Downloaded the 9700 user manual and read through it a couple of times to see if the blackberry way could also be my way. Loved the idea of keyboard shortcuts in almost all applications (something I sorely missed ever since the Nokia Commnicator). Downloaded the 9700 simulator and played with it for a few weeks, to see if I could justify jumping ship (and leaving those tons of paid WM apps behind and having to buy new ones for BB) and getting an additional contract.....
Got a 9700 3 weeks ago - unbranded, unlocked, full price. Got BB data option. First thing I did as an absolute BB newbie was flash the OS from .330 to .423. Went just as smoothly as Windows Mobile ROM flashes.Set-up email (gmail plus outlook exchange OWA) - a breeze.
I haven�t had a single lockup yet, no battery pull - just scheduled restarts after installing some apps, some occasional alt-right shift-delete to get rid of some quirks but nothing more. Battery life is absolutely amazing - haven�t seen anything comparable since the Nokia 9310i.
The phone options are just so much better than on WM phones out of the box - profiles, anyone....;-)?
What I do miss occasionally is the Gmail IMAP folder support, but I get around with it with the online search capability of the enhanced plug-in, or alternatively with the gmail app. And while the keyboard is really good once you get the hang of it, I sometimes miss the huge keyboard of my old Touch Pro 2 (arguably the best keyboard of any smartphone until today.....perfect size, great tactile feedback etc.).
I just wish the build quality was a little better on the 9700. While I consider myself lucky to only have a wobbly trackpad (which does not impair it�s functionality, so I don�t care too much - had I not read about it on the internet, I would not have considered it a build issue) and a sqeaking volume and hang-up button, it�s not good to see so many reports of light leaks, creaking bezels, lose faceplates, keys falling off etc...


So - do I love my blackberry? No......it�s just a phone.....I love my wife and family, and that�s why I made the switch to a very good out-of-the-box experience that gets things done for me. Finally I have a smartphone that does some work for me, and not the other way round as my old WM phones. So - do I like my blackberry? Definitly! Will I stay with blackberry? Time will tell.....



Thanks all for listening, and thanks for a great and informative community, without which I would not have made the switch to BB!!

[sedalia066]

Welcome to BB.

My smartphone experience is less extensive than yours but much of my reasoning for buying a full price 9000 is like yours. Today I am still delighted with the BB experience. I cannot imagine going back.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[flop]

Finally I have a smartphone that does some work for me, and not the other way round...

After using a BB on the move, its a disapointment to come back to Windows desktops (and RIM DesktopManager's dependency on it). Part of the BB simplicity can be attributed to the lock-in of BIS and RIM apps, which can be a frustration when you want to do things a different way. I'm glad yours is being put to good use