[Soul_Est]

Just my opinion, but I would stick with OS7 unless dislike of touchscreen or price are factors.

I've finally decided to go with the 9900 as well. My hands are big and I can afford the $100 CDN it'll cost for the 9900 and accessories. I just hope that I can get the 9900 next week...

[RyanGermann]

I guess that only happens to you buddy... haven't seen anything like this in my Z10 or the forum

Posted via CB10

happens to me all the time... I think it is related to a "feature" that I can't find any way to disable that automatically extends the range of the selection undesirably and if you are looking at the keyboard and not the screen and start typing, you will delete a large swath of text without even an "undo" feature.

I am used to it but it still drives me bad-crazy and makes me pine for my Torch.

Posted via CB10

[Mr4aces]

Good points there. Perhaps I should just go for the 9900 and a couple extra batteries. It'll cost me approximately $100 CDN altogether compared to the 9780 ($50 CDN). Decisions, decisions...

Thank you so much for running this experiment and answering so many of our questions.

ATT told me Friday the 9900 will be available in May. I also need to replace my broken 9900. I think I'll save my up grade for the Q20 and buy a used 9900 also.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[BlazorBoy]

I like the idea. Thought about doing it myself. Love the look and feel of the 9900. Just that and an ipod. Nice and simple

Same here, 9900 and iPad. The ability to make custom themes is critical to me. Likewise, using Advance OS and LED app. Also the buttons. The browser works well enough.

[Ray III]

Ouch. 9780 it is then. I usually go through a 16 hour day where I send and receive up to two dozen messages or more.

The statement I made that you quoted was that the 9930 WILL easily have enough battery life for that.

[BlazorBoy]

How does Netflix, Instagram, Candy Crush Saga, Seeking Alpha, Speedtest.net, 16 GBs built-in and 64 GBs of expandable storage, native video editing apps, video chats, 3D graphics, and photo editing apps that run smoothly and don't cause endless hourglasses... work on your Bold?

They don't work? ok. Or they do work but you see the hourglass all the time? Hmm... Doesn't matter to you I guess, since I'm sure you don't care about those apps. You don't need more than 512 MB for app storage. Any app you will ever need is no bigger than 512 MB. And you don't expect to ever have any of that functionality on your smartphone anyway! (that's what PCs are for of course!!). Fair enough: But then you don't represent the overwhelming majority of modern smartphone users who expect those apps and capabilities to be available.

How do the Disqus forum plugins work on the websites you go to? Oh... they don't even load on BB7 browsers? But who cares right? Because you would never think to join in an online Disqus forum (or even know what Disqus is) using your phone. That's cool: BUT... It means that you don't represent the overwhelming majority of modern smartphone users that expect these webpage plugins to load and work automatically.

How does HD video look on your Bold? Looks terribly small?... I see. But I'm sure its OK for you since you don't care, since you never watch video on your phone (you'll just use your computer for that). That's fine, BUT... That means you don't represent the overwhelming majority of modern smartphone users that EXPECT to be be able to watch and show video to friends on their phones.

LONG STORY SHORT: If you are a smartphone user who is happy with technology as it stood in 2008 and doesn't want -- or even see the need for anything more -- then OF COURSE, the Bold is gonna be "ALL I NEED".

But I hope that you can understand how much in the minority you are. I'm sure there are fans of the original BlackBerry pagers who are like "ALL I NEED" is the ability to read messages on an LCD screen. I don't need color displays. I don't need sound. I don't need touch screens. I don't need video. I don't need more than a couple of megabytes storage,.. etc...

But the reality is, that technology waits for no one. Expectations of the minimal feature set for a mobile device grows on a weekly (not yearly or even monthly) basis. If you are satisfied with the past then that is fine! Keep your rotary home phone, cassette tapes, type writer, cathode ray tube (CRT) TV, BlockBuster DVD rental stores, Betamax player, quill and ink bottle, and 9900 because it's "ALL YOU NEED". But the rest of us who are the majority of people with the majority of MONEY, along with future generations, are going to move along with the march of technology.

Well I do not mind being in the minority that does not use those apps on their phones; hey, maybe that's why I might be in that other minority, the 1%.

[BlazorBoy]

A Bold Experiment: Day 2 - Getting to the Information I Want to See

Attachment 261841

Waking Up

Here is what I see as soon as I wake my BlackBerry Bold 9930 from sleep:

Attachment 261842

BB OS 7 manages to convey a huge amount of information within a small footprint! Here is the information I learned from this single view:

• The date
• The time
• An alarm is enabled
• The type and number of unread messages/notifications
• I am connected to 3G
• I am connected to WiFi
• The name of the WiFi network I am connected to
• App icons that have unread messages/notifications
• The sound profile currently selected
• I am connected to BBM
• Battery life remaining
• Location services are enabled

Now here is what I see as soon as I wake my Z30 running BB 10.2.1 from sleep (apologies for the quality of the photo, apparently you can't use BB10's built-in screen cap feature on the lock screen):

Attachment 261845

Here is the information I learned from this single view:

• The date
• The time
• An alarm is enabled
• The type and number of unread messages/notifications
• I am connected to LTE (or would be if I had service activated on my Z30)
• I am connected to WiFi
• I am connected to BBM
• Upcoming calendar events
• Battery life
• Battery percentage

Are you seeing what I'm seeing? My BlackBerry Bold actually displays MORE information overall than my Z30 upon waking from sleep!
The advantages BB10 has in this area is that it shows pending calendar events. I have to open the notifications window on my Bold to see upcoming appointments. And it also shows battery percentage in addition to remaining battery life.

The advantages the Bold has are showing name of the WiFi network, the sound profile currently selected, and whether location services are enabled.
It comes down to personal preference as to which one edges out, but it seems like, for the amount of screen space available, BB OS 7 does a better job of conveying as much info as possible. I see a lot of empty space on that BB10 lock screen that could be put to good use.

Getting Down to Brass Tacks

Another interesting thing is that on the BB10 lock screen I have to tap each separate notification type to see the details of each, then tap the individual notification to open it in the Hub. In BB OS 7, all I have to do is open the notification window and I can see ALL pending notifications, sorted by category, as well as calendar events, and just scroll through and open them either with the trackpad or touch screen.

What I'm taking away from this is that, overall, it takes extra steps/time for me in BB10 than it does in BB OS 7 to get an idea of what unread messages/notifications I have and to actually get to and open them.

New in 10.2.1, you can go to the hub and "pinch-to-squish" to see ONLY your unread notifications. This is definitely a cool feature that saves time.
But to get to the Hub and see only your unread notifications, you have to:

1. Swipe-up to wake from sleep (you can bypass the lock screen this way with a long swipe, assuming you don't have a password set)
2. If you're not already in the Hub you have to tap the Hub icon or make the swipe-up-and-to-the-right gesture to show the hub, then
3. Make the "pinch to squish" gesture to see your unread notifications together.
4. Scroll down to see unread notifications
5. Scroll up above the notifications to see upcoming calendar events

In BB OS 7:

1. Wake from sleep
2. If you're not already on the home screen, hit the "end call" button to go to home screen
3. Tap the notification bar to open the notifications window
4. Scroll down to see all unread notifications and upcoming calendar events

If you password protect your device that adds an extra step to each process, but still, it's easier for me to get to and view my unread notifications and pending calendar events in BB OS 7 than in BB10.

For the average person, this is likely not a huge deal. For someone who needs to spend as little time as possible interacting with their smartphone and get to the information they need, this is a huge deal.

Another thing I just realized is that I'm comparing the Bold's home screen with the Z30's lock screen. If I were to compare both home screens, the Z30 would have even less information to offer.

In summary, I find that my BlackBerry Bold 9930 displays more information that is important to me, more efficiently, and with less steps to get to it than does my BlackBerry Z30.

I'm starting to see why the 9930 and BB OS 7 have such staying power among those who value efficiency and productivity.

A small, free app, deToday, puts your next five calendar events on the home screen in OS7.

[BlazorBoy]

Good points there. Perhaps I should just go for the 9900 and a couple extra batteries. It'll cost me approximately $100 CDN altogether compared to the 9780 ($50 CDN). Decisions, decisions...

Thank you so much for running this experiment and answering so many of our questions.

For the 9900/9930 there is an extra battery that come with a compact charging case. Very easy to carry around.

[Tatwi]

So you can't use a Google service on a non- Google device, because Google chose not support it. That's not a BlackBerry problem.

You are using a BlackBerry device. How about buying into the full BlackBerry experience by using what it offers to accomplish your goals. It is more than capable of doing so.

With your calendar issue, you have basically chosen to manufacture your own "problem", by attempting to use the device in an unintended manner. You have a BlackBerry 9930, not a Google device.

[Rootbrian]

FYI, ebay has batteries, preferably the Japan gold, or generic j-m1, for the bold 9900, m-S1 for the 9780, but it takes a while to arrive due to selling from China. Wouldn't recommend getting the extended thicker ones as they tend to... well... bloat up after a year. and the battery cover does lose it's tabs, unless someone reproduces them with one of those 3D printers.

I use both my Q10 and bold 9900 too, blackberry 10 and blackberry 7 both have their dis/advantages, and i'm not an "appy" person either. Heck, half of every bit of technology at home is "outdated/obsolete", but it still works great (for the naysayers, suck it and move on please)!

I often wonder why I didn't get a spare battery for my q10, my bold has two spares. :O

Posted via CrackBerry 10 (CB10) application using my BlackBerry Q10.

[anon(6038817)]

So you can't use a Google service on a non- Google device, because Google chose not support it. That's not a BlackBerry problem.

You are using a BlackBerry device. How about buying into the full BlackBerry experience by using what it offers to accomplish your goals. It is more than capable of doing so.

With your calendar issue, you have basically chosen to manufacture your own "problem", by attempting to use the device in an unintended manner. You have a BlackBerry 9930, not a Google device.

This is, of course, an experiment and I'm just sharing my observations. Not trying to manufacture problems, just pointing them out as I see them.

Also, I think your point is a bit flawed. BB10, iOS, and Windows Phone devices support multiple Google Calendars from a single account. Heck, my PlayBook supports them. Those are not Google devices.

[anon(6038817)]

A Bold Experiment: Day 6 - Calling It Like I Hear It



Believe it or not, some people actually still use their smartphones as...well...phones. That is, to make and receive phone calls.
When it comes to making/receiving phone calls, the BlackBerry Bold 9930 really shines. And here's why!

Buttons Matter

What makes the call experience really shine for me on the 9930 is the physical call buttons. I know that when I press the "place call" or "hang up" buttons that the phone will do exactly those things. It's a very reassurring thing. It's more reassurring to me than relying on "virtual" buttons on a touchscreen interface.

I don't feel like I have to search for the place on my screen where I need to slide to answer a call, or find the end call button when I want to hang up. I don't even have to look at my 9930 to answer or hang up a call. I can do it purely by feel.

It also feels like, because they are physical buttons, they have less chance of failing or not responding when I press them than on-screen "virtual" buttons.

Now if someone wants to call me out on that with some cold hard facts, I am fully willing and ready to admit that physical buttons may have the exact same chance of responding or not responding as virtual buttons. Even so, psychologically, the physical buttons just feel more natural to me. They just feel better.

Some would argue that physical buttons on a smartphone are antiquated, useless, and unnecessary, as evidenced with more modern phones. If that is the case, why do many of the most popular phones today have physical home buttons or back buttons or even search buttons? And why do most smartpones - even BB10 phones - have dedicated physical buttons for volume or voice commands or even to take photos? Could it be that there are certain smartphone functions that are best accomplished with dedicated physical buttons? I would argue that, at least for me, dedicated physical call buttons are better for making and receiving phone calls than virtual ones.

Call Quality

Some calls seem a bit muffled on the 9930 compared to the Z30. Not all, but some. It's not so bad as to not be able to understand the person on the other end - the overall quality is still quite good - but the muffled-ness is noticeable.

Call volume is fantastic on the 9930. This is one area where I wish my Z30 was better. I usually have my call volume at the highest setting on the Z30. This is good enough most of the time, but there are times when I wish I could get some extra volume in noisier settings.

As it sits right now, I have the call volume at about 50% on the 9930, and I would say it's just as loud if not louder than my max volume on the Z30. The only other phone I've used that had great call volume like this was a Nokia Lumia 521 (Windows Phone).

As with any cell phone, there are times where the call can be a bit garbled or choppy, but they are few and far between. Verizon provides great coverage in my area and I rarely see my signal strength below 3 bars.

Conclusion

While some calls seem a bit muffled compared to the Z30, I find that the Bold 9930 - from the physical call buttons, to the call volume, to the size and shape of the phone itself - makes for a much more efficient, comfortable, and natural phone call experience for me. In fact, it's probably the best phone call experience I've ever had on a smartphone.

[Soul_Est]

ATT told me Friday the 9900 will be available in May. I also need to replace my broken 9900. I think I'll save my up grade for the Q20 and buy a used 9900 also.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

I think it may be best to save a well. Try and see if you can fix your 9900 first before buying a using one.

The statement I made that you quoted was that the 9930 WILL easily have enough battery life for that.

Ah, I see now. Thank you for the heads up!

For the 9900/9930 there is an extra battery that come with a compact charging case. Very easy to carry around.

I have found them and I have bookmarked their pages. Thank you for the suggestion.

FYI, ebay has batteries, preferably the Japan gold, or generic j-m1, for the bold 9900, m-S1 for the 9780, but it takes a while to arrive due to selling from China. Wouldn't recommend getting the extended thicker ones as they tend to... well... bloat up after a year. and the battery cover does lose it's tabs, unless someone reproduces them with one of those 3D printers.

I use both my Q10 and bold 9900 too, blackberry 10 and blackberry 7 both have their dis/advantages, and i'm not an "appy" person either. Heck, half of every bit of technology at home is "outdated/obsolete", but it still works great (for the naysayers, suck it and move on please)!

I often wonder why I didn't get a spare battery for my q10, my bold has two spares. :O

Posted via CrackBerry 10 (CB10) application using my BlackBerry Q10.

Thank you for the suggestion. I have found extra J-M1 batteries at a reasonable price and will put in an order for two.

This is, of course, an experiment and I'm just sharing my observations. Not trying to manufacture problems, just pointing them out as I see them.

Also, I think your point is a bit flawed. BB10, iOS, and Windows Phone devices support multiple Google Calendars from a single account. Heck, my PlayBook supports them. Those are not Google devices.

That would have been my response exactly.

Today I meet someone with two 9900's (personal and work). When I expressed my interest in them, he told me not to bother due to issues he had with them. I told him that there may be OS updates that may alleviate some of the issues, but he would have none of it. He said he would another phone as he wasn't sure of the company's future. As he was still working and had other things to do, I left him be. Before you ask me or tell me anything, know that I will help when asked as it shows that the person in question is intrigued and willing to learn more.

I love what I've read from your Day 6 report NewFangled. Looks like I might have to have a look at the earpiece speaker should I ever need to disassemble a 9900. Also, have a look at Funambol and One Media Hub for PIM and Calendar syncing. I'm not sure yet which version of BBOS Funambol supports up to though.

[SmellWhole]

... Some calls seem a bit muffled on the 9930 compared to the Z30. Not all, but some. It's not so bad as to not be able to understand the person on the other end - the overall quality is still quite good - but the muffled-ness is noticeable.

When in the phone, press the Menu key, choose Options, then In-call settings. Scroll down to Audio Enhancement. There you can choose to use Previous, Normal, Boost Treble, or Boost Bass. It should have a default setting of Normal. You might want to try Boost Treble. I find that it's more clear. You can also change this setting during any phone call using the same procedure.

[anon(6038817)]

When in the phone, press the Menu key, choose Options, then In-call settings. Scroll down to Audio Enhancement. There you can choose to use Previous, Normal, Boost Treble, or Boost Bass. It should have a default setting of Normal. You might want to try Boost Treble. I find that it's more clear. You can also change this setting during any phone call using the same procedure.

Wow, thanks for this tip! I've set it to Boost Treble and will see if that clears things up a bit.

[Tatwi]

This is, of course, an experiment and I'm just sharing my observations. Not trying to manufacture problems, just pointing them out as I see them.

Also, I think your point is a bit flawed. BB10, iOS, and Windows Phone devices support multiple Google Calendars from a single account. Heck, my PlayBook supports them. Those are not Google devices.

Man buys Volvo. Man goes home, rips out the dashboard of the Volvo and replaces it with one from a Toyota. Man is then sad that the instrument panel doesn't work properly. No one else is surprised.

You can't fault BBOS7 for not doing something that it was not designed to do, particularly when it offers the similar functionality that you are choosing to not use. It doesn't do Netflix either, again because 9900s were not intended to be used in that manner.

I enjoy this experiment, but it is important to keep things in perspective; if one wants to understand why others love their legacy devices, one must embrace the entire experience in the way legacy user does.

Google Calendar? I don't give a crap. Means nothing to me and never has as an 8520/9900 user for five or so years. I use the BlackBerry calendar system for everything.

Ya follow?

[Tatwi]

Irfailpost

[anon(6038817)]

Man buys Volvo. Man goes home, rips out the dashboard of the Volvo and replaces it with one from a Toyota. Man is then sad that the instrument panel doesn't work properly. No one else is surprised.

You can't fault BBOS7 for not doing something that it was not designed to do, particularly when it offers the similar functionality that you are choosing to not use. It doesn't do Netflix either, again because 9900s were not intended to be used in that manner.

I enjoy this experiment, but it is important to keep things in perspective; if one wants to understand why others love their legacy devices, one must embrace the entire experience in the way legacy user does.

Google Calendar? I don't give a crap. Means nothing to me and never has as an 8520/9900 user for five or so years. I use the BlackBerry calendar system for everything.

Ya follow?

Here's the thing: Google did support that functionality in BB OS 7 at one time and chose to discontinue it. If it was never supported, I might agree with you.

I assure you, I am not the first legacy BB user to express dismay over Google's discontinuation of this service.

But from my perspective, it's pretty pointless to try to assign blame. That won't bring the functionality back. Regardless of whose fault it is, the fact of the matter remains: it is not possible to sync multiple Google calendars from the same Google account on a legacy BB device.

As far as keeping things in perspective, I'm quite sure I can understand why 9900 users love their device whilst also having a need to see multiple Google Calendars under the same account. The two desires are not mutually exclusive. And really, I shouldn't need to explain to you why I need to see the other calendars, only that I do. While you may not have a need for it, I do. You are not representative of all legacy BB owners anymore than I am. I have never claimed to be thus.

As I said, the purpose of this experiment is simple: use a 9930 for 30 days and share my observations. I observed that only my primary Google calendar syncs with my 9930 and I shared that observation.

[Tatwi]

No need to be defensive and snippy. I am trying to help you.

[anon(6038817)]

No need to be defensive and snippy. I am trying to help you.

If you say so.

[anon(6038817)]

Drive-by battery observation:

I took my phone off the charger at approximately 5:45 am this morning and it has not been on the charger since. It is now after 9:00 pm, over 13 hours later, and my battery indicator is still showing 2/3 full.

I sent/received 15 email/text messages, browsed a few websites for 5-10 minutes, made a few phone calls of approximately 5 minutes each, browsed the CB forums app for 5 minutes, downloaded and installed Google Maps, used Google Maps to get directions to a location 5 minutes away and kept the map up for those 5 minutes while I drove to the location, and received a few BBM notifications. I think that's most of what I did.

I'm thinking maybe the poor WiFi reception at my desk at work is what is draining the battery so quickly while I'm there. I'm going to try disabling WiFi at work altogether and sicking with 3G to see if I fare any better.

But I am definitely impressed with battery performance today!

[Soul_Est]

Man buys Volvo. Man goes home, rips out the dashboard of the Volvo and replaces it with one from a Toyota. Man is then sad that the instrument panel doesn't work properly. No one else is surprised.

You can't fault BBOS7 for not doing something that it was not designed to do, particularly when it offers the similar functionality that you are choosing to not use. It doesn't do Netflix either, again because 9900s were not intended to be used in that manner.

I enjoy this experiment, but it is important to keep things in perspective; if one wants to understand why others love their legacy devices, one must embrace the entire experience in the way legacy user does.

Google Calendar? I don't give a crap. Means nothing to me and never has as an 8520/9900 user for five or so years. I use the BlackBerry calendar system for everything.

Ya follow?

As would I. What happens if the phone goes poof? If you have a backup on your computer, that's fine. It is best to have a triplicate of any important data though. This is why not have Google Calendar support sucks.

Question to both of you though, "What about Zoho Calendar?".

Drive-by battery observation:

I took my phone off the charger at approximately 5:45 am this morning and it has not been on the charger since. It is now after 9:00 pm, over 13 hours later, and my battery indicator is still showing 2/3 full.

I sent/received 15 email/text messages, browsed a few websites for 5-10 minutes, made a few phone calls of approximately 5 minutes each, browsed the CB forums app for 5 minutes, downloaded and installed Google Maps, used Google Maps to get directions to a location 5 minutes away and kept the map up for those 5 minutes while I drove to the location, and received a few BBM notifications. I think that's most of what I did.

I'm thinking maybe the poor WiFi reception at my desk at work is what is draining the battery so quickly while I'm there. I'm going to try disabling WiFi at work altogether and sicking with 3G to see if I fare any better.

But I am definitely impressed with battery performance today!

Glad to read that! As for your WiFi issues have you considered .

[David Murray1]

The only thing better than having a 9900 is having a 9900 without carrier branding on it. I feel sorry for Americans in that respect lol

Posted via CB10

[Soul_Est]

The only thing better than having a 9900 is having a 9900 without carrier branding on it. I feel sorry for Americans in that respect lol

Posted via CB10

Don't forget Canadians

[BlazorBoy]

Google Calendar? I don't give a crap. Means nothing to me and never has as an 8520/9900 user for five or so years. I use the BlackBerry calendar system for everything.

Ya follow?

How do you back up your calendar? Do you have a program that allows you to see, edit, and sync the calendar on a computer?