[cayotic]

My BBM friends are slowly drifting away and getting androids. Started with my ex-GF, brother's GF, my best friend, and now my room mate. Pingchat is ok, but it doesn't have emoticons. Kik is awesome, but it doesn't allow users to have a profile pic and status.

So I shared my barcode online and now I get bombared with friend requests. Awesome; now I have use for BBM right? Wrong, most of these users just spam be with broadcast chainletters warning me that I'll lose my contacts if I don't forward a BC!

My room mate's HTC with google nav saved our asses in Portland, OR. because their roads are a mess down there. Gmaps wasn't much help on my unlocked torch using TMO's edge network. It failed when I needed it the most.

In search for a "turn by turn" nav app I found WAZE, which is really cool and interactive. Indicates your current speed and warns of police traps. You can even compete with friends for extra points accumulated through a scavenger hunt type game.

So I tell my room mate to get it for his HTC and its way better than the version for the Torch. I'm getting really frustrated with quality of apps for blackberry. I don't care about the quantity, or the fact that I have to pay premium prices for good apps, but when a better version is free on an android, then WTF am I doing clinging on to BBM? All my friends are leaving me anyways.

CB users, you are not obligated to talk me off the ledge, though I would do the same for you. Is there a secondary device that will satisfy my app cravings?

I read that I can bluetooth tether an iPad but that's too big for a my dashboard. I would like to use a tablet as an in car entertainment system and then use it to pass the time while at home/work instead of using my laptop. I want a touch device that makes you feel like you are really interacting with the device in an intimate manner.

The torch doesn't do it for me. Most of the time, she is reluctant to perform tasks in a timely fashion. I paid $400 for this unlocked paperweight, and I really want it to perform like a $400 device. And if not, use it in conjuntion with another $400 device so that I can drag on this dysfunctional relationship with RIM.

I've had a BB since 2007 but I doubt I could even consider the playbook because RIM has left a bad taste in my mouth. I have been with Tmobile since 1998 and I would like to remain loyal to them as well, but their smartphones seem to be the ones that other carriers rejected. Tmobile's HTC HD2 is a win mobile device, but I've read that I can put android 2.2 on it.

What should I do

[realcanuk]

I would suggest you get yourself a droid phone and after using it for a while you can decide what you like best. You may be suprised what you find.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[cayotic]

I agree but I'm so nervous about moving my data. I use memopad/password keeper more than anyone I know; bank info, recipes, todo list, dream journal, school notes, computer specs, you name it I have access to it.

Not to mention all the money wasted purchasing the iGrip, bedside dock, and holsters, which I would only have to acquire for a new phone. That's why I'm trying to cling onto my BB by purchasing another device that would subsidize my needs.

[papped]

If you prioritize voice gps (which seems like one of the main items you listed) then you might as well switch. Free voice turn by turn that doesn't suck never really existed until google nav was rolled out regardless of platform. If you want a good one and aren't willing to pay for it then it's pretty much a lost cause.

Other than that you aren't giving much specifics other than you want an "intimate experience" which I have no clue what that means and you want time killers.

Aka you picked the wrong platform. Justify the purchase for what? Sell your stuff and eat the loss.

I do more stuff on my BB than most of the people I know with droids or iphones. But the few reasons you listed are the main weakpoints and you didn't list wanting to do a SINGLE thing that BB does very well, so I have no idea why you chose this platform....

[papped]

Fyi BBM isn't the only communication method BB's have and you aren't forced to use it or force a reason to use it.

BB does other communication methods plenty well that are the same things you'd end up using on another platform...

[cayotic]

What BB does well for me:

On a fresh battery pull, I can multitask and text like a mofo. I can store additional info about contacts such as their router wifi code, wii code, 360 gamertag. And even rename those user defined entries. I love the autospell check. I can txt short hand but have my bb translate it into long hand. Like OMW to "On my way." I love the BBM hidden emoticons. I use them to convey an accurate depiction of my mood.

I love that berry weather sits in the background and I can glance at my wallpaper to see if its going to be nice enough to ride the bike to work, or if the slopes are going to get snow this weekend.

I love google latitude and seeing where my friends are, or how close they are without asking what their eta is. Not really a BB feature, but its something I rely heavily on.

Social feeds is ingenious. I actually post updates to myspace now. Since you can post a feed to all social network sites without having to copy paste.

I use excel to keep track of the miles I've ran and calories I've burned. As well as keeping track of our golf scores for the front nine and back nine. I naturally resort to my bb before I pick up a pen or pencil. I can only write with one hand, but I have two thumbs! so texting seems natural for capturing all types of info.

I love that quicklaunch allows me to jump into a text conversation using 3 character shortcuts for MOM, DAD, JOE. Or how I don't need a flashlight when QL has me covered. Need a screenshot of a map location? QL can do it also.

Maybe telling you what I use most will tell you what I use my bb for. My favorite third party apps are:
Quicklaunch
BerryWeather
CB wallpaper Pro
BerryBuzz
DriveSafe.ly
MileageMeter
Gmaps/Waze
Ebay

Favorite Native Apps:
BBM
Memopad
PasswordKeeper
Docs to go (not native but always preinstalled)


When I upgraded from my razor to the BB 8320, it was a very intimate experience. It felt as if I had found the device that did everything. I no longer needed to lug around a digital camera, ipod, psp, or palm pilot. Much like the first Matrix, my first BB was revolutionary, and along with the sequels to the movie and my BB, there was very little left to the imagination. Nothing that made my jaw drop.

Don't get me wrong, when I first got my torch, I was very excited, but that romance quickly faded as I saw how little it did by comparison. Much like final installment to the matrix trilogy. You already knew the plot, characters and storyline. So there just isn't any way to capture that initial butterfly feeling.

I'm trying to use analogies that describe how most veteran blackberry users may have felt in the past. And honestly, much like most relationships, there is a beginning and an end. I try to use apps to keep me interested in my phone. At the expense of reduced system performance apps no longer work to keep me satisfied with my phone.

Can anyone relate or do I just sound like 45 year old women going through menopause?

[67Tucker]

What BB does well for me:

On a fresh battery pull

This is Blackberry's problem, and this is where I stopped reading.

[papped]

Problem is you are just looking for some different.

Once you get used to your new platform and the honeymoon period wears off you are in the exact same boat. But i mean it's your $$.

[cayotic]

At the time, I choose this platform for wifi/uma capability. Contrary to popular belief, Tmobile doesn't have the best coverage but unlimited minutes over wifi is a no-brainer.

What can't I do with an android that a Blackberry does very well? I guess I will have to try one out for a month in order to make an educated decision.

[howarmat]

take the leap and get an android powered phone.

You can do everything you need and much more except for BBM. But gtalk is a very compatible replacement.

You will be able to find good and free app replacement for almost everything in no time.

Your contacts are covered as you can create whatever fields you would like on google or on the phone easily

widgets and multiple home screens make life simple and efficient.

Try one out and if you arent happy you have 30 days to return....but i highly doubt that will happen

[ratm68]

i guess for you..the grass will always be greener..

You're on tmobile, jump on the 4g bandwagon. why are you wasting your time and money on a torch that can't even use 3g on your network? It's like buying a Porche and only driving in residential 35mph zone..it still works..but really?

[cayotic]

Will do! I've narrowed down my search:

I would really prefer a physical keyboard, but most sliders are landscape so a touch keyboard will have to do. (Thanks to the torch for warming me up to the possibility.) As a college programmer and full time accountant, I love how BB has the 10key integrated into their qwerty. I hate using horizontal 10keys.

Unfortunately the HTC (HD2/HD7) and myTouch 4g don't have physical keyboards. The HD2 was released earlier this year and third party software is available to emulate android on this particular windows mobile device.

Why tmobile's HTC has windows when sprint's HTC has android baffles me. And I assume the reason sprint's android version has the front facing camera, where the windows based HTC does not, might be do to the OS limitation. Since EVO and myTouch have the hardware and software capable of using it tells me windows mobile is the reason HTC didn't add the hardware to the Tmobile version.

While windows mobile might be decent in the future, I'm not leaving RIM for another "currently limited" platform with potential. I need a phone that will evolve and prolong the "honeymoon experience."

Hence the benefits of emulating android on the htc. Its like having a modded xbox with XBMC running as a alternate dashboard; you can have two phones in one if you have a windows phone. And this is the reason I'm considering the HTC along side the myTouch.

I'll give it 30 days and report my findings. I have a feeling I may either appreciate my torch that much more. Only time will tell, thx again!

[cayotic]

Since posting this thread, I purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Mytouch 4g. with a 2 year contract it was $350 total and $40 a month for the tablet. I only lasted a week with the combination and here is what I determined.

Having an android tablet and phone is redundant. They both do the same thing. If I put an app on one I was inclined to install it on the other.

I didn't text very much because I found the task to be daunting. Where if I have a thought, I can send it off quickly to someone using my BB, but when I used android, I was more inclined to call them or just tell them later, if I remembered.

Voice to text was nice but the entire process still takes more time than it takes me to compose and send a message on my torch. Even if the thinking cursor is hampering me. Swype is nice on paper, but its still one finger vs two thumbs. And even then, I find myself second guessing the location of a letter or not knowing if my finger was on a letter, since I cant see through my finger. There is no replacing the tactile response of a physical qwerty keyboard.

The native youtube app wouldn't let me send a video from the mytouch; it said the file exceeded 1gb even though it was 250mb. I have never had this issue with my torch which is a deal breaker.

No native memopad: I use memopad for journal entries, todo, wish list, bills, lyrics, recipes, instructions, you name it. Android sticky notes will not work for me.

No personal dictionary for word replacement. Best example is contractions; I had to type "I will" or I "apostrophe" ll. Where typing BB with my torch will autocorrect to blackberry, jc=just curious, np=no problem, omw=on my way. Again, huge deal breaker.

There are no real android themes that change the interaction of the user and phone. All you can do is move around icons and widgets atop a beautiful live wallpaper on numerous homepages. I love BB themes for my torch. After spending a day optimizing it, its as if you are interactive with an entirely new device. Which is very inexpensive alternative for those that have an insatiable appetite for acquiring new devices.

I also love how OS6 has the calendar and notes available during a phone call. This way I don't have to take any attention away from the caller while trying to add a calendar entry or dictate what they are conveying to me. This is not available in android, you have to navigate to these applications.

I'm surprised that there wasn't an emoticon button on the android that you can use to insert a quick wink or smile. Texting with the torch feels as if you are communicating with a bbm user.

Overall it just takes longer to communicate with others in my social/professional circles. Word replacements such as "Sig" for signature save so much time to respond to common questions like, "whats your address." I did decide to keep the android tablet to do the very few things that my torch can not do, such as entertain me. Even though the battery life of all android devices are terrible, keeping the tablet has allowed me to free up entertainment apps on my bb. Over the years as a BB user, I've noticed that my phones seem to function a little less efficient after installing each third party app. So I will use my torch for what it does well and my tablet for the rest.

My conclusion is that Blackberry is an extension of the brain, and the android is an extension of the soul.




On a side note, my favorite torch themes are

HTC FC - Clean accessible; HTC theme made me buy an android, but it performs better than the EVO. Made me start using universal search again, and not use quick launch as much.

Brisk - professional informative; limited app access, quicklaunch is a must have

Slate - Customizable informative accessible, made me start using my brisk theme instead.

[Rickroller]

Glad to see you gave it an attempt and your preference for the Torch is completely understandable..different strokes for different folk's. Just wanted to post a few side notes to some of your "complaints". While you may not have had a native memo pad..there are many free ones that work quite well available in the app market. As for the auto text dictionary..this is one of the nice things with Android..if you don't like the native virtual keyboard..there are many others available that you can pick and choose to what suit you best. For example I run Smart Keyboard because it allows you to define your own custom auto text entries much like BB's..u=you, omw= on my way etc..just because something doesn't come "native" on your phone doesn't mean its not available. As for themes..yes..there are no "themes"..because EVERYTHING is able to be user customized..you just have to put in the work to do it. Want a different phone icon only? Done. Want a completely different look and feel for the phone? Done..but like I said..you just have to be the one to put in the time and effort to do it. A quick look at the Post Your Screenshot section in the Android sub forums will show you all the different looks available.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[espen]

Have the HD2 (also running Android), iPhone, xperia X10 and BB Torch.
Even without a dataplan (regular cellular network) I stick with the BB Torch. The app-stores does nothing for me. Apps are fun to download and try out, but at the end of the day, the built-in apps are enough for my daily usage of the phone.
The BB Torch with google sync and gmail (including calendar sync) is pretty good, and to me much better than the Android/iPhone/Winmo builtin versions.

I just love the keyboard/touchscreen combo, and the phone is small and nice in the pocket. Reception is much better than iPhone and HD2 too. The only thing I'm missing on the BB Torch (and iPhone) is a built-in FM radio.

Thanx for the Waze tip! Installed, and will test it pronto..

[moiselles]

I love MemoPad as well, use it for everything! Glad you tried something new and were able to decide what is best for you. I adore my Torch, have no issues with it and wouldn't dream of switching.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[kbz1960]

i guess for you..the grass will always be greener..

You're on tmobile, jump on the 4g bandwagon. why are you wasting your time and money on a torch that can't even use 3g on your network? It's like buying a Porche and only driving in residential 35mph zone..it still works..but really?

Exactly! You have the wrong phone for your network. Why do people continue to do this? I guess you like the phone but if the phone doesn't work/work well with your carrier why bother unless 2g doesn't bother you at all.

[Pilot Prop]

So I tell my room mate to get it for his HTC and its way better than the version for the Torch. I'm getting really frustrated with quality of apps for blackberry. I don't care about the quantity, or the fact that I have to pay premium prices for good apps, but when a better version is free on an android, then WTF am I doing clinging on to BBM? All my friends are leaving me anyways.
:

I'm curious as to what exactly does BBM have to do with the navigation app Waze....but also I would like to say that maybe you should just give a test run to another device...maybe an Android device.