An Hour with a BB Torch: A Droid X & iPhone 4 Users Perspective
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Im a long time BB user (Pearl>Curve>Storm>Tour) and also a fairly loud critic of RIM as of late. I'm currently using a Droid X after having the iPhone 4 for 6 weeks, and I really like the iPhone 4 and Droid X.
I went to the AT&T store to finish getting my account closed out and I spent over a solid hour with the Torch.
Having said that....I LOVE the BB Torch. I am so jealous of you AT&T users and I wish it were launching on Verizon. I would return my Droid X for it in a heartbeat. While the Droid X and iPhone 4's webrowser is a little bit better than the Torch's, it is still a great browser. It opened Phonearena and other image intesive sites on 3G with ZERO problems. Pinch to zoom was pretty good. Over all I would say it would more than satisfy a power mobile web users' needs.
I also experienced ZERO lag or hiccups with the device. I absolutely positively LOVE the notifications drop down and it functions better than Android's notification drop down in my opinion. The interface is super clean and I like the look of the new icons.
The touch functionality was extremely responsive and I loved having the ability to use the trackpad in combination with the touch screen. The keyboard was a little more recessed than the Tour/Bold's but I was still able to type as easy on it as I did with my old Tour.
The device felt solid in the hand is of high quality, pretty common for RIM. I do think this device will sell very well and if RIM releases it on Verizon instead of the POS Storm 3, they will be able to stem a good amount of defections to Android.
While the hardware specs dont keep up with Droid X or iPhone 4, the phone is more than capable of holding its own against them, albeit for different reasons than raw hardware power.
I am impressed and I want one.08-06-10 01:08 PMLike 0 -
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No problem. I love all technology and I have no problem criticizing a company when they deserve it and turning around and giving them props when they do something right.
I heard the Storm 3 will have the epic fail surepress screen and that disappoints me. If they just made it the same screen as the Torch and slapped BB 6 on it, they would have one hot product on their hands. With as many Storm 2's as they seem to move, they could easily move twice as many Storm 3's with that setup.
Here's hoping.08-06-10 01:49 PMLike 0 -
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This is so true. After reading several hands on reports from various sites I was disappointed and didn't believe RIM could release something like that in the face of the Android onslaught and iPhone 4 success. I felt that I had to get my hands on one to see for myself.
I am glad that I did. I don't even recommend using a display model because they are messed around with so much that they run horribly but I know to reset them before using them. Needless to say my experience differed from that of Engadget/Gizmodo and I was thoroughly impressed.
I still cannot get over the notification system. The drop down is like Android's but is so much better. That alone is worth getting a BlackBerry 6 device to me.08-06-10 01:52 PMLike 0 -
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also didnt explain what makes the notification pull-down any different from the droids. Its just a pull-down right? Does it sparkle or make fireworks go off or something? If not, is there an app for that? lol08-06-10 02:02 PMLike 0 -
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Sure. The screen is not as good as the Droid X and definitely not as good as the iPhone 4. To me the iPhone 4 screen is a little bit better than the Droid X. The Torch screen is pretty much the same as the Storm 2 screen from my eyes. Its crisp and the icons look good on it, but its not as high res as iP4 or Droid X.
The reason I would choose a Torch over the Droid X has to do with my needs. I live on my smartphone calendar. I have so much going on and my short term memory is not the greatest so I stick every single thought, task and to-do on my calendar. I also depend on a "snooze" function. There is NO snooze function with Android. You can only dismiss all or snooze all. Also there is no calendar reminder pop-up in Android as there is on BB. With BB you cannot do anything till you dismiss or snooze the reminder. This is huge for me. So that is the main reason I would choose it over the Droid X.
I also text and email alot and like to have atleast 6 mailboxes on my phone. With Android, the Gmail is in one app and the other mail is in a different app. No true single inbox. Its rather annoying that way.
Other than that Droid does beat it in the app and customization department. Both things I would miss with BB but like I said, a solid calendar/reminder system is critical for me. I'm winging it now with the Droid X but I'm not sure how much longer I can. Another factor is battery life. BB delivers much better battery life.
As for the iPhone 4, well, I would probably go with the iPhone 4 over the Torch but knowing how I am, I would buy both and swap out. With the iPhone 4 I was able to purchase an app I think its called Notify Me Cloud. Because the stock iPhone calendar is similar to the Android calendar system I had to go to the marketplace to find a more functional app. The iPhone app store has way more selection and better apps than Android and I found the perfect solution in the Notify Me app for what I need, repeating reminders and infinite snoozing with a pop up notification. Very similar to the BlackBerry.
The reason I personally would use the iPhone 4 over the Torch is the sum of the parts/features. I was able to replace my point and shoot while I had it and also used the HD recording often. The web browsing does edge out the Torch and of course the apps and games.
Like I said though, I love the Torch so much I would get it and swap it on and off with the iP4.
The Droid X, iPhone 4 and Torch are all great devices and fit peoples needs differently. For me I would go iPhone 4, Torch then Droid X.08-06-10 02:06 PMLike 0 -
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Specifically the displaying of all upcoming calendar appointments and the information in them, preview of new emails along with sender,subject and info, text messages, facebook, twitter and other notifications. It's more robust than Android's notification pull-down. There is just a lot more information displayed.Last edited by JoJoCal19; 08-06-10 at 02:13 PM.
08-06-10 02:09 PMLike 0 -
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I understand that some of the early review devices were having that problem. That's specifically the reason I went and did my own hands on with an in-store unit. I experienced ZERO lag and jitteryness. The movement through the menus and scrolling were flawless. Maybe not quite the snappyness of the iPhone 4 but like I said, no laggyness or jitteryness.
I'm not sure what apps they had running in the background or if their devices are a pre-release device with pre-release firmware, I just don't know, but I do know I did not have the same problems.
You think it's failure but did you actually use one?08-06-10 03:20 PMLike 0 -
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I think an informed opinion is best. I can't stand the argument of "I heard from a friend of a friend of my friend that...", I always reserve my opinion until I have it in hand.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com08-06-10 03:20 PMLike 0 -
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probably the best review i have read thus far about the 9800. The best reviews always come from people who have used the phone first hand like he has done.08-06-10 03:37 PMLike 0 -
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I have also used the Torch at least twice at two local stores and I think the "long" swipes are needed to go from all to favorites for instance. I think I heard someone on CB mention this might be as designed?
I did notice some lag yesterday when I went to resize a web page. I believe it had fully loaded. The two different Torches really had no software installed yet and I checked to see if many apps were already running.
I do think RIM should have provided a slightly faster processor as I am sure the OS will continue to grow in size and features - meaning more processor speed would certainly help.
My take on this is - if OS 5 which is Not graphical runs on the same processor, it would run faster than OS 6, which is graphical unless a lot of Optimization was able to be accomplished.
I don't want to have to buy a "refreshed" 9800 next year or earlier...
-Rich
08-06-10 03:40 PMLike 0 -
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No I'm with Verizon and I returned the iP4 last week. I was saying if I had my way I'd have both. I have a microsim adapter I got on eBay for $3
08-06-10 03:51 PMLike 0 -
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you cant tell me that the iphone4 or any other phone never ever lags no way and if it lagged while you were loading a web page it could of been the connection. im sure theres someone out there that has a droidX that has lagged at least one time same goes for the iphone408-06-10 04:00 PMLike 0 -
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I spent some time in an AT&T store today trying out the 9800. The build quality seems really solid. No play in the slider mechanism at all and just feels well made. I spent most of the time trying out the browser as it along with the small screen on my Tour are my major complaints.
- Loading full web pages is certainly faster than my Tour but it simply can't compete with the HTC EVO I have been using for the past 3 weeks. Scrolling through web pages there was a significant lag at times and lots of checkerboarding on the screen.
- I could not try Wi-Fi so I don't know how much that would speed things up but I suspect the problems noted are more related to processor speed than signal.
- Although I would prefer a higher resolution screen, I could easily live with the one on the 9800. Very high contrast and easy to see outdoors.
- I was pleasantly surprised with the keyboard. It is VERY easy to type on even though it is a bit smaller and recessed. Getting back to a real keyboard after using the virtual one on the EVO sure was nice.
If this was available on Sprint I would probably return the EVO and pick up the 9800. So now I have to decide to stick with the EVO or return it and wait for a new CDMA BB.08-06-10 04:22 PMLike 0 -
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You went from an iPhone 4 on AT&T to a Droid X on Verizon, and now you want to go back to AT&T for a Torch, but you cannot even though you have such a strong desire to do so? Just switch back to AT&T and wait for the Torch.08-06-10 05:04 PMLike 0 -
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I was really looking at the iphone 4 and was dead set on it. I tried using my iPod a lot more. I know the form factor is not the same but the apps that I had on it would be the apps that I would keep on the iphone. In the end I used just a couple of the apps on a regular basis.
In the end I am an a heavy email and text message user. BBM I can take it or leave it with unlimited text. I will go check this out next week.
If I like the device I will probably pull the trigger and get it. It is kind of growing on me. Really suprised that I would even like a slider. I am due for an upgrade on the 26th of this month. Not sure if I will buy this out right or use my upgrade. Probably just buy it outright just in case I want to use the upgrade later on.08-06-10 06:28 PMLike 0
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An Hour with a BB Torch: A Droid X & iPhone 4 Users Perspective
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