1. rebelguy's Avatar
    Hey Folks,

    It's been a few years since I left Team Blackberry. Sorry but it was Rim's fault. I fell prey to the original storm and the Tour and from there jumped ship. Since then I have had a love hate relationship with Android. Well I have had some serious bad luck with my past couple of phones and the Galaxy Nexus is the final straw. Yes it has a lovely screen and Ice Cream sandwich is great but the rest of the phone sucks. I need a phone that delivers good reception and call quality, is easy to type email and texts on and can browse the web reasonable fast. Looking though Verizon's line-up led me to the 9930. I had a little test drive at the store and it seems like an amazing upgrade from the BBs I have dealt with in the past.

    So I am thinking about making the switch back but had a few questions.

    1. In regard to the apps, do the following exist or are there alternatives to:

    Google Navigation (looking for a good free alternative)

    Gmail

    Google Docs

    Evernote

    Astrid Task

    Dropbox

    Shazam

    Twitter

    Facebook

    2. I do a lot of email and often times deal with attachments that are 10-15mbs. Is this an issue to download as I am assuming I would have to go through the browser.

    3. How big of an improvement is the browser in the latest OS. Night and day from a few years ago?

    4. How is the call quality and signal compared to the Storm and Tour?

    5. I keep reading a lot of mixed reviews on build quality (people going through multiple units) and battery life (some people go days others only hours). Was there issues with quality control when these were introduced or is this a continuing problem.

    6. Can I tether my ipad or computer to the 9930?

    Has anyone jumped back to Blackberry because of the 9900/9930? If so are you happy with your decision? Has the lack of 4G bothered you?

    Thanks in advance for any and all answers.

    Chris
    03-20-12 11:01 PM
  2. p51's Avatar
    1. BlackBerry Traffic: (free turn by turn voice guided navigation..works great).

    Gmail app: (I believe google has stopped supporting the BlackBerry OS..but google
    email addresses send & receive. IMAP implementation is still a bit lacking &
    you don't get access to all folders associated with the addresses).

    Google Docs: (you'll have to go through the browser for that or go to m.google.com &
    download a very stripped down version of the app).

    Astrid Task: I don't know.

    All of the others are available. Just keep in mind some of them may not offer all of
    the same functionality that their iOS & Android counterparts do.

    2. I believe the new viewable attachment limit is 8MB for each individual message. 11
    MB total for an email.

    3. Yes, night and day in a positive way. I don't even download opera anymore.

    4. Call quality is typical BB..very good. I don't have a storm or a tour so I can't
    compare.

    5. Seemed to be problems initially..but it looks like those have subsided (for the most
    part).

    6. The capability is there. Its just up to the carrier to push the update that will unlock
    that feature.

    I have come back and I am happy with my decision. I went into it knowing that the big name apps & developers have pretty much abandoned OS7 & are waiting to see what BB10 looks like before deciding whether or not to develop for the platform. This means I usually carry two devices. I do sometimes wonder how prudent a decision it was to use my upgrade on a phone & OS that for all intents and purposes EOL (end of life). But BB works well for me & thats what I based my decision on. My AT&T 9900 is a 4G phone but not LTE, but with the way BB's manage data they work pretty well even on 2G.

    Hope this helps
    03-21-12 02:51 AM
  3. cw0974's Avatar
    1. Google Navigation - blackberry traffic. Just started using it and it is actually very good.
    Gmail - no longer supported, but no need for that since bb's email client is better.
    Google Docs - exists, but not as good as android.
    Evernote - just got an update and it's decent
    Astrid Task - not sure.
    Dropbox - yes
    Shazam - yes
    Twitter - yes
    Facebook - yes

    2. Like above, I think the viewable limit isn't that high.

    3. I had the 9630, and I refused to use the browser back then. With the touch screen, using the browser is much better on the 99xx. I also didn't bother downloading opera.

    4. The tour's reception wasn't that bad, but the 9930 hasn't failed me yet. I haven't had a dropped call or any emails or texts received late.

    5. I am not completely sure, but with 7.1 out, a lot of, if not all, threads about bricking issues have diminished. I was also hesitant in the 9930 for the issue, but haven't had a problem since November. Battery life, more and more people seem to be finding that 7.1 delivers better battery life. Well it does have a small battery, but it lasts a full day.

    6. Tethering I do believe is there with 7.1.

    I went from a tour to a droid x and back to the bold. I loved my droid x. When the 9930 dropped, I really wanted it but having the droid x made me reevaluate my decision. I couldn't let go of google navi, a 4.3 in screen, and all the apps I would be missing. I finally decided to take the plunge and switch in November 2011. Haven't had any regrets yet.

    The 3G speed doesn't really bother me. I carried around a 4G phone for a bit, but it seems like it doesn't make a huge impact on daily usage, just here and there. From the apps you listed above, the only thing benefiting from the 4G speed would be dropbox. But then again, I see 4G failing too much.

    there's my two cents. Hope this can help.
    03-21-12 09:47 AM
  4. Ginger Eskimo's Avatar
    With regards to the app list, most of those are available and there are some good alternatives which will do similar things.

    OS 7.1 has a mobile hotspot feature to allow teathering. As for reception, my phone works great on the radio out and about, however for some reason I've, only recently, started to receive very poor wifi reception, unsure if others have had this issue though.
    03-21-12 10:27 AM
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