[lssanjose]

Just recently, I mention taking off the blackberry hat, or emptying the cup in order to get used to something new. However, I know there may be indeed those, no matter how hard they try, who just can't seem to acclimate themselves to something new - regardless if it's Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, etc.

I know it's also talked about the 30-day window return policy. Do you guys think that's enough? For some it may be, if one puts the right kind of "alone time" with a new device, or platform. I also think people have different learning abilities, inherent or not. Some of that will translate into seamless transition, or not so seamless. There are possible, or even likely, obstacles taking time away from the process, of great interest is, the fact people work, and they need something working right away. So, it may be of no surprise for those people who need this greatly, the acclimation process won't go as well as desired.

What's your take? What steps have you taken to really get yourself familiar with something as personal as your phone, especially when treading new waters?

When it came to moving from a QWERTY (treo, and 8330) to a Storm, I decided I'd type my contacts by hand, to get used to the touch screen. The same thing occurred when I tried Opera Mini because of improper click screen support. But, as I got used to what was proper within its framework, I was able to take care of business inside of Opera Mini.

When I tested out those Droids at the VZW store, I realized I did make some mistakes, but realized I needed some more time with it, to really get a feel. When it came to the 9550, it took me some serious alone time to really shake off the QWERTY mindset in order to embrace the storm's way of doing things. I'll miss those QWERTY shortcuts as much as the next person, but during the acclimation process, I came to accept it; and live without those.

[dragonsamus]

When I switched from 8900 to incredible I knew I was switching because I wanted a better/faster web browser. It took me a week to settle in. for some it may be quicker and for some it may take longer. If you switch from one platform to another you have to give yourself adequate time. If you don't have it down in a month then you may never get it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[lssanjose]

I don't mean to pry into your life very deeply, but can you provide what you did in your efforts to get acclimated during that week? Just like how I decided to hand type my contacts one by one.

[dragonsamus]

I spent every waking moment on my phone. I went through all the menus and settings. I downloaded a bunch of apps and eventually deleted them all. I definitely didn't hand key all eighty of my contacts. I synced my contacts with my gmail account.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[avt123]

Even if you spend a half hour a day learning your device within that 30 day period you should be able to understand the device and learn how to use it. Android really isn't hard to use, and I think within a weeks time you will know if you like the OS or not.

[Dendrite]

I know it's also talked about the 30-day window return policy. Do you guys think that's enough? For some it may be, if one puts the right kind of "alone time" with a new device, or platform. I also think people have different learning abilities, inherent or not. Some of that will translate into seamless transition, or not so seamless. There are possible, or even likely, obstacles taking time away from the process, of great interest is, the fact people work, and they need something working right away. So, it may be of no surprise for those people who need this greatly, the acclimation process won't go as well as desired.

What's your take? What steps have you taken to really get yourself familiar with something as personal as your phone, especially when treading new waters?

I traded in my Tour for a Bold and returned it after a couple of weeks. The Bold just wasn't enough of a leap in device improvement for me to keep the Bold, although YMMV-

At that point I decided that I'd give the Droid platform a go but like you wondered how the transition would be as I had been a BB user for years...

What I did was to buy a couple of Droid user guides from Amazon and spent a week or so reading them before I went down and bought my Droid X. In doing so, I already had an overview of the device's operation set in my mind. Armed with this preliminary Droid knowledge, the transition was really quite painless. To be sure, it still took me a couple of weeks to be comfortable with Android. But... having pre-read these books took the pain out of the transition because whenever I asked myself "how do you do this or that again?", I simply flipped open my books and refreshed my memory on the subject.

FWIW, my favorite was the Droid X for Dummies:

Amazon.com: Droid X For Dummies eBook: Dan Gookin: Kindle Store

Well worth the $10 it cost me to DL it to my Kindle.

Make the jump. I can't imagine you won't marvel at what took you so long to take Android for a test drive! Every day I find something new on my DX that makes me say "Wow, I can't believe the DX can do that, this thing is like having the power of a computer in my phone!"

[lssanjose]

Thanks for your input guys, keep em coming! I'm pretty sure I'll settle in fine. It's just I see posts about people being able to make the move; others just can't seemingly do it. In a way, I'm curious as to why for both.

Dendrite, would you say, had you downloaded the official manual, do you think that would have helped you any better than that for dummies book? I remember reading the storm manual, and figured too much was going on in its pages. I just figured, I'd learn as I go, ha ha.

[risingsun124]

For me it usually takes a month to really feel comfortable with a device, and another to decide if I really like it or hate it. I only have 30 days to decide this time, so I am trying something new. I usually hold back on buying apps since I'm not sure if I'm keeping it or not, but this time I'm going all in and buying whatever apps I feel I need. It seems to be a good move since it's showing me exactly what I'm getting into. I was a BB Die-hard since the 8320 came out. I went from the 8320, 8900, to the 9700. I finally experimented with the iPhone, and now I'm on Android. I have now satisfied my curiosity and I have to say I've made up my mind and I'm sticking with Android. I have the G2 so it has a physical keyboard. I like having it, but I can live with the touchscreen also. I was one who swore I could never like a touchscreen keyboard.

If you do make the jump, try to explore what it can do that your BB can't. Like really use it to surf the web. For me it seems like a BB with more to offer.

[Dendrite]

Thanks for your input guys, keep em coming! I'm pretty sure I'll settle in fine. It's just I see posts about people being able to make the move; others just can't seemingly do it. In a way, I'm curious as to why for both.

Dendrite, would you say, had you downloaded the official manual, do you think that would have helped you any better than that for dummies book? I remember reading the storm manual, and figured too much was going on in its pages. I just figured, I'd learn as I go, ha ha.

Nothing wrong with learning as you go! The VZW Droid X manual is pretty sparse. It's almost an "insert battery here, turn phone on and enjoy your device" kind of manual. The thing I liked about Goodkin's book (Dummies for X) is that he has a great sense of humor which makes reading it fun and he had a ton of slick Droid tips woven in to each chapter. So I felt like I hit the ground running when I got my X. Of course just because it worked for me doesn't mean you have to do it my way!

Truth be told, as a "technocrat" I felt pretty "Droid fluent" after a week or so with the DX but I didn't want to bias your Droid expectations, so I padded my time frame and said you'll likely be fine after 3 or 4 weeks of Droid usage. I'm sure my "pre-reading" helped me adapt faster as well. Also, if you're already a Google/GMail user I think things will go smoother too. As you anticipated, the hardest part for most BB converts is switching from typing on a QWERTY BB keyboard to a flatscreen keyboard. For me, using Swiftkey in landscape mode on my X has made all the difference for my big hands/fingers. Since you've already used a Storm, this shouldn't be as much of an issue for you.

[the_sandman_454]

There's a full user manual accessible on the device itself. Why not just peruse that one evening instead of parking in front of the TV. It's nearly 2011, you should have a DVR by now. You could even get one of those old-school VCR's so you still get to enjoy your favorite shows.

[lssanjose]

That wasn't directed at me, was it?

[thebignewt]

When I switched from 8900 to incredible I knew I was switching because I wanted a better/faster web browser. It took me a week to settle in. for some it may be quicker and for some it may take longer. If you switch from one platform to another you have to give yourself adequate time. If you don't have it down in a month then you may never get it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I second that post. I had an 8100 Pearl, then an 8900. The fastest typer hands down was the 8100. I made more mistakes on the 8900. I make plenty of mistakes on the Dinc, but I don't care. The bigger screen and the real life browser make up for it. One thing you can do with an 8900 that you can't do with an Android: operate it with one hand.

[lssanjose]

'newt, you gave me a challenge when my Droid comes in: trying to operate it with one hand. I thought I was able to with the limited exposure I had at the Verizon store, but that was just to test out the keyboards. I just think with practice, it can be done overall, IMHO.

[avt123]

I use my DX with one hand easily. I prefer landscape for a lot of things, but one handed use is not a hard task. This is also the largest Android device Verizon has to offer. My hands are not huge either.

[lssanjose]

I had the same feeling avt. I messed with the X, and Incredible, back and forth at the Verizon store. I realized the X wasn't that much bigger than my Storm2, and I still felt comfortable handling it with one hand. The only thing that removed a clearer barometer of this, was the block at the bottom of the phone. Even then, with the block out of the way, it should be much easier.

[bigdaddynyy]

My suggestion is to play with the phone in the store for 5-10 minutes, if you hate it during that time it probably isn't for you. If you have an open mind and feel that you are willing to give it a try, then use the 30 days which should be good enough to make a decision (just don't get close to the end of your trial and think that a future software release will solve any issues you are having, BB already disproved that theory with the Storm).

If you cannot make up your mind on a phone within the first 30 days, and are afraid that you may be stuck with something that you do not like after the trial period ends, maybe you should consider paying the extra money to take a 1 year contract. That way you actually have 10 months, then if you don't like it, I believe you can upgrade again at the reduced contract pricing, and still be able to get a decent price if you sell your phone on ebay (you may even make money ). All of this talk about a $200 investment, yet we test drive a new car for a few minutes and are usually stuck with that for a lot longer time (and don't think about trying to break even if you sell the car).

Don't get me wrong, I go through the same thing when I buy a new toy (phone, tv, car, etc.), but also realize that right after I buy it something better is going to come out that makes me wish I would have waited for and probably enjoyed more, but then I would always be waiting and not currently enjoying my DX.

[lssanjose]

Trust me, the last batch of updates haven't been all too kind. Robot voice, then broken Open GL

[avt123]

I had the same feeling avt. I messed with the X, and Incredible, back and forth at the Verizon store. I realized the X wasn't that much bigger than my Storm2, and I still felt comfortable handling it with one hand. The only thing that removed a clearer barometer of this, was the block at the bottom of the phone. Even then, with the block out of the way, it should be much easier.

Yea it is real easy to use one handed. If I wanted to I can only use one hand forever with this phone. I just like landscape for certain things, and even with that I can hold it in one hand.