[bcarruth62]

I'm in the process of deciding on which phone/system to go to when I'm ready to upgrade. Currently using a BB 9700 and have some minor issues with Gmail on it as well as repeating alarms for a calendar event so I am not sure if I want to go to the rumored 9780 coming soon. I've tried the Aria out for a while and the 2 things that bothered me were the battery life and the inability to use it outside. I liked the OS on it so what I want to know is for those of you who switched to Android from Blackberry why did you do so and what advantages have you seen thus far. Thanks for the info.

[Accidental Post]

It works.


10 chars

[2ndHalfCor]

I switched from a 9700 to a myTouch 3G Slide for two reasons: First, I wanted a better calendar, and especially one that would sync with an Exchange server. Second, I was attracted by all the cool stuff my daughter and others were doing with their Android devices; I felt like I was being left behind.

The myTouch 3G Slide was an elegant and very capable device, but it was also a brick. It was too heavy to carry in my shirt pocket where my 9700 resided when I was out and about. Battery life was terrible. Bluetooth was inconsistent and sometimes just wouldn't connect with my headset. I switched to a Samsung Vibrant, which is much lighter (doesn't have a hardware keyboard) and has the most beautiful screen I've ever seen on a phone. The Vibrant was simply awesome, but . . . Battery life, again, was terrible. I'm a moderate user and it was typically 8 hours from disconnect to the first battery warning . . . and that was with a lot of management, such as turning on and off WIFI, Bluetooth, the GPS, dimming the screen, etc. The Vibrant also doesn't do voice dialing over Bluetooth (in 2010? What's with that?). I really liked Swype except when I was tired and my shaky swypes weren't well interpreted. The worst thing about the Vibrant was the lack of external quick keys. On my 9700, if I need to pause music so I can talk to someone, I press a single external button. On the Vibrant, you (1) Press the power button to wake the phone, (2) Slide the lock screen to unlock the screen, (3) Drag the notification bar down to select the player, and (4) Press pause. That's just one example, multiply that by the various things you do with your phone like making a call, checking your calendar, responding to a text, etc.

So, I'm back to my 9700. A breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I love the Android phones and all the cool stuff they do, and their big bright screens. For 90% of what I do most, however, the 9700 just does it quicker and easier. I'm a gadget nut, so I'll try other things as they come along. Just haven't found anything that works better (for me!) than my 9700.

[dragonsamus]

I switched from the 8900 to the incredible because I wanted better web browsing. The incredible delivers. It does other things well but I mainly switched for the browser.

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[joe98200]

I switched because of the buy one get one free deal at T-Mobile for the Samsung Vibrant. My old phone was a 9700 which I owned since release. I agree with 2ndHalfCor on the number of movements it takes to get to certain things. It's quite more than on the BB, but it's personally not a significant roadblock for me.

Another disadvantage is the battery life. I used a number of hybrids on my 9700 to get about 2 days of battery life on moderate to heavy use. Of course with a screen that the Vibrant has, you'll notice that most battery drain is from the display. Flashing a custom ROM and kernel (think of installing a hybrid on your Blackberry, but over 9000 times harder to figure out if you're not tech savvy) has given me about 7-8%/hour drain (Bionix Fusion 1.1 if anyone was interested) on moderate use. Heavy use is anywhere from 10-15%/hour.

Notifications may or may not be your cup of tea with Android. In my opinion it's not as heavily customizable as the Blackberry platform, especially with Android phones lacking an LED. You pick a notification sound that applies to everything, that's it. It's not specific to a certain app unless the app has that option (and many don't). Also, when I use my eBuddy program for IM's, it doesn't turn on the screen whenever I get a message. It irritates me but I adapt by switching the phone to vibrate. Not every app which displays in your notifications will have the option to turn your screen on or use the LED. (However there is a workaround called NoLED for phones like the Vibrant)

Advantages I've seen, however, are the seemingly infinite amount of ways you can customize everything else with widgets (things you see on the homescreen without having to open an app for it), docks, different keyboards, etc. You don't have to restart your damn phone every time you uninstall an app (installing and uninstalling apps takes no time at all). Rebooting the phone takes ~30 seconds. The stock camera has MANY options as is. You still get push email (K-9; feel free to correct me if this isn't true push). Your navigation app is much better than what's available on the BB imo. You shouldn't encounter any lag other than wake-up lag. If you do, it's very minimal, fix-able, and much better coming from a BB. Web browsing is superb and buttery. Games are plentiful, both good and bad. You WILL most likely find an app for what you need.

My 2 cents.

[K Bear]

Switched to the G2 because I was tired of all the battery pulls, OS failures, lack of true functionality, white screen of death for no good reason. My G2 does everything my 9700 couldn't.

[2ndHalfCor]

I considered the G2. But 6.5 oz. Ouch!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I switched from a BB Tour to the EVO because I thought that I needed more multimedia capabilities. I thought that I would be interested in a ot more apps. And I wanted a device with a full touchscreen. I thought I wanted these things, but then I realize that I didn't. So I switched back again to a BB.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[kane1600]

I switched from a 9650 to a HTC Desire. Android has FAR superior web browsing. More customizable. More free apps that are just as good as paid ones.... and there are thousands. And lastly I refuse to switch to verizon or at&t and i wanted a touchscreen.

[reeneebob]

I switched because I was sick of not being able to go to my favorite websites, and getting truncated email. Not to mention the **** poor OS and constant battery pulls, the BIS outages and the 24+ hour delays we were having in text message delivery (which stopped when I left BB and went Palm - so tells me it was a BB issue since I'm on the same damn network lol).

Haven't done a battery pull since, well, I put the battery in. Web browsing is a treat. Learned that what people say about BB being the only one with push email isn't true. No lag!

I'm loving life without BB.

[Greasemonkeyjoe]

I considered the G2. But 6.5 oz. Ouch!

LOL. vs 4.8

[Super_Mario]

I considered the G2. But 6.5 oz. Ouch!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Don't strain yourself.

[Johnly]

Had a BB....but now that android dropped, sorry, going back to BB? They are shtick. They love simpleton tech. Leave them alone! I liked that at one point. HTML, and free email (not truncated) and wicked quick web speeds, yeah, forever BB is the lag. Fear not, android smashes the pager......CB rules, android central for those tired of BB.

[lssanjose]

What's making me want to switch, is the amount of customization, and control (relative) I might have over the BB. Also, I tend to like the touch keyboard on the Droids more than the 9550 (Full QWERTY).

[circles313]

I can't say I left blackberry for just 1 reason. I'm being tested for glaucoma & I need a larger screen. Also, I wanted a phone with a faster processor, more memory, better camera & more.apps. I got the Samsung captivate which (besides the email) is the best phone I've ever owned. It has a huge screen, great camera, huge memory, awesome OS & super fast processor! If I could combine blackberries email with androids OS it would be perfect! Only things I miss is, a flash on the camera & emails. Ditch the 9700 & grab a high end android phone! :-)

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[bcarruth62]

I can't say I left blackberry for just 1 reason. I'm being tested for glaucoma & I need a larger screen. Also, I wanted a phone with a faster processor, more memory, better camera & more.apps. I got the Samsung captivate which (besides the email) is the best phone I've ever owned. It has a huge screen, great camera, huge memory, awesome OS & super fast processor! If I could combine blackberries email with androids OS it would be perfect! Only things I miss is, a flash on the camera & emails. Ditch the 9700 & grab a high end android phone! :-)

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

What problems are you having, if any with the email, that's an important feature for me, I'm having problems getting my Gmail sent to me right now on my Blackberry.

[Pre-dawn raid]

... because all my BBM friends left and now have Androids.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[pantlesspenguin]

On the Vibrant, you (1) Press the power button to wake the phone, (2) Slide the lock screen to unlock the screen, (3) Drag the notification bar down to select the player, and (4) Press pause. That's just one example, multiply that by the various things you do with your phone like making a call, checking your calendar, responding to a text, etc.

Slight correction. If you're using the native music player, all you need to do is turn the screen on and hit pause on the music player widget on the lock screen . Also, a long press on the home button brings up your recently used apps and a task manager for quick navigation. Plus I have widgets on my homescreen that relay information without actually opening the app.

I guess that's why I switched. I love the customization! I have everything set up in a way that makes me the most productive. I also switched because I was sick of squinting at the teeny tiny bb screen!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[o4liberty]

I switched because android gives you more bang for the Buck! If you compare blackberry to any android device there is no comparison android devices can do so much more and better. Blackberry is just one big failure at this point with them releasing carrier specific new phones and the new devices are already years behind all other smart phones.

[pantlesspenguin]

I switched because android gives you more bang for the Buck! If you compare blackberry to any android device there is no comparison android devices can do so much more and better. Blackberry is just one big failure at this point with them releasing carrier specific new phones and the new devices are already years behind all other smart phones.

This is a really good point. Android can do sooooo much! I've had this phone for 3 months and I still discover new things every day. I think RIM should at least price their devices about $100 less than they're charging now since they're relatively limited. This doesn't include the future qnx devices, of course. I have high hopes for those.

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[GG1]

I switched when i sent my 9700 out for repair. Instead of getting a loaner, i bought the Galaxy S just to try it out in the meantime and have never looked back. Best overall mobile experience thus far!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[supermario6582]

i switched from my blackberry tour to a droid x because verizon offered me an early upgrade. been wanting to switch to android so it was the perfect opportunity.

[2ndHalfCor]

I'd love to switch back. Here's the Android phone that could lure me away from my 9700: (1) 4 oz or less, (2) user programmable external buttons, with a "pause" button, (3) 18+ hours of battery life with moderate to heavy use and no management required by me. My 9700 does that. I expect there will be Android devices that can meet those requirements in the next year or so.

[bcarruth62]

I'd love to switch back. Here's the Android phone that could lure me away from my 9700: (1) 4 oz or less, (2) user programmable external buttons, with a "pause" button, (3) 18+ hours of battery life with moderate to heavy use and no management required by me. My 9700 does that. I expect there will be Android devices that can meet those requirements in the next year or so.

Sounds like the perfect blend of both phones!! One reason I am considering switching is the lack of app building for the blackberry OS, I don't put a lot of apps on my phone but I would like to know that if I need something that I could probably find it out there and blackberry seems behind in that department. The battery life is one thing I would miss from the BB but since I charge my phone every night it probably is not a deal breaker.

[the_sandman_454]

I switched for multiple reasons. Everything from never having a truncated email again, being able to browse my folders/archived emails directly on the handset natively, far superior internet browser, the handset never lagging, no battery pulls or long reboots. I could go on, but why bother? For my usage, the android OS and Droid 2 device are lightyears ahead of anything BB has offered yet.