[ThatsAngel]

I don't remember all my precise Blackberry timelines, but I started with the 8700 in the summer of 2007 and upgraded to the 8800 shortly thereafter. Left for the iPhone 3G, but returned nine months later for the 9700. After nearly a year with the lessBold, I jumped to the bright & shiny, Android-powered Samsung Vibrant.

Now, I'm done sowing my wild phone oats. It's tiresome. I leave BlackBerry because I argue the devices are boring, but every "fun" device ends up annoying me.

So I'm saying goodbye to virtual keyboards, gaming phones, and multimedia hubs. I'm saying goodbye to fast-dying batteries, requiring my phone to charge all day. I'm done with Android's endless syncing that locks up my phone and drops my calls. And I've had it with wasting hours customizing my screens.

I'm thinking simple is good. (And I know that last complaint also applies to BB to some degree, but changing icon order isn't as daunting as arranging pages of useless apps.)

In short... Hi, guys.

UPDATE - June 16, 2011: After trouble with T-Mobile and their unwillingness to grandfather my unlimited loyalty plan for my switch from an Android to the Bold 9000 (explained here at #14), I've decided to switch carriers altogether and grab AT&T's service.

My Samsung Vibrant is now my girlfriend's media player/device, loaded with videos, movies, and pictures of me.

[rdiddy_25]

Knew you'd be back....

[ThatsAngel]

Feels good. I'm not doing anything impressive for my return. Locking into a used Bold 9000 for a few months until the 9900 is ready for me.

[fnguyen]

Feels good. I'm not doing anything impressive for my return. Locking into a used Bold 9000 for a few months until the 9900 is ready for me.

Welcome (back) to the club

[sterling_bandit]

Played that game too and soon realised I did not need 100 apps that constantly needed updates (iP3GS and iP4) gave them up and can't see myself using a pure touch screen device again, loving the torch. Nice iP4 is serving as a very classy paperweight for about 3 months now, actually I better check the battery still works in it lol.

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[papped]

Pretty sure I'm about to be behind you and will have the "fun" time of trying to resell my thunderbolt...

[dangerousfen]

Welcome back Amen. Back to reality yeah!

[sedalia066]

Welcome back. These stories are part of what keeps me with BB. I, too, do not need a shiny new toy with lots of apps or a virtual keyboard. I need a messaging machine with a physical keyboard. BB does the job very well and adds BBM to make my family life easier as we all have BB's now.

[Jake Storm]

Nice to have some sanity back

[techsamaritan]

Did the same thing, went from bb to ip3g to palm pre to htc hero to samsung moment to evo to evo shift now finally back to 9650 and realized I was running from the physical kb, which now reminds me of the golden BOLD 9000!!! Only thing now is to never be on a contract again so I can switch anytime my addiction calls for it! Don't mind being a little behind the latest phone, maybe I'll try something else till I can get a cheap 9930!

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[BergerKing]

And these threads and thoughts shared verify and solidify the reasons I stay with BlackBerry. It is already quite customized. I can shift to a more powerful model with a few keystrokes now. It backs itself up without my interference, and I no longer lose AutoText entries. I can restore my QL entries with a few clicks. I can tell I entered something without an audible click to tell me I actually did something.

Is it perfect? No. But something doesn't have to be the greatest to be good enough. It's close enough to perfect for me.

Welcome back to the Crack!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[sleepngbear]

And these threads and thoughts shared verify and solidify the reasons I stay with BlackBerry. It is already quite customized. I can shift to a more powerful model with a few keystrokes now. It backs itself up without my interference, and I no longer lose AutoText entries. I can restore my QL entries with a few clicks. I can tell I entered something without an audible click to tell me I actually did something.

Is it perfect? No. But something doesn't have to be the greatest to be good enough. It's close enough to perfect for me.

Welcome back to the Crack!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

My sentiments exactly. I look at other devices just to see what's out there, but I really have no intention of leaving BB, for all the reasons you stated. I don't need the extra stuff those higher-end devices do - in fact it all just gets in the way of what I do want to do. Thanks to folks like the OP for reaffirming that choice.

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[Economist101]

I don't need the extra stuff those higher-end devices do - in fact it all just gets in the way of what I do want to do.

But here's the question. Presumably, the next generation of BB devices will do the things "those higher-end devices do." Would you not purchase those units for fear that those features would interrupt your workflow? I could be wrong, but I get the sense that people use the BlackBerry because of the unique benefits it offers (BBM being a great example), not because it's missing something that other devices have.

[ThatsAngel]

Looks like my triumphant return is on hold for the moment, sadly. Called T-Mobile this morning to have my service books sent and my data plan switched from Android to Blackberry. They told me they can do it, but since their plans changed, it's going to cost me $10 more a month.

The long of it: I've been on the Unlimited Loyalty Plan forever. That's what you think it is with unlimited calling, text, and date. It's ran me about $103/month after taxes.

Switching to the Blackberry plan, they said would cost roughly $10/month more because unlimited text & data are no longer packaged together. To get both is to get them separately, thus the new pricing.

Now it's a matter of principle. Paying $10 isn't a problem for me. However, I called T-Mobile two months ago because I saw they had a new unlimited-everything plan for roughly $80/month. That was awesome, except it required a new two-year contract which I didn't want. (They said it was promotional.)

Either way, I'm stubborn. I can't see myself paying more for the internet when I planned to switch to a much less demanding device. The 9000 on T-Mobile is EDGE only. So when the 9900 releases, inevitably for AT&T first, I'm gone. And I appreciate the irony of that, given AT&T's pending T-Mobile purchase, but I said I was stubborn.

[sleepngbear]

But here's the question. Presumably, the next generation of BB devices will do the things "those higher-end devices do." Would you not purchase those units for fear that those features would interrupt your workflow? I could be wrong, but I get the sense that people use the BlackBerry because of the unique benefits it offers (BBM being a great example), not because it's missing something that other devices have.

Certainly a valid question. First, I don't use BBM, so that's not even part of the BB value proposition to me. As for new features getting in the way of anything, this is part of what I presume is taking so long to get OS7 out the door (combined with making as much of it reusable with QNX as possible). If it turns out that BB becomes cluttered to the point of inefficiency, I'd simply stick with an older OS6-driven device; but I don't see that happening.

Based on previous experiences, one of BB's biggest strengths is the intuitiveness and ease of use of the UI. That's one thing RIM does know how to do better than the rest - i.e., the way it does what it does over what it does - and it would indeed be disappointing if they were to abandon that strength for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses. I'd be very surprised to see OS7 come out and stumble all over itself because of new features and functionality.

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