Can I get some help switch from Android to BB?

P L E A S E H E L P !
I truly want to believe, but cannot afford a bad decision here.

I have used HTC and Motorola with some modicum of success.

I just got a Sony Xperia Z3v, and though it is amazing in terms of battery and the camera is better than prior phones .... I just get this sense I MIGHT prefer the down to business intuition of a Z30. I'd consider a Passport or Classic if they worked on Verizon or Verizon sold them.

MY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS that I'd like someone knowledgeable to help me with would be:

1) Is BB versatile enough for me to dream of finding a keyboard that is one-hand friendly?

2)What is the general friendliness to side-loaded apps ??? Do they put BB at risk of total lockdown?

3) These are the apps I use and would like to know if anyone has success using them or similar on BB :

-Google Music (have bought music there, would prefer to have it available, but not deal breaker)

-Podcast App (Have used Pocket Casts and Podkicker with success)

-GolfNow and Free Caddie (golf gps is the biggest concern here)

- Pandora

- Yelp

- Company Apps like Progressive and Private Banks ? Unsure how these fall in the world of apps and availability.
-Youtube (not biggest concern)

*** Downloading music from somewhere ??? This isn't something I'm that familiar with, but would like to be able to accomplish and enjoy !!! ****
4) Does BB Hub do well with Outlook ? My employer uses this and it is something I really need on the phone but haven't trust it through previous phones yet. Hoping that BBHub can help this !!!

I want a good phone with reliability ... that is what greatly appeals to me with Blackberry ! I just fear that the apps issue is going to wear me down, but I hear that is changing, but side loading is not something I am familiar with and thus, concerns me.

THANK YOU for your time !!! It is greatly appreciated !!

Plenty of forum posts to fill you in on sideloading, just do a search. Z30 is an awesome phone but if you want a one handed physical Keyboard then take a look at the just released BlackBerry Classic.

Posted by Passport, Blackberry's Beast!

1. BlackBerry 10 devices are hell-bent on keyboard that provide the best typing experiences whether you use two hands, one hand, or even one finger. The keys of the keyboard maximise the space making it easier to hit keys, and the signature swipe-up feature that predicts the next word make it easier for typing with one-hand, but is only found in the full-touchscreen BB10 devices (Z3, Z10, Z30)
Attachment 321759
*As shown in the photo, words appear on top of certain letters which you can swipe up, and the world will appear in the typing canvas.

2. With 10.2.1 out, there is no need to sideload any app, other than Snap, or the Amazon App-store, which are sources to get Android apps from your device. But about security of the apps, the BlackBerry 10 OS features a BlackBerry Guardian which scans apps for viruses and maleware.
Attachment 321760
*This is the Snap app which can be sideloaded (Download link can be found within the CrackBerry forum). It basically mimics the Google Play Store, and all Android apps can be found here. (Be cautious that some Android apps don't work, as some may require Google Play Services, which is not available on BlackBerry 10 devices).

3. I'm not aware of any of these apps, nor how they hold out on BlackBerry 10, but there are plenty of third-party YouTube apps on BlackBerry World. (I personally use an app called SuperTube, and it works great)
Attachment 321761
*This is the SuperTube app which personally has my favourite and most modern-looking interface and is free on BBW.

4. BlackBerry Hub only holds and interacts with notifications of apps that are compatible with it (Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, Yahoo! Messenger, BBM, Email accounts) and the compatibility varies on the developer. Third-party apps (Android apps) will usually have notifications (if supported) appear on a single tab on the Hub called 'Notifications' which cannot be interacted with as conveniently as most native apps integrated into the Hub.

Attachment 321763
This is the interaction bar of a native app (In this example, Twitter). It usually gives a variety if actions such as Reply, Reply to All, etc. and it can all be performed right from the Hub.

- - - - -

Attachment 321764
This, on the other hand would be a standard Android app interaction bar from the Hub, which only allows you to open the app to be able to interact.

So as far as the Hub goes, it works very well, and is more convenient for some apps than others.

Miami Heat and GS Warriors fan.

Do a search for Daddoes.com . He is also on YouTube. He has a thorough review of the Z30.

" I do not think that word means what you think it means. "

Podcast> bPod, Nobex, gpodder. All excellent.

Thank you for taking the time.

I sense my outlook account won't do that well with the hub (which deters from my blackberry hopes.... thought the hub would manage this so much better)

I have gotten so google oriented over the years, I fear this would ruin my blackberry experience.
I'm convinced this would be the right phone for me, but the relegation to lesser versions of good apps out there, is worrisome.

I'm not throwing in the towel, but still hesitant, though I don't want to be !

Can anyone who deals with google a ton, alleviate the concerns ?

I just bought a Passport back in October and I love it. I have no problem typing with it one handed despite its size but others with slightly smaller hands might have an issue. I try not to text and drive because it is a bigger phone but when I'm stopped I type like a rocket on this thing. The first smartphone I bought for myself (I used to buy and sell phones so I went through a few first) was a Galaxy S3. I loved it for a while and then the jellybean update came and it slowed to a crawl, I wiped it many times with some success but the problems would always spring back including but not limited to: lower battery life, slower functionality and unwanted updates even after ticking that I didn't want them. I have no problem running Pandora on my Passport but I don't know about your other apps.

I would guess that you might have some issues with the google music app but I think for the most part you would be fine. The maps app does need some improvement but if you have a decent awareness of the road and only use the GPS as guidelines you should be fine (All the GPS have their issues, google and blackberry have both tried to get people to turn the wrong way on one way streets). Most sideloaded apps from what I can tell work well but I don't use any myself so I can't say for sure. You said you were looking into a Z30 since you're on VZN and some people like it and others don't. It took me a little bit to get used to the swipe feature but I actually love it. I tried out the Z10 around when they first came out and I thought it was a neat phone the only problem was I was app oriented at the time and back then they had literally no apps from android on BBRY devices as far as I know. Things have come a long way since then and while you probably won't get all of the apps there is a good chance that you can get about 80-90% working. I'm a relatively simple person so what works for me may not work for you.

thanks !
If google and outlook are viable, then I can handle the rest.

I always feel phones are far too loaded with nonsense, but golf gps apps. My personal bank app and google stuff is well worth it for me. I'm still torn, made worse that I CANNOT put hands on a Z30 prior to ordering ..... but this addition has me less worried.

They might still have a 14 day return policy depending on where you buy it from so in the worst case if you find that you can't get what you need on the phone then you could return it. I have no problem getting the bank apps and credit card apps for my own accounts from the amazon app store. What I did was kept my S3 until I was certain the Passport was the phone for me.

There are some preloaded apps on the BlackBerry that you may or may not want but most of it is easily deleted. If you ever want to delete the tutorial or another app that you don't use anymore that's hardwired into the phone they can be deleted by installing an earlier version (from what I read, I still use the help app occasionally and it doesn't take much so I kept it). I'm not sure which golf gps you would use but I know that there are some native but most likely you will have to install it through snap. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.