[lawguyman]

Here on Crackberry, I'm sure most of us favor BB10 over other mobile OSs. Some of us feel this way because we are loyal to the brand. Some of us feel this way because we have invested in the stock. Others, like me, simply favor BB10 over other mobile OSs because of the features of the OS. Some people will laugh and question how BB10 can be better than iOS and Android. I think that most people who feel this way are judging the OS based solely on its app store. But, an OS is not just about its app store. An OS is simply a platform to get things done.

BlackBerry never tells you why you should buy a Blackberry. There are vague references to security and doing serious work but that is as far as it goes. Here are some of the actual features that make me choose Blackberry:

1. Universal Search - This is my favorite feature. Hit the search icon (or, on a keyboard device, just start typing). You will be presented with all of your emails, texts, media, possible searches, and apps that might satisfy the query. I don't know how many times I have been in a meeting and someone mentions an email that might have been sent - I'll find it in seconds. This kind of thing would usual kill the discussion until someone found what we were looking for.

Android doesn't have anything like it. Apple's implementation, Spotlight, is crippled. It is weird for Android, a search company, to have such poor on-device search. But, it is what it is. Spotlight is nearly as good, but internet search results are now limited to Bing. Why? Because that's the way Apple has decided it should be. With Blackberry's universal search, you can choose whatever search engine you want.

2. Universal Inbox - All of your messages and notifications appear in the same place (or not, depending on whether you don't want it to). I don't think I could ever give up my Universal Inbox, and go back to an email app, and a text app, and all the other apps. With just a glance, I can see what is going on and what needs my attention. This is simply an incredibly powerful feature and you won't find it on any other platform.

3. Notification Customization - Pick a ringtone, choose how many vibrations, pick a picture, pick an led color - do this FOR EACH AND EVERY CONTACT. Again, if you want to. No other mobile OS will let you do this.

4. Open versus Closed - With iOS, you get things the way Apple likes it. Don't like Bing? Sorry, it is the default. With Android, you are pretty much locked into Google and its ecosystem. Sure, you can change things, but Google's services are pretty much the point of it all. BB10 lets you chose to integrate services.

5. Apps - The app situation on BB10 is really a Frankenstein monster. If you are resourceful enough you can pretty much load any Android app that you want. Some work great. Some work okay. Some don't work at all. The Android runtime is much better than it ever was but it still needs work! It is frustrating because it seems that as the runtime has improved overall, compatibility has been broken with some apps that used to work. The rule should be that every app should run, and run well, unless it relies on Google Services. That is what Blackberry states as a goal on its Android Runtime Roadmap (all APIs are to be supported). Yet, it is still not a reality. Blackberry admits to these problems. John Chen says he can't fix all Blackberry's problems all at once. So, this is what it is and will probably stay this way until it becomes a priority. Blackberry can't really expect to be anything other than a niche player until it gets this situation corrected.

6. File Manager and Cloud Integration - Blackberry is the only mobile OS that has a file manager. It is only the only mobile OS that has native cloud storage integration.

Conclusion - I think that many of us are frustrated that BB10 is overall such a powerful OS but that it has not met any real popular acceptance. Blackberry needs to play to its strengths. People need to know what they are getting when they use a BlackBerry. Vague marketing allusions to security and productivity just don't cut it.

[pantlesspenguin]

Whoopsadaisy. I think you've gotten a bit ahead of yourself. Keep in mind that those using a skinned version of Android far outnumber those using vanilla, and devices that have manufacturer have a lot more native features than vanilla Android. For example, on my Note I have:



S Finder, accessible through the notification tray. It's Samsung's universal search. I did a search for "Target" and here's what came up:



I got the website from Chrome, the deal emails they send me, and texts where the sender mentions Target. The emails also indicate if a message is read or unread.

On my Note, I can indeed choose a contact picture and ringtone for every contact (but no vibration or LED options). I *think* when I had my LG G2 there was an option to change LED color as well, but I'm not certain anymore since I haven't used that phone in awhile.

Finally, your assertion that BB10 is the only OS with native file management is just plain wrong. File management, again, depends on the manufacturer skin, but many devices come with native file managers. This is the native file manager on my Note, and as you can see there's also cloud integration.



Again, It would be different if vanilla Android was the ONLY option and EVERYONE who used an Android device was limited to just that. However, manufacturers have to make their Android devices as enticing as they can to sway the masses to their brand, so they offer lots more native features than just what's found on vanilla Android.

[Traxxmy]

Finally, your assertion that BB10 is the only OS with native file management is just plain wrong. File management, again, depends on the manufacturer skin, but many devices come with native file managers. This is the native file manager on my Note, and as you can see there's also cloud integration.

He probably never use other Os before or even learn it. A lot of Os have file manager
Both big and small




Symbian is still and always my favourite Os. Nokia 808. FilePLAY Music Player

[Alain_A]

yes Galaxy note was nice especially with the pen...but..the not so nice is when the screen brake even tho, you have not let it fall or bang it somewhere, there is no guaranty on it and it is always your fault.
So had to get rid of it and back to BB.

[lawguyman]

Of course, with Android, manufacturers may add features. This proves my point. These features are native to BB10, but not, in this case, to android.

I don't know S Finder but it is not part of Android. It is something added to Android.

Posted via CB10

[lawguyman]

He probably never use other Os before or even learn it. A lot of Os have file manager
Both big and small




Symbian is still and always my favourite Os. Nokia 808. FilePLAY Music Player

Please spend more time developing and less time complaining.

Posted via CB10

[lawguyman]

Of course, with Android, manufacturers may add features. This proves my point. These features are native to BB10, but not, in this case, to android.

I don't know S Finder but it is not part of Android. It is something added to Android.

Posted via CB10

Looking at YouTube videos for S Finder confirms that it is a horribly implemented bolt on. Ugh.

Posted via CB10

[canadian nick]

I use apple for work and BlackBerry for personal. I prefer BlackBerry so much that I pay for a personal phone when I don't need one. Apple does have apps though.

PassportSQW100-1/10.3.1.1154

Posted via CB10

[pantlesspenguin]

Of course, with Android, manufacturers may add features. This proves my point. These features are native to BB10, but not, in this case, to android.

I don't know S Finder but it is not part of Android. It is something added to Android.

Posted via CB10

Again, that only matters to people running vanilla Android (Nexus devices, Moto devices, and maybe a few others). The vast majority of Android users are using devices with these manufacturer skins which enable these features. To these people, these features come as a native out of the box experience, just like on BlackBerry. There's nothing extra to download, they can just use them.

[pantlesspenguin]

Looking at YouTube videos for S Finder confirms that it is a horribly implemented bolt on. Ugh.

Posted via CB10

Lol I don't know what YouTube videos you're looking at, but S Finder is fairly robust. Not only can you just perform a search, but you can filter it for type of information you're trying to gather (conversations, notes, media, etc), time frame, place, if what you're looking for contains handwriting, and custom tags. I haven't stumped it on a search yet.

[lawguyman]

Again, that only matters to people running vanilla Android (Nexus devices, Moto devices, and maybe a few others). The vast majority of Android users are using devices with these manufacturer skins which enable these features. To these people, these features come as a native out of the box experience, just like on BlackBerry. There's nothing extra to download, they can just use them.

The point is that it's not really native. These features are bolted on on Android, if they exist at all.

It's not the same thing.



Posted via CB10

[Spencerdl]

Which is better?....The one that the individual uses and likes....SIMPLE.

[lawguyman]

The point is that it's not really native. These features are bolted on on Android, if they exist at all.

It's not the same thing.

This is why people complain about Android. There is Android search. Google now. Then let's add something like S Finder in top too. It becomes a UX nightmare.


Posted via CB10

Posted via CB10

[pantlesspenguin]

The point is that it's not really native. These features are bolted on on Android, if they exist at all.

It's not the same thing.



Posted via CB10

*Sigh* One last time, they're a native experience for people using these devices. There's nothing special to set up. They can tap S Finder just as easily as someone on BB10 tapping the search icon and easily find what they're looking for. It just works. Likewise, someone on a skinned Android device can tap on the file manager icon in the app list just as easily as someone on BB10 tapping their file manager icon in their app list. Again, there's no special set up. It's right there when the user first boots up their phone. It's a native experience for someone using that device.

You seem to have the notion that features that a manufacturer adds are "bolted on" and don't work properly. This isn't the case at all. Like I've said numerous times now, they work exactly the same as the same features work on BB10. They're simply part of the device. Therefore it's unfair to say that people running Android devices don't have these features, because the majority of Android users are running devices with these features baked in.

[pantlesspenguin]

The point is that it's not really native. These features are bolted on on Android, if they exist at all.

It's not the same thing.

This is why people complain about Android. There is Android search. Google now. Then let's add something like S Finder in top too. It becomes a UX nightmare.


Posted via CB10

I've never heard of anyone complaining that Android gives them options of the tools they can use.

[MikeX74]

On iOS, you can choose custom ringtones, vibrations, and photos for each contact. I think a little more research would have done you some good.

[lawguyman]

On iOS, you can choose custom ringtones, vibrations, and photos for each contact. I think a little more research would have done you some good.

You're picking and choosing.

Custom led alerts and colors? I didn't think so.



Posted via CB10

[lawguyman]

I've never heard of anyone complaining that Android gives them options of the tools they can use.

The problem with Android is that all these features are bolted on as opposed to integrated into the OS itself. That is why Android feels so cluttered and disjointed.

IOS doesn't have this problem and neither does BB10.

Posted via CB10

[pantlesspenguin]

You're picking and choosing.

But it's fine when you pick and choose by essentially saying "Even though most Android devices have these same features, they don't count because vanilla Android doesnt have them?"

[pantlesspenguin]

The problem with Android is that all these features are bolted on as opposed to integrated into the OS itself. That is why Android feels so cluttered and disjointed.

IOS doesn't have this problem and neither does BB10.

Posted via CB10

I really don't know how to make this any simpler for you. I really don't. It's obvious you're just going by assumptions here. These features are integrated into the device. The user experience is the exact same as they do on BB10 and produce the exact same results. If someone who needed these features picked up a Note coming from a Z30 (or vice versa) all that would matter to the user is that the out of the box experience is exactly the same.

The best thing to a "bolted on" experience like you're describing I can think of is back on BB 10.0 when there weren't native led color/notifier settings or a battery monitor, so we had to download apps for that and keep the active frames open in order for them to work. Thank goodness that's all changed so much!!! Is that what you're assuming it's like for functions baked into manufacturer skins on Android? I really have no idea what you're trying to say with "bolted on."

[lawguyman]

But it's fine when you pick and choose by essentially saying "Even though most Android devices have these same features, they don't count because vanilla Android doesnt have them?"

You've pointed out one feature that one Android maker puts in some of its phones.


Posted via CB10

[lawguyman]

I really don't know how to make this any simpler for you. I really don't. It's obvious you're just going by assumptions here. These features are integrated into the device. The user experience is the exact same as they do on BB10 and produce the exact same results. If someone who needed these features picked up a Note coming from a Z30 (or vice versa) all that would matter to the user is that the out of the box experience is exactly the same.

The best thing to a "bolted on" experience like you're describing I can think of is back on BB 10.0 when there weren't native led color/notifier settings or a battery monitor, so we had to download apps for that and keep the active frames open in order for them to work. Thank goodness that's all changed so much!!! Is that what you're assuming it's like for functions baked into manufacturer skins on Android? I really have no idea what you're trying to say with "bolted on."

Bolted on = multiple search apps with different features instead of one search app.

I made it easy for you to understand.


Posted via CB10

[pantlesspenguin]

You've pointed out one feature that one Android maker puts in some of its phones.


Posted via CB10

I pointed out two - the universal search and the file manager. And once again, other manufacturer skins have these options, and the majority of Android users used skinned devices.

Bolted on = multiple search apps with different features instead of one search app.

I made it easy for you to understand.


Posted via CB10

Ohhhhh, ok. So by your logic BB10 is one of your "bolted on" operating systems because it offers both universal search and BlackBerry Assistant, two search apps with different features instead of one search app.

[lawguyman]

What other Android manufacturer has a kind of Universal Search?


Also,you're wrong about search on bb10. Voice and keyboard search are the same thing. Both search the same things and can be invoked the same way.

Android search has limited search capabilities some of which overlap with this S Finder. One is on the home screen and one is invoked from the drop down quick settings for some reason. Then there is Google Now, which is yet another search.

Search should just be search. There shouldn't be different kinds of search.


Posted via CB10

[pantlesspenguin]

What other Android manufacturer has a kind of Universal Search?


Also,you're wrong about search on bb10. Voice and keyboard search are the same thing. Both search the same things and can be invoked the same way.

Android search has limited search capabilities some of which overlap with this S Finder. One is on the home screen and one is invoked from the drop down quick settings for some reason. Then there is Google Now, which is yet another search.

Search should just be search. There shouldn't be different kinds of search.


Posted via CB10

And please realize that's only you're opinion. Some people like options. I don't have google search on my home screen. I don't need it. I use S Finder for things on my device and Google Now for web searches. Also, Google Now isn't just a search tool. It's a set of "cards" that present you with information you set up like traffic info, stocks, sports scores, reminders, flight info, news stories you might be interested in based on your searches and sites you frequent, etc. It's also location based, so if you're out on the town it gives you your parking location, restaurants and other POIs nearby, traffic info for your drive home, etc. It just happens to have a Google search bar at the top of the screen, so that's what I use for my web searches.

You realize that not every option available has to be used, right? If there are multiple options available I stick with those that I know work well for me. Other people using the exact same device might have different needs and therefore use the options I don't use. The extra stuff is easy to ignore.

Anyway, I'm done talking in circles with you. The premise of your initial post was that BB10 was superior because it offered these features that other devices "don't have," which is obviously very wrong. I just don't believe in trying to bolster BB10 by spreading misinformation about other platforms. I think BB10 is good enough to stand on its own two feet without resorting to all of this.