[jbeachy]

Back in the day, I was very active on these forums, particularly the old Curve and Bold forums. My last BlackBerry was a 9650 Bold (profile probably still shows that - gotta check), which I had up to September 2013. I was waiting for the Z10 because my company implemented policies that mitigated against getting a new pre-OS10 BlackBerry (see below).

Meanwhile, as the 9650 got passed up by newer models, I wasn't able to contribute to discussions on those models and there were understandably fewer and fewer posts about the older devices that I knew anything about.

During this time my company set about implementing a BYOD policy and, since more and more more employees were opting for iPhones and Androids, I was among only about 30 BlackBerry users, down from about 380. To offer some level of security and control over these BYOD phones, IT required a mobile device management (MDM) app from www.maas360.com to be installed on each device. In a logical extension of policy they wanted to sunset the corporate BES, since the new smartphones connected directly to Microsoft Exchange.

So I bided my time for OS10 only to discover that Maas360 did not have and probably would not have the required MDM for BlackBerry. This meant I could not connect a BlackBerry to our Exchange server.

So sadly, in early September 2013, being the next to last BlackBerry user on my company BES, I retired my beloved BlackBerry and opted for the new Verizon Motorola Droid MAXX. It's a competent device and the new Chrome browser rocks my world. And yes, I typed this on the virtual keyboard I'm still trying to get used to. Mostly I use that finger-sliding technique for long paragraphs - it works surprisingly well but you have to proof your text because it sometimes produces a word that is completely out of context.

But I miss my BlackBerry. Google Play is the wild wild west with appalling lack of security ( witness the BBM for Android debacle), and Verizon push-installed McAfee antivirus within hours of device activation - an environment I'm not used to. But i did find the CrackBerry for Android app in Google Play and here I am for old times sake. Went through some old subscribed threads and they brought back a lot of memories and quite a few smiles.

Who knows what the future holds - maybe in a couple years, when companies discover that all these not-so-secure BYOD phones have been busily transmitting sensitive information to other countries because of inadvertently installed malware, they'll be back to BlackBerry. I'll be waiting for an opening.

Sent from my XT1080 using CB Forums mobile app

[Branta]

You are still welcome here regardless of your current phone usage. Your login is enabled as part of our MobileNations passport system so if you decide to visit AndroidCentral.com it will also get you past the door there.

[wyrdfool]

Maybe with the Z10 being written down, you can grab one in the near future at an attractive price as your personal phone.

It's not a physical keyboard type but it got the best virtual keyboard in the market.

Meanwhile, keep login to crackberry

Posted from Z10 via CB10