[Cymru]

I've been a blackberry user for a couple of years now, from the palm to the curve to the storm to the tour.
3 days ago I switched to Android Eris on Verizon. 2 days before that I went to iPhone for approximately 10 hours before I returned it..that's an ENTIRELY different post though.
So, why am I 4 minutes away from logging onto Verizon and switching back to my Tour ESN?

1. I hate facebook and even though I've selected never to get updates, the Eris still insists on telling me everytime somebody on facebook feeds their bloody imaginary bloody fish.

2. I hate google calendar and gmail. I know, I know..wrong phone...so, I choose to sync to my outlook calendar only. Not the smoothest of plans. Also, the Eris deletes any appointments older than a month from your phone. Really? I'm not a teenager. I need that information.

3. Profiles. I wasn't able to find anything that matches Blackberry's ability to create profiles. I work nights, I sleep days. I need to be able to make several profiles to fit my schedules. The one very important thing I couldn't find an app for was the "VIP" setting. When I'm sleeping...I need everything to go to silent EXCEPT if my boss calls. There have been times when I had a friend in the hospital..I need that person to be able to wake me up during those weeks but nobody else. It was really the VIP option I desperately missed and felt was a deal breaker for me. I figured out the basic all silent, all vibrate, I even found an app to assign individual sounds for individual peoples emails and texts..something I feel should be a basic operation, not another app.

4. The camera. My particular Eris, and I can't speak for all of them of course, wasn't good. I take a lot of pictures and post/email etc from my phone. I found the Eris 5 mp camera with no flash took worse pics than my 3.2 Tour with flash. The photos on my Eris were...um..stripey..had pale vertical lines throughout the photo, even in well lit rooms, even more visible the lower the light. I didn't realize how much I used my flash. I messed with all the settings and couldn't get rid of the lines..they weren't very visible....but visible.

5. Locking ability. Words can't even explain. Finger swipe pattern option only?

6. Can't turn off the hepatitis..no, heptcit..no..that thing where it vibrates when you push the buttons. Can't disable that for the 4 home keys. An.Noy.Ing.

7. Maybe it was just mine, but the weather app on the front screen wouldn't update very well, changed settings..but it still has a bright shiny sun image at 1 am and a moon image at 10 am. Petty? See #6. I physically can't walk past a lopsided wall hanging either.

8. Oh! I just remembered! Calendar... Agenda view doesn't show every appointment. Day view does..BUT..to see the next day, or the prior day, or, you know 2 days ahead..you can't just swipe to the next day. Sounds like an easy request right? NO! You have to choose menu, go back out to month view, and select the next day each time. WTF?!

9. I can drag and drop my music videos, tv shows etc from iTunes to my Blackberry and they play. Not on the Eris. Can't play the videos. changed the file extensions, still didn't work. I AM NOT spending time converting all my videos to something else so please don't suggest it or I will cry. That was the nicer ending of that rant, the one that DIDN'T involve me killing you for suggesting it.

10. I REALLY enjoy spending time creating my own themes for my Blackberry, including changing my icons to match. Ironic huh. Spending time on it because I WANT to is acceptable, spending time on stuff because I HAVE to, no go.

11. The youtube app that comes with the phone doesn't work correctly. The youtube app that COMES on the phone doesn't work correctly.

12. Battery. /sigh

13. My Blackberry screen is better than my Eris. Clearer, nicer. That one I can't figure out.

That's as far as I can think of right now, I resent having to spend time searching for apps to install, and possibly even pay for, in order to get the Eris up to stock Blackberry performance. For me, I'm afraid the abundance of silly apps doesn't make up for basic operations lacking.

Don't get me wrong...I'm getting the Nexus One as soon as it hits Verizon. The 5 mp camera with flash is too tempting not to try it. I hope to **** there's a fix for the ridiculous calendar/profile/locking lameness.

So here's my disclaimer...These are my opinions. If you waste time bashing me for my opinions, you are lame and I can smell you from here.

Hopefully you Android experts can solve these problems for me, because I think I'd like to go back to Android.

I searched several things on several forums. I'm probably just very frustrated.

[BzB]

that's a pretty long laundry list....what would be your #1 complaint?

do you think you're too scorned at this point to be with anything else but a blackberry?

[Cymru]

I think #1 would be no VIP option. I can't believe I'm the only person who's on call and sleeps days.

I haven't switched my esn back to Tour just yet, I'm forcing myself to spend some time taking the suggestions for apps from these last couple of posts related to BB and Android differences...bit it's very very frustrating.

[paa79594]

from your rant, you seem much more like a bb user than Android. let someone else enjoy that eris

[kassdog]

that's a pretty long laundry list....what would be your #1 complaint?

do you think you're too scorned at this point to be with anything else but a blackberry?

I think o have this problem. I have a hero and I love if but for some reason I still am attracted to bb. Even though its boring slow and problematic I keep wanting to go back to it and I don't know why.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ERDude]

with that long of a laundry list it's quite evident Android isn't for you. Save yourself the headache and go back to blackberry.

[reybie]

I was intrigued and read the whole thing. Let me gather myself and see if I can type up a response LOL

[JRSCCivic98]

lol, everyone said I was silly for stating that the Eris IS NOT an ideal smartphone for Verizon's Android offering. Bad move on them for selling such a pos model.

As always, Android has a small way to go in terms of native capability support, but overall I think the experience is better then that of a BB. However, much of this greatly depends upon the hardware you pair it with. The Eris should not have been sold by VZW in my opinion.

As for you trying the N1 when it comes out, glad to see you're keeping an open mind. Also, remember that if you have to go 3rd party app to get the profiles you want (I think Profiler is a good option if I remember correctly), then so be it. After all, the BB won't natively add a phone number to a contact other then into the "Work" field without a 3rd party app... how is that any different, aside from its respective functionality context? I think the bad taste in your mouth is due to personal needs (and what you consider should be a "native" capability) rather then overall capability shortcomings, but I will not argue against that because I'm the same way.

[thebignewt]

Did you consider a Moto Droid instead of the Eris? I thought the Droid was the big boy android from Verizon and the Eris was the one they gave you free to toss to the daughter.

[xliderider]

I'm at the beach today, so I switched back to my trusty 8330. It's still a great phone, but it sure isn't the Moto Droid that I've come to love (rooted/overclocked).

I can still type faster on the 8330 physical keyboard than I can on the virtual keyboard on the Droid. I also love the BB autocorrect feature. The Droid sometimes makes the dumbest word substitutions every now and then, lol.

As mentioned, there may be some workarounds for your long list of problems with your Eris, but I think you would be happier with your Tour.

Me? I'll be happy to reactivate my Droid when I get home and out of this salt air.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[trebb]

If the BB did all of that (which you seem to really need), why would you switch? It makes no sense.

Go back to your Tour.

[moviemogul]

This simple fact that you can't spell "haptic feedback", nor find it in the options menu...(which is killer easy) makes me annoyed...

I really think the Eris isn't for you. Go back to your Tour until the N1(which will also have haptic feedback too)gets released.

BTW, the Droid (Motorola) has a 5mp camera too

[xliderider]

I think the OP was trying to be funny with the hepatitis, etc. I lol'd.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[moviemogul]

I think the OP was trying to be funny with the hepatitis, etc. I lol'd.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I see the OP as a nag fest

[avt123]

Android isn't for you. Go back to your Tour. Android is still young. Expect things to be missing.

[BzB]

Lol @ mogul

But I also have a tour and think its good phone if you're ok with what it doesn't do so well. I see where some people make a switch and find out their needs were better met with the bb. Nothing wrong with that at all.

The android 2.x phones are really good imo and getting better. They've been out less than 6 months. That says a lot to me about the future of the android os.

[jdwx]

The Droid does so many things better than a Blackberry, nonetheless ook me a few months to REALLY get where I feel I could never go back to BB.

Prior to really settling in, I could likely come up with a hundred reasons to stay BB... If you sit and really trip on stuff, you can talk yourself either way....

I'm a serious phone freakshow and leaving BB was the hardest thing I have done as far as phones go. Now, I probably couldn't leave Android. Yeah, there's a few things I miss about my BBs, but you just gotta drink the Google Kool-Aid and jump in. You have to make yourself make it work, and it will.

Otherwise, if you're THAT happy with BB, stay....

[korp#IM]

Sorry you were frustrated. Android is that type of operating system ... its the same with linux ... can be complicated at times but when you can work it, it works amazing. The best way to find good apps are to just look at peoples screenshots ... then they have done all the work of finding them for you.

[Cymru]

This simple fact that you can't spell "haptic feedback", nor find it in the options menu...(which is killer easy) makes me annoyed...

I really think the Eris isn't for you. Go back to your Tour until the N1(which will also have haptic feedback too)gets released.

BTW, the Droid (Motorola) has a 5mp camera too

Now I remember why I don't post.
Really?
I'm able to create my own themes for Blackberry but yet I REALLY think it's called hepatitis and can't find the options? /stare
Also, you CAN'T turn it off for the home keys on the Eris. Check it before you verbally vomit.

OK, now that's out of my system.

I have received a call from Verizon about constantly switching my ESN's online. To which I replied, "Well, you put the option there". So I'm all about being ridiculous in the cellphone department.
I think part of my problem with this switch is I need more of a business phone than a toy. The no VIP setting is a big thing. The erasing appointments older than a month is a problem. I merely wanted to give people thinking about switching some info to go on, and also hope that somebody who's already done the hard work can give me app suggestions so I don't have to wade through the 60 returns I get, cause, you know, I'm a girl and boys should take care of me.

That was sarcasm, you know, for anybody not sure. /stare

I didn't like the keyboard on the Droid, and the 3 friends who have it all say they don't even use it, they use the screen, so it seemed like a waste of weight/thickness.

I made a mistake switching to a new OS during my work week, I'll be tackling it again on my weekend.
I'm not entirely sure my camera isn't a bad one :0(

[Johnly]

I respect the time you put into the post, but the eris is a weak android phone. I had it for a week and didn't care to keep it past day 7. Looks like BB is getting a webkit browser! That is going to make BB a hottie, but I am keeping my moto anyway. It really boils down to what you are happy with, and I know the android OS is not for everyone. Happy days

[LTLFTCer]

Yeah, I thought your og post was funny and I understood everythign you said. I was going to help you out with the issues, but realized you had an Eris asnd not a Droid. But if you decide to go Droid over Eris and have trouble switching due to work issues, may want to consider taking a week off to get used to the Droid lol.

[BzB]

I'm a girl and boys should take care of me.

cook me a steak and give me a back rub and then i'll consider taking care of you. /stare

lol

[moneymatt]

I'm probably just very frustrated.

Yeah- you sound it!
I would say get that Blackberry back ASAP..


Although if you have a change of heart- Since you sound like somewhat of a power-user, go Droid over Eris..

Many of your issues do have work-arounds.

Also a lot of Android's strengths are only going to be known to you after you discover them.. The first few days you'll focus on getting the functionality you know and love up and running.. and then after that you'll find light-years of functionality above and beyond what blackberry offers.

But from the sound of things you may be best just giving up and heading back to old-faithful..

$Matt

[TJohnsonmp01]

to the OP I completely understand quite a few of your issues. I work shift work and my schedule changes often so I too desperately miss the detailed profiles the BB offered. I've had my Eris for 3 days now and just can't get it setup like my BB. I also had a hard time getting ringtones for text messages and I randomly get ringtones for other notifications that I didn't set up LOL I'd really like to know where I can set them up. That way I play what I want to hear for those notifications LOL. I also wish I could set up mulitple ringtones for people...like for work I have Bad Boys play when they call and Sound of the Police Play when they text. For my line of work it is nice to have. But as far as I can tell I can only assign one ringtone for phone calls in my contacts. So far thats my only real frustration other than that I LOVE the phone! I hope you can find a happy medium with which ever device you choose. I just wanted to show you sum love and support since most just said go back to BB. As with all new things it takes time to adjust and learn the how tos LOL

[Insane06STi]

Now I remember why I don't post.
Really?
I'm able to create my own themes for Blackberry but yet I REALLY think it's called hepatitis and can't find the options? /stare
Also, you CAN'T turn it off for the home keys on the Eris. Check it before you verbally vomit.

OK, now that's out of my system.

I have received a call from Verizon about constantly switching my ESN's online. To which I replied, "Well, you put the option there". So I'm all about being ridiculous in the cellphone department.
I think part of my problem with this switch is I need more of a business phone than a toy. The no VIP setting is a big thing. The erasing appointments older than a month is a problem. I merely wanted to give people thinking about switching some info to go on, and also hope that somebody who's already done the hard work can give me app suggestions so I don't have to wade through the 60 returns I get, cause, you know, I'm a girl and boys should take care of me.

That was sarcasm, you know, for anybody not sure. /stare

I didn't like the keyboard on the Droid, and the 3 friends who have it all say they don't even use it, they use the screen, so it seemed like a waste of weight/thickness.

I made a mistake switching to a new OS during my work week, I'll be tackling it again on my weekend.
I'm not entirely sure my camera isn't a bad one :0(

I can actually imagine you talking and staring at me with this post, kinda scary actually lol.

You know what those iPhone guys say, there is an app for that - and that - and yes that too. I have a Nexus One and a BB, I use my BB more just because of the LONGER battery life. BUT when I want to browse the web or play around at work, Nexus One hands down - And after 3 hours OFCOURSE I have to plug it in again.

If you have questions just PM me, you list the problems and I list the apps.