So long, Farewell and thanks for all the fish...
It's been a long time coming but I'm afraid we've reached a parting of the ways. I should have seen the writing on the wall with my PlayBook, but I hung in there and bought the Z10 then the Z30 after having a Storm a Torch a Bold and then another Storm. I've liked them all and will really miss OS10 - I still use a Torch, but I'm not so sad to see that go!
Maybe i'll be back - I'm not a Phonedemenatlist like many, I'm trying Android next - I know, all my friends have had their identities cloned, their credit cards hacked and Google owns their asses, though strangely enough they all seem pretty happy and normal to me. Maybe only Phonedemenatlists can see the true damage Android has wreaked on their lives, maybe i'll find out when I meet my clone, or find I've just bought a yacht on my credit card and the Phonedemenatlists will be able to scream 'told you so '
But to be honest I've spent 18 hours at gun point at a border crossing once with my embassy saying you're on your own so I'm not overly worried by the Phonedemenatlist rantings. Most of the world uses android and it's not raining cats and dogs with the four horsemen of the apocalypse charging by outside so let's see how that goes. I'd probably have opted for a windows phone next but that app gap killed BlackBerry and I'm not going down that road again so soon. Maybe I'll try them next.
But why leave us (or perhaps sod off!) cries the loyal BlackBerry fans? We've got the best OS going etc etc. I'm no expert but I'd be surprised if there weren't Android / Apple and MS Phonedementalists out there who'd disagree. That's the trouble with them, they're always right and everyone else is always wrong. And besides, having the best OS doesn't guarantee you squat. Just ask Video 2000 (which most of you won't have heard of) which was even better than Betamax (which some of you will) both of whom lost out to the inferior VHS. And I'm sure there's many other examples too.
So why am I leaving? It's because my phone has become the Morris Minor (the British police cars in Minions) of communications. I've had loads, really like them, they were great in their day ("0-60 in 58 seconds!" ran the adverts) , but like my moggies, I seem to spend ages trying to make them work properly, or finding a way round some issue (a blanket for the winter, a hammer for the starter motor jamming). We've lost Facebook - I know guys! Being watched, everything recorded, sold our souls to the evil whoever but I don't really care too much, I like seeing pictures of my friends and family and what they're up to. They make me smile and laugh. Of course I could just boycott it and be grumpy and demand they all just send me emails of the pictures instead cos that worked out so well getting them all to switch from WA to BBM didn't it? Or I could use Face10. Done that, bought it, like it, but I can't get it to work properly, it doesn't notify me of anything, ever. Now had this been the only issue I'd wait for an update to fix this - I think the app is really very good and the developer deserves success, but of course we lose (or maybe don't lose) WA at the end of the year too, after having lost the guardian Newpaper app recently. And My Google maps doesn't work anymore, I can't get my cycle app to show contour lines, something cyclist are quite keen on seeing on maps. Docs to go has serious bugs in the spreadsheet that really affect my spreadsheets - reported on my z10 and still there and unlikely to go away so I've not got confidence that my other important apps will stay working either and as I spent a lot of time not just looking down the barrel of a gun at a border point but actually visiting different countries I want a phone I can rely on and will work properly everywhere, all the time and I no longer think that's BlackBerry - sadly.
Where's your loyalty they cry? Now I'm a very loyal guy, but only to human beings, not multinational corporations. Their aim is to make a profit (which is fine and dandy) and if that mean being nice to me they will, but if it means stitching me up and hanging me out to dry they will do that just as quickly. I'm no more loyal to a multinational than I am to a lamppost. I'll treat them the way they treat me.
So I'll be very sad to say goodbye to my z30 but I'm quite excited to think i'll have a phone that works and won't suddenly find that this app no longer works just as I need it. I wish that phone was my z30, but it's not and it's clear from JC that it never will be.
Having really liked the hub and keyboard I'd have liked to have gone for a Priv, but that's silly money BlackBerry. I'd also have happily paid for the hub and keyboard apps - I'd happily pay �10 each for them, but it seems BlackBerry whilst trying to monetise the life out of BBM which no one wants haven't seem that many many android users won't want to pay Priv prices but some would be happy to buy the hub / keyboard app. And perhaps some of these would then later upgrade to a full BlackBerry Android phone due to their experience. Maybe I will too when the priv drops in price or the new mid range droids come out, But whilst I can buy two LG G4's for the same price as one priv it's a no brainer to me. So, I'd like to thank all the people who worked on BlackBerry staff over the years and the crackberry team too and wish them well in the future, but I'm reluctantly and sadly signing off now, who knows,.maybe i'll hate it and be back in 6 months...
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