[billowred]

I must admit it, I really thought the Andriod was going to be great. So I went and got the EVO. First I must say right off the bat the Andriod software is confusing at best. Nothing is categorized and it's not in logical order. I use a Mac computer and the Android can't just plug into the computer with a desktop software. You have to use a gmail account (which I don't use) and then go and link your Mac address book and iCal to gmail. Not difficult but time consuming. The EVO has tons of social networking apps and sprint apps that I feel are pointless and just clutter the phone.

Here's the big thing that bothers me the most. I use 5 email accounts on my phone. When you get an email you have to click on the email folder and then click on the email account drop down menu and then it will show the accounts separately with a number for how many new emails that account has. You just can't click on mail have all new messages displayed and boom get to it. The EVO doesn't have a feature to combine all the emails. I didn't find an app that can do it and the problem with that is if you download an app for something that important you truly don't know if thats the best app to use.

I like to put about 500 to 600 songs on my Blackberry with itunes which I can easily do with the blackberry desktop software. In order to use that feature on the Android you have to download an app for that. It loads the songs slow unless you get the paid version. I mean think about that you need an app for that simple 1 click feature we get on are Blackberrys!

We all know the the Android has a great web browser. With Blackberry lets face it the web browser isn't great but it gets the job done. The Blackberry never had a state of the art web browser but originally it was designed just to view links and get information not true web surfing but webkit will be here and will be par with competition.

The Android is a phone you really have to spend a significant amount of time on. Weather you want to or not. It's not a complete phone out of the box. It just isn't, you need an extensive amount of apps to make it a great phone. The Blackberry is really a great phone right out the box.

Short end of the story:
Ok I threw this thread together for the people getting bothered by trolls and feeling that their Blackberry's are out of date. I spent a lot of time with the EVO and Storm2 and I'm sticking with Blackberry and very happy about it. Rim has a great (easy to use) product even more than ever in todays market. Thank you for reading hopefully this helps!

*****UPDATE****

I've spent a ton of time on the Android now with utilizing marketplace and using the internet forums to learn more about Android. My first test was just using the phone straight out the box. To make it clear this is the first Android phone I've seen and used in person so I wasn't on either side of the Android fence. Ok so I was reading the posts and they were very helpful and didn't bash me much (only when I mentioned mac). The Android is a COMPLETELY customizable smartphone. The idea of this phone is not to use it the way it is out the box. You can make this phone the way you need it to the T.

Originally I thought wow this thing has 7 home screens how confusing. Well it's not confusing it's actually great especially for a business owner like my self. I didn't get the point until I used the phone extensively. The Blackberry is great because you click on the icon and it goes to what you wanted and your off. Well with the Android & home screens you're already there with out that click. One these home pages they're designed to have widgets not icons. These Widgets make it so you are literally using what you wanted in that home screen without going anywhere (very fast). So if you need to get to your emails they are right on the the home screen dedicated to work emails. Meaning on that one home screen I can read, reply, forward, etc.... from there without literally going into the mail icon. You can have another home screen with a calendar widget so you can see all the days of the month and whats going on again it's a home screen it's right there and I didn't have to go into anything. So those are 2 very important things for me being a business owner. You can have another home screen with over 16 app icons that you always use all the time Calculator, internet, nav, camera, hotspot, etc. Since you obviously use your phone when you're not at work you can have another home screen with Widgets for Pandora, Music and podcasts and they play right there on that screen so it is a clean way to use the phone and this whole time you're not going into menu after menu. The other screen can be set to Widgets for youtube, TV, movies again directly from this home screen. You then have a default home screen where I put individual email icons so I can see what account has what and an icon for text messages. on that same screen I have a small calendar widget so I can see what's up for the day and another widget so I can directly type in google search and icons for voicemail, internet, contacts and app killer.

The other thing I worried about was not getting mail quickly because I wasn't. So after playing around with the settings there is an area where you setup how often you want your mail accounts checked. I set them all to check every minute and now the mail comes in at the same time as the blackberry and if not it shows up a minute later. That's it I'm talking about a minute difference. They say the Android is a toy and it only good for media. In my case that isn't true. The Android I'm using is the EVO and when you get an email it's such a power house that it downloads an email with an attachment so fast you really don't notice it. When you open documents it is very fast and the advantage to the big screen you can really see the format of the document and navigate to the area you want with no lag and no refreshing and that again is because the android is using a lot more power.

Being that the Android was so fast in using things like GPS which I use all the time on my Storm 2. The Android can open the GPS software quickly and they don't force Bing on you which is another plus. The upside to GPS being faster is you have instant info on where you are on the map and your next turn with no lag no lockups so you don't feel stranded because the next turn always shows up.

That was a few examples for business professionals who use there Blackberry for those reasons. The Blackberrys are good on battery life and are great on battery life with an extended battery. I heard a lot about the Androids with big screens, live wallpapers, active widgets, etc losing battery life with in 3 hours. That isn't true in my test but you do need to close apps you're not using (just like Blackberry) in the background and the Android has a one button press that closes all not needed apps in the background. On my Storm 2 I use a big extended battery on the EVO it's not available so I would just carry an extra battery with me like I did with the Storm 2 before the extended battery came out.


END RESULT:
I wrote this up to help people in my situation, not to bash Android phones or Blackberry phones. I've used and loved Blackberry for the last 6 years. I tried to explain the way I use the phones and how they work with me on a day to day basis. The power from the Android phone is so addicting with opening documents, email attachments, using GPS, etc that I'm actually going to use it as my full time phone. Please post on this thread with your honest opinions about what I wrote and that way we can put more info out there on great products like Blackberry and Android.I will update the main post one more time in about a week. Thank you for your time reading my long post. I will update the main post one more time in about a week.

[T�nis]

Good points ... Thanks! I definitely won't get an Android.

[MrObvious]

I have had a good chance to play with Android, and it actually isn't that bad. I'm not leaving my BB because I like them but I do find that Android has a way better choice of apps it seems like, and browsing is better, not to mention Swype. Each platform has pluses and minuses.

[syb0rg]

I have had a good chance to play with Android, and it actually isn't that bad. I'm not leaving my BB because I like them but I do find that Android has a way better choice of apps it seems like, and browsing is better, not to mention Swype. Each platform has pluses and minuses.

Well said my good sir.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[thymaster]

I'm an advance phone users and of all the platform, I think Android is probably the hardest to understand right out of the box. Too many icons and home screens look busy with widgets is a turn off for the average consumers.

Iphones are probably the easiest phone to understand pretty much idi0t proof out of the box. I find Blackberry are more user friendly and not hard to learn. I have a friend who's never text or uses the computer prior to getting a BB and now he's on his phone texting, emailing, web surfing, BBM and Yahoo messenger every friggin minute.

Thanks for the honest review btw.

[dcsr23]

I don't agree with you (which is fine, not trolling, just offering my take)...

At first take my experience was similar to yours when I first demo'd the Droid, Eris, and Incredible... Blackberry always seemed to outdo everything, and I wondered why anyone would want this as an iPhone competitor or even a BB one. Then I was given an Incredible free so I decided I'd give it another try... in 2 weeks time I'm asking myself why I was so hung up on Blackberry...

If solely for email Blackberry does have the edge in the way the accounts are handled with separate views of the inbox. And it still has the BBM if you have a lot of contacts on there.

But I have found that email is just as good on the Droid despite the lack of inbox views. When someone emails me I get the full email... no more "get more", no need to download attachments, no more truncated. I get the email just like I was looking at it from an online browser. Gmail push works just as fast as Blackberry, so the the email either hits my blackberry or gmail phone just as quickly with either phone getting it no more than 2 seconds apart.

I do miss BBM, but have migrated to Googletalk... this works with people on a computer or on another phone. The only thing that's a draw on that is the lack of sharing anything and status updates, but I can live without that.

I think anyone who is feeling it's time for a change really needs to give an Android phone at least a 20 day period, because it's hard when you are used to something to change to something unfamiliar. The phones are fast, they don't need to reboot as often when the phone gets sluggish. Most of the older devices are actually supported still, jailbreaking/root available on some models provides a variety of user experiences beyond themes (swype, overclocking, free wifi tethering), and a stronger app market.

[dcsr23]

I'm an advance phone users and of all the platform, I think Android is probably the hardest to understand right out of the box. Too many icons and home screens look busy with widgets is a turn off for the average consumers.

Iphones are probably the easiest phone to understand pretty much idi0t proof out of the box. I find Blackberry are more user friendly and not hard to learn. I have a friend who's never text or uses the computer prior to getting a BB and now he's on his phone texting, emailing, web surfing, BBM and Yahoo messenger every friggin minute.

Thanks for the honest review btw.

I'm not so sure, many within my company and people I know find the widgets are easier to use then the menu setup of a blackberry. Everything is there with one click of a button to the app they want. Also the Android 3.0 update is supposed to provide a more fluid "iPhone" experience (so I've read) so if that's an issue now, it shouldn't be in the future.

[billowred]

I'm not so sure, many within my company and people I know find the widgets are easier to use then the menu setup of a blackberry. Everything is there with one click of a button to the app they want. Also the Android 3.0 update is supposed to provide a more fluid "iPhone" experience (so I've read) so if that's an issue now, it shouldn't be in the future.

But you have to admit the Android has an incomplete feeling right out of the box...... Well for the EVO at least I don't want to speak for the ones I didn't trial use.

[dcsr23]

I don't feel it's incomplete. It does everything I ask it too. Everything is pretty much right there. While I do think the email could be broken down to multiple icons with a view of all messages to one folder would be better, but for the most part I'd say it's complete to get by. Does it have the pretty feel of a iPhone no, and the most basic OS look of Blackberry yes... But I don't feel it takes away from the experience or the phone. Like I said, there should be an overhaul on the GUI in the Gingerbread update.

I've messed with the EVO, and all Droid phones have the same interface pretty much. If you want something more pretty, it's definitely not there yet... but it's coming.

[paintdrinkingpete]

I do miss BBM, but have migrated to Googletalk... this works with people on a computer or on another phone. The only thing that's a draw on that is the lack of sharing anything and status updates, but I can live without that.

I'm not even sure why I'm jumping in here...

Googletalk is available as a fully functional app for BlackBerry as well, you can even share files using it (although only to other BB users). Also, the BB version definitely lets you update your status, can you not on an Android device?!?

BBM is great, but I have a lot more friends with Android than BlackBerrys, and we pretty much just all use GoogleTalk, fwiw.

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I don't feel it's incomplete. It does everything I ask it too. Everything is pretty much right there. While I do think the email could be broken down to multiple icons with a view of all messages to one folder would be better, but for the most part I'd say it's complete to get by. Does it have the pretty feel of a iPhone no, and the most basic OS look of Blackberry yes... But I don't feel it takes away from the experience or the phone. Like I said, there should be an overhaul on the GUI in the Gingerbread update.

I've messed with the EVO, and all Droid phones have the same interface pretty much. If you want something more pretty, it's definitely not there yet... but it's coming.

I think that the UI of android phones are just as aesthetically pleasing as any other operating system out there. The iPhone just has an icon grid. I actually like the blackberry operating system better than the iPhone. Android gives you a good mix of both in my opinion.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[cdf3]

Great write up. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
As you stated, there are quite a few
trolls on the forums these days. When I first joined the site nearly 2 years ago, everything was about BlackBerry. Hence the name CrackBerry.com.
Perhaps we should change the name to CrackDroid, because that what it seems to be about these days. People swearing up and down they would never go back to BlackBerry, yet they log in on a BlackBerry site on the regular. Last I checked, there's an affiliated site called AndroidCentral.com. That's where the real Android users hang out.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[syb0rg]

I'm not even sure why I'm jumping in here...

Googletalk is available as a fully functional app for BlackBerry as well, you can even share files using it (although only to other BB users). Also, the BB version definitely lets you update your status, can you not on an Android device?!?

BBM is great, but I have a lot more friends with Android than BlackBerrys, and we pretty much just all use GoogleTalk, fwiw.

The one + to google talk is this, i can leave my Google Talk on / on my phone / and sign on a PC. And when i send a message over the internet, and the other person replies. it comes to my Internet connection. When i sign off the PC and walk away, it automatically comes to my device.... you cannot do that with BBM....

and YES you can set the avatar and "status message" with an Android device, for google talk.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[syb0rg]

But you have to admit the Android has an incomplete feeling right out of the box...... Well for the EVO at least I don't want to speak for the ones I didn't trial use.

for lack of words, my phone fit my lifestyle, right out of the box. downloaded Twitter, Four Square, Barnacle, and i was good to go.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

Great write up. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
As you stated, there are quite a few
trolls on the forums these days. When I first joined the site nearly 2 years ago, everything was about BlackBerry. Hence the name CrackBerry.com.
Perhaps we should change the name to CrackDroid, because that what it seems to be about these days. People swearing up and down they would never go back to BlackBerry, yet they log in on a BlackBerry site on the regular. Last I checked, there's an affiliated site called AndroidCentral.com. That's where the real Android users hang out.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Just because posters use other non-blackberry devices doesn't mean that they don't have anything to offer to this forum or that they still aren't fans of blackberry devices. I have an android device, but if a blackberry smartphone was released that I thought was better than my EVO, I would get without much thought. I come to the forums because I like to hear about what's going on in the blackberry world and at times I have something to offer. I know that there are some troll out there, but not all of us android users are like that. CrackBerry.com is my favorite community that I belong to. I have been here through my iPhone, Pre, Hero, and now EVO. I don't plan on abandoning my community any time soon.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dcsr23]

I'm not even sure why I'm jumping in here...

Googletalk is available as a fully functional app for BlackBerry as well, you can even share files using it (although only to other BB users). Also, the BB version definitely lets you update your status, can you not on an Android device?!?

BBM is great, but I have a lot more friends with Android than BlackBerrys, and we pretty much just all use GoogleTalk, fwiw.

I stand corrected. You can update status and pictures. I was looking for it in the menu context instead of the top of my screen. One of the things I'm used to in a BB i guess...

[cdf3]

Just because posters use other non-blackberry devices doesn't mean that they don't have anything to offer to this forum or that they still aren't fans of blackberry devices. I have an android device, but if a blackberry smartphone was released that I thought was better than my EVO, I would get without much thought. I come to the forums because I like to hear about what's going on in the blackberry world and at times I have something to offer. I know that there are some troll out there, but not all of us android users are like that. CrackBerry.com is my favorite community that I belong to. I have been here through my iPhone, Pre, Hero, and now EVO. I don't plan on abandoning my community any time soon.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

There are a plenty of users that use multiple devices, or have gone from BlackBerry to another device. Like yourself, they continue to come back to the site to help others and provide constructive criticism. I haven't seen much trolling in this thread yet, but I went ahead and threw that out there before the faithful trolls jump in and have at it. So far they have been kept at bay.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[MrObvious]

I am surprised the trolls aren't chiming in. (YAY!) I do have to admit though BB could use a few more apps and the new web browser will be nice. Other then that I am actually pleased.

[grover5]

I think they are all good phones in their own ways. It's cool to have options.

[ekz13]

from what I've read over on the "other forums" LOL, K9 mail simplifies the inboxes for multiple accounts (similar to bb) as well as the push feature. Another "trick" that some have suggested is to make a folder on your home screen and put shortcuts to all your inboxes so when you get a message you can open the folder and go directly to the specific inbox that the email came too. don't know if this helps or not, but just what I've read, take it for what it's worth.

[Tech_Nomad]

Here's my 2 pence worth...

I have a Storm, my wife has the Eris. In an alley fight, Droid all the way. The Storm offers no competition, not even a glimmer of hope. I admit I have phone envy.. And that was before they upgraded her OS to the 2.1 or whatever version she is on.. I don't have enough BBM friends to make this an important feature..

Plus I'm not professional enough to keep this *air quotes* BlackBerry..

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Matt_AC]

I didn't find my Droid Incredible to be difficult to use out of the box at all. Never even crossed my mind. I hit the ground with the wheels spinning and haven't turned back since. I love it! Amazing device.

[michikade]

I've mentioned this before, but in my opinion there is something for everyone and there are things people will and won't like about any platform.

For me, BlackBerry does exactly what I want it to do. I prefer the tactile keyboard over touchscreen, and to me a horizontal slider is awkward. My BlackBerry doesn't have as robust of a media experience as an Android device or iPhone, but it is sufficient for my needs as I don't watch TV or movies on my phone (other than the occasional youtube clip). The media player works fine, as well as Pandora, etc.

Android devices and iPhones are really cool multimedia devices, and there are people who would definitely prefer them over a berry, but to me it is more important to have a device that really performs with the more text-based aspects (email, IM, etc) and has an exceptional battery life. Right now, BlackBerry still blows Android and iPhone out of the water on battery.

[noized77]

Blackberry kills android in email,messaging,productivity and battery life. I care more about these then some hi-def movies, fart apps and other flashy stuff. I almost kept the Evo since the email doesn't get truncated.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[syb0rg]

I am surprised the trolls aren't chiming in. (YAY!) I do have to admit though BB could use a few more apps and the new web browser will be nice. Other then that I am actually pleased.

i think it's because we know when to pipe up and speak our minds.


If you want my honest review of an Android Device v. a RIM Device, please shoot me a PM. Or if there is enough "want" i'll just post it here.... you know what i will post it here....


Back when the Blackberry 8100 came out i was up for an upgrade, so i went ahead and left my Nokia candybar phone behind and entered the world of the smart phone. At first i got the phone w/o a data package. Thought the phone was great, i could keep my calendar, my note pad, and my entire contact list in one place. Not to mention i could send text messages in a breeze... thought man this is great. Then i got the data package, and thought WOW, instant search @ my finger time, Twitter, Facebook, IM services the radio.... wow man this phone does everything but it's on itty bitty screen. So i looked on Craigslist.org and found a 8310. Bigger screen same speed same memory but was slightly happier about the larger display, but it was still REALLY grainy and looked horrible. but hey, it's a phone it's not meant to do everything and then some. Well t-Mobile announced that they were releasing the 8900 and i thought HOLY FREAKING COW!!!! faster processor, more memory, a true HGVA screen... man i got to get this phone. So i called 14 days before the release to pre-order my phone. Had it paid for and everything, just had to wait for the day to arrive so i could open my shinny new 8900 and bask in it's glowing warmth. Got the phone 2 days after i ordered it. Open the package and thought wow, this phone is called "Javelin" for a reason, and even made a post about it's name on here... Soon i got boarded with the phone and wanted a touch screen that had a good amount of application so i bought a 9530 GSM/CDMA phone, unlocked it and popped my T-Mobile SIM in and i was rocking and rolling with a brand new touch screen. Found that the goofy touch screen that the 9530/00 use was really odd and i didn't like it, so i sold it and went back to my 8900. it served it's purpose... did what it was meant to do... emails flawless, IM services Flawless... but a TINY screen..... oh well it's a phone....

Then i thought to my self... " you know what, i want to try android, and the moto cliq looks AMAZING" so i bought one... with in the 14 day grace period that T-Mo gives you i was back and getting the 9700. HSPA speeds, track pad, better keyboard, 5.0 OS man i was high on the hog again.. .. but with a tiny screen. The web browser stunk, couldn't render pages quickly, so i downloaded Bolt - made things alot more live able. Downloaded Social Scope, Downloaded Four Square and thought man if i am going to make this blackberry thing work i am going to use it to it's full tier of usability. And i was learning to like my 9700, but the thought of should i have bought a Nexus One always lingered in the back of my mind. I started hacking the OSs, playing with the firmwares and starting "getting geeky with it" and it would only do so much.... oh well...

Well my wife bought a Android device, and she was doing this and doing that, and moving this around and moving that around. and i thought "man that would be nice"... so i was poking around on craigslist.org again and found a guy selling a rooted (running CM4) MyTouch3G with a extra battery back, battery, and digitizer. not to mention 2 cases for the phone. all for 150 bucks

So i picked up the phone, and downloaded 3 applications to begin with
-Swype
-Seesmic
-facebook

and thought down the road i'll add stuff as i needed it. and delete applications after i don't use them from a while....

well here it is 3 weeks later, i have a native Wi-Fi tether access, IMDB, Moviefone, ESPN sports center, google navigation, google sky, amazon, barcode reader, barnacle, Onion news, and a dozen other programs and running Android 2.1 by now.

sure the phone has a ton of flashy gizmos and gadgets and alot of people say "eh well i don't need that".. .. .. your right you don't need it but it makes things nice. for example last weekend we were talking about the Transformers 3 movie, and who was replacing Megan Fox, so i popped open IMDB searched transformer three and with in seconds i found out it was Rosie Huntington-Whitely and with one more push of the screen i i found out she was born on Apr 18, 1987 and she is from Devon England UK.... w/ a RIM device i would of had to wait for the browser to render the page, then type the movie in, then wait for it to render, then scroll down, and wait for it to re-render. it took seconds to v. taking a few mins to do.

or barnacle - i was setting @ the same friends house and he was talking about FaceTime on his new iphone, and he realized that he was to far from his Wi-Fi router and didn't have signal, so i turned on my Barnacle, made my phone a wi-fi hotspot, which t-mobile allows for tethering for free, and he was able to use my wi-fi signal for his FaceTime call..

google navigation - it has basically made my phone a Garmin GPS unit... but all i have to do open google maps, press the menu button > search "brazenhead pub in mason ohio" > it searches > press the navigation button and i'm on my way.... no need for my phone and a GPS .... it's both in one....

I'll be the first to tell you Androids ARE NOT for everyone, they are extremely "geeky" phone, esp when you get into ROMS, GoldCards, Nandroid backups, plus all the bases, overclocking, they are not for everyone. and everyone isn't for Android. but set back and say "don't every buy one because i hated it" is a little low. I loved my RIM devices, and still own my 8100 and my 9700, but there is a speed and easiness of finding stuff via applications that makes me (my personal choice) an Android user.

and widgets.... different story for another time, but once you have them, you'll know what you were missing.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com