My rant about BB 6.0 vs. Android

I am not the type of person to get angry about certain things - and I surely am not the type of person to throw up his hands and to anyone let alone a company/organization... but you know what, my gloves are off.

Saturday (June 5), I went over to T-Mobile and purchased a new phone for the wife. She had a Blackberry 8100, yes I said 8100! She had it for like 5 years, ran great, but of course it was outdated. It took me 5 minutes to write 'Hey." in a text message.

My wife was looking for a new phone so like anyone would do we went over to tmobile.com and looked at the phones they had. I told her, "GET THE 9700!!!". I have a 8900 and I truely love it. She really liked her 8100, but she needed a new phone. Then I noticed the 3g Slide (The new MyTouch) and I said, "Yo toots, buy this phone." She didn't hesitate, and I didn't hesitate to drop 450 on it (SMACK).

So I drove over to the T-Mo store and gave this woman a sale. I didn't touch the phone, didn't even look at the display. I said I want the Blk Slide with the even more plus plan. I was in and out in 15 minutes.

We get the phone home, charge it, and then let the fun begin. The Android 2.1 OS is AMAZING! The widgets, the 7 screens you can have, the apps, the flexibility of the touch screen, and the great slide up keyboard.

So here is my rant. Blackberry, excuse me - RIM, is so excited about OS6, but seriously, what changed? OMG THE MEDIA PLAYER CHANGED! WHO GIVES A FLYING BEEEEEEP. No - seriously, what is SO different between OS 5 and OS6. The icons - Check. The screens - check. The ugly ClamShell Phone and the OK looking slider - Check.....

There are some really good developers on this forums who have created identical OS6 themes. So I repeat, what changed? How about step it up, how about widgets, how about removing the use of theme builder and giving the user the ability to customize the ENTIRE experience of their phone directly on the phone. Blackberry has been out way longer than Android and they still come short.

I have come to this conclusion. Android is competing again iPhone. Blackberry is competing against Palm. Why? Android and iPhone have the apps, the same feel (touch screen feel), and the overall look. I still believe Android is better than iPhone. Palm and Blackberry are in the same boat because they are for the Business Man.... However, Palm's OS is so much better than OS6. Sigh.

You SHOULD NOT skip an entire OS serious when someone can create the OS in Composer 5.0! A NEW OS, (6.0) should be coming out when NO ONE, not me, not you, not Elecite, can create a look a like.

GET WITH THE PROGRAM RIM!

My final thoughts - if RIM does not change their ways, Android here I come... OK I am done crying, but please let me know what you think?

Seriously. I know that everyone here is always like, "Leave then."

I got hold of a iPhone 3g for a few days, and I'm carrying that around more than my 9700, and it doesn't even have a SIM.

Originally Posted by curveoncracke

Seriously. I know that everyone here is always like, "Leave then."

I got hold of a iPhone 3g for a few days, and I'm carrying that around more than my 9700, and it doesn't even have a SIM.

People can say whatever they want. But heres the thing, I left my Treo 650 for a Curve 8320. When that dropped in water I got a 8900. I wouldn't go back to Palm.

I honestly wouldnt go to Android since I just spent 450 on a phone and I still want to see what os6 has in store, but I am just saying... why can't they realize they are doing it *** backwards?

The CEO stood there and said how RIM is growing as a company... LMFAO. Seriously? Growing? By releasing the same friggin phone over and over again.

Clamshell is an oversized Pearl Flip (iPod to iPad!). The Slider should be a horizontal slider... whcih also backs me up when says they are trying to compete with Palm. Sorry to tell you RIM, Palm's PRE IS SOOOO MUCH BETTER than your friggin Slider.

I can speak for all of us here, even for the ones who are too afraid to stand up, that RIM really has NO CLUE about INNOVATION and its entire future depends on it!

LOL, since you asked...

I think there are about 100 too many of these threads already. :p

I also think that Android is pretty nifty, but 2.1 has plenty of bugs and shortcomings. Since I obviously haven't seen BB OS6, I can't say for sure, but I suspect it will bring BB on a similar level with Android 2.1, based on what we've seen (keep in mind we've only seen early builds so far). Sure, it will have some shortcomings in comparison, but it will also have some advantages. It will probably more or less even out. However, friend of mine is running Android 2.2 on his Nexus 1 and it's just plain amazing. It still is missing a few things that BB already has, but overall it just kills what we have now and I honestly think it's going to be hard to beat overall. I can tell you now that what I saw of Android 2.2 on his N1 was better than any mobile OS I've ever seen.

Ultimately though, it comes down to what the user needs and expects. For me the BB OS is great the way it is with the exception of the browser and some other small things. I like that RIM is improving it, but not revolutionizing it. I know a lot of people would disagree with that, but even more people would agree and be really upset if RIM completely changed their OS. RIM is between a rock and a hard place right now because they need to please their die hard fans and the noobs that come along expecting the latest and greatest gee whiz things. Apple and Android have it easy because they are both relatively new. That means there were no expectations to begin with and their OS was pretty fresh from the beginning. They don't have any 4 or 5 or more year customers to pizz off, and as you see their OS's now are just revolutionary anyway since their original versions. I'd say in another few years they will be in the same position as RIM; unable to make drastic changes because of their core user group, but needing to satisfy the noobs too.

Anyway, while I agree that RIM needs to make some changes, I also understand why they need to tread lightly. I honestly think your "f you RIM" is way too harsh. Just because you don't like what they're doing doesn't mean others don't either. If you're happy with Android then that's great...enjoy it and go on your merry way. Personally I'm not loyal to any company and I've been watching what all the manufacturers are doing, but for now the BB is still the best fit for my needs. If something else comes out that I think will fit better then I will quietly move along and give it a try.

The one thing I love about the Android is def. the internet. From what I have read and saw, the new BB's will have the same/overall look. My bbthemelab.com pulls up amazing on the Android but comes short on my BB. I can play flash games on the Android, not on the BB...which is something BB will add.

My F you ro RIM isn't because they aren't Android, and it's not because they are coming out with a better OS than Android, the F you comes from the CEO standing there and saying that the OS is far superior than OS5.

Like I said, if a theme developer can create a look a like, and come VERY close to the new OS, then guess what, don't call it OS 6, call it OS 5.5 if anything.

If the CEO was standing in front of me from BB, I probably wouldn't say F U to his face, its rude, wrong, and very immature. But thats why I can rant here and he wont see it. :)


I will be upgrade this phone (MyTouch Slide) to Android 2.2 when it comes out. T-mo annouced they plan on releasing it.

I am just looking for other's opinions. I didn't even look for threads like this... :) Hey, at least im honest!

The themes are nice, but really that's just the home screen and they do slow things down a bit. I think there's going to be a lot more new going on in the background of OS 6 that we don't yet know about, plus I think we'll see more later as it gets closer to release. But, there are still some things that RIM is being stubborn on that need to be remedied. Things like truncated email and the inability to store and run applications from outside the puny RAM memory they give us. I understand the whole security issue with having apps on the removeable memory, but THERE'S NO F'ING EXCUSE FOR NOT ALLOWING THEM ON THE DEVICE MEMORY THAT IS NOT USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE! THere. I used an "f" and I yelled! I feel so much better!

Again, I think Android is going to be the OS to chase once 2.2 comes out, but BB OS6 probably won't be THAT far behind, at least not in terms of the expectations of most of RIM's client base.

I'm really looking forward to upcoming hardware running Android, most notably the Samsung Galaxy S. If that does what I need then I may go there, though I'll most likely wait for LTE before I upgrade again. Hardware has been one of the largest sticking points for me with Android...I haven't been blown away by the HTC offerings (not enough anyway), and I've had too many problems with Motorola in the past, so I'm afraid to go down that road. I didn't like the Moto Droid anyway...

I feel that OS 6 has a lot of new tweaks that people are not giving RIM credit for.
I still have OS 4.5, and I can pretty much do much the same thing that someone can do running OS 5. I've downloaded an OS 5 theme, so that took care of the look for me. The only thing I don't have is threaded SMS.

If people wanted a totally different OS than the one that's on their phone, then I feel they should get a new phone running a different platform. I feel confident in knowing that if I upgraded to a new BlackBerry, I can be up and running in no time.

Most people don't have time to dig deep into all what a phone has to offer. When I go into the stores to play with the phones, there are numerous people in the store and hardly anyone is messing with the Droids. I can sit there for 30 minutes at a time or longer, and no one comes along asking if they could try it out. Everyone is over by the BlackBerry phones, or other dumbphones.

BlackBerry has added new features like the trackpad and Wifi. Just the other day I heard a salesman telling someone who wanted a BlackBerry what kind of features it has. He mentioned Wifi. The person asked..."What's Wifi?"
Now...everyone in this forum can tell you what that is, yet most people you see walking around with these type of phones are clueless, yet they love their phone.
That goes to show you that there's a very small percentage of us who want more from RIM. Everyone else could careless. As long as they can navigate with ease, make phone calls, text, Email, take a few pictures, and use a few apps....they're fine.
It's funny how I see more BlackBerry phones than any other phone when I'm out in public.

And yet another poster completely misses the point. Am I surprised? Go on, someone ask me. Come on, please??

@b15ginz

You think you can express yourself without being profane?

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Originally Posted by cdf3

He mentioned Wifi. The person asked..."What's Wifi?"
Now...everyone in this forum can tell you what that is, yet most people you see walking around with these type of phones are clueless, yet they love their phone.

That goes to show you that there's a very small percentage of us who want more from RIM. Everyone else could careless. As long as they can navigate with ease, make phone calls, text, Email, take a few pictures, and use a few apps....they're fine.
It's funny how I see more BlackBerry phones than any other phone when I'm out in public.

No offence, but how old was this person? What would happen if the salesmen said wireless internet rather than wifi? My mother in law is doesn't know much about phones, computers, etc, and if I told her it had Wifi she would be like...uhhhh WHAT?! If I said wireless internet she would be like OH GREAT I can now send email back and froth when I am in star bucks..blah blah blah.

I think you see more Blackberry's because, well you said it, the ease of the phone. The Blackberry is way easier to navigate than the Android, Palm, iPhone, etc. So yes, I agree, more Blackberry's out in the public eye...

BUT - your still missing the point. My rant is not that there is or isn't wifi, or if there are more Blackberries.... my rant is why create a new OS when your not doing anything that special with it?

Revamp the 'ENTIRE' thing and start listening to the people who use the things. If the CEO spent a week on Crackberry reading through this, OS6 would have widgets, would have 1ghz, would have a lot of ram, and SURELY IT WOULD NOT debut on a CLAM SHELL!

Originally Posted by amazinglygraceless

@b15ginz

You think you can express yourself without being profane?

My apologies... Told ya it was a rant! :) I will tone it down.

Originally Posted by b15ginz

My apologies... Told ya it was a rant! :) I will tone it down.

Much appreciated. Carry on :)

Can we please while we're at it develop a ranting section or something? These threads do wear on us who wanna know what's latest or some new trick to using a BB.

If you wanted to know the latest news on the BB, wouldn't you be looking in the BlackBerry News & Rumors forums rather than the BlackBerry Discussion? Just a thought.

Keep in mind that having a 1 ghz processor could in fact decrease battery life. I'm not 100% sure of that, but who knows. Most of us hardcore users wouldn't mind charging our phone in the middle of the day if it had a super fast processor. At the same time, there are many that would gripe about it.
Widgets are nice and all, along with the 7 screens that the Droid has. To me it's basically a shortcut to get to the applications and the things you use most. Since I've downloaded QuickLaunch on my BlackBerry, I can get to practically any application or file within a split second. It may mot look and operate as fnacy as pinch zooming the home screens, but it gets the job done very efficiently.
Yahoo made an application for BlackBerry that had widgets and such. It flopped. Therefore widgets don't appeal to everyone.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Originally Posted by cdf3

Keep in mind that having a 1 ghz processor could in fact decrease battery life. I'm not 100% sure of that, but who knows. Most of us hardcore users wouldn't mind charging our phone in the middle of the day if it had a super fast processor. At the same time, there are many that would gripe about it.
Widgets are nice and all, along with the 7 screens that the Droid has. To me it's basically a shortcut to get to the applications and the things you use most. Since I've downloaded QuickLaunch on my BlackBerry, I can get to practically any application or file within a split second. It may mot look and operate as fnacy as pinch zooming the home screens, but it gets the job done very efficiently.
Yahoo made an application for BlackBerry that had widgets and such. It flopped. Therefore widgets don't appeal to everyone.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Well, it may take up more battery, but the engineers can also take some time and find a way to include a fatter battery.

Sorry, but QuickLaunch is NOTHING like the widget.
Example:

Twitter widget updates. Just like you were on the website from your PC.
Facebook widget updates. Same as above
There is a widget you can use that will update every social networking you belong to
Email widgets updates. Same as above. On the fly!
Search widget sucks hardcore > BB6 looks a lot better! :THUMBS UP:
You can download widgets for just about everything, add widgets, remove widgets, move them around.. like I said, the you customize your home screen(s) the way you want it. It is simply amazing.


I may find the widgets more usful for the line of 'work' I do. I would love to update everything on the fly without having to find my twitter icon, or facebook icon. I would be able to read peoples twitter updates/facebook updates from my home screen..... Quick Launch may bring you there, but it surely is NOTHING like a widget.

Originally Posted by MisterObvious

Can we please while we're at it develop a ranting section or something? These threads do wear on us who wanna know what's latest or some new trick to using a BB.

No one forces you to read em. Clearly the title alone would have been a flag to skip over it, rather then reading...then leaving a comment, which of course only bumped the thread higher up anyways.

Originally Posted by b15ginz

So here is my rant. Blackberry, excuse me - RIM, is so excited about OS6, but seriously, what changed? OMG THE MEDIA PLAYER CHANGED! WHO GIVES A FLYING BEEEEEEP. No - seriously, what is SO different between OS 5 and OS6. The icons - Check. The screens - check. The ugly ClamShell Phone and the OK looking slider - Check.....

Uum...a brand new webkit-based browser? An OS that also takes advantage of said webkit technology? Conveniences like pinch zooming? Pop-up menus? Universal search bar? Seriously, have you seen any of the videos or read any of the info before getting all worked up?

Widgets, let me ask you this, how many of you use widgets on your pc? I took them all off on my windows laptop as they slowed it down and they were a battery drain.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Originally Posted by b15ginz

Well, it may take up more battery, but the engineers can also take some time and find a way to include a fatter battery.

Sorry, but QuickLaunch is NOTHING like the widget.
Example:

Twitter widget updates. Just like you were on the website from your PC.
Facebook widget updates. Same as above
There is a widget you can use that will update every social networking you belong to
Email widgets updates. Same as above. On the fly!
Search widget sucks hardcore > BB6 looks a lot better! :THUMBS UP:
You can download widgets for just about everything, add widgets, remove widgets, move them around.. like I said, the you customize your home screen(s) the way you want it. It is simply amazing.


I may find the widgets more usful for the line of 'work' I do. I would love to update everything on the fly without having to find my twitter icon, or facebook icon. I would be able to read peoples twitter updates/facebook updates from my home screen..... Quick Launch may bring you there, but it surely is NOTHING like a widget.

Was thinking that widgets are nice to have, but not necessary to have.. And i think the way widgets work, like you said previously, constantly updating things.. Don't you think it'll consume quite some battery power?

No offence, but if you only need widgets.. why do you have to rant all the way about BB's OS6?

You rant that the OS is outdated and so on and so on.. Why don't you at least make a list of what features you think need to be included on OS6?

And.. if you are really2 that desperate.. I think you can try send that list to RIM.. If many people ask for the same features, they'll probably consider it..

Just my 2 cents.

I really do fail to see the benefits of widgets other then let's say weather. Let me explain.
I am assuming that the facebook/twitter/news widget can only show 1-4 updates each maximum. I consider myself to be a low user of facebook and I only use twitter for local news updates and some blackberry updates. I still get quite a few updates every hour so unless you're constantly looking at the screen you will be missing some updates as the widget will only show the last few ones. So you'll still have to go in the facebook app or the twitter app to read the rest of them. So what's the point then, would it not be better for if your device shows the number of updates you have for each and then you can choose to open the app or not?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Originally Posted by cdf3

Keep in mind that having a 1 ghz processor could in fact decrease battery life. I'm not 100% sure of that, but who knows. Most of us hardcore users wouldn't mind charging our phone in the middle of the day if it had a super fast processor. At the same time, there are many that would gripe about it.
Widgets are nice and all, along with the 7 screens that the Droid has. To me it's basically a shortcut to get to the applications and the things you use most. Since I've downloaded QuickLaunch on my BlackBerry, I can get to practically any application or file within a split second. It may mot look and operate as fnacy as pinch zooming the home screens, but it gets the job done very efficiently.
Yahoo made an application for BlackBerry that had widgets and such. It flopped. Therefore widgets don't appeal to everyone.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

A faster processor could indeed reduce battery life, but keep in mind that new processors can be coupled with new architecture. The new iPhone 4 can selectively switch off some of its components, and has a better life than older iPhones despite being faster.

Originally Posted by MisterObvious

Can we please while we're at it develop a ranting section or something? These threads do wear on us who wanna know what's latest or some new trick to using a BB.

from the looks of it lately, it would be the busiest section on these boards!

Originally Posted by b15ginz

You SHOULD NOT skip an entire OS serious when someone can create the OS in Composer 5.0!

I'm posting this without having read any posts other than the original. So I apologize if this has already been said ;)

Seriously b15ginz, it's a LOOK-A-LIKE. You said it yourself. It sounds like you think these theme devs recreated OS6 hahaha.

I have to admit RIM is kinda stubborn it seems but I haven't really any complaints of the 8330 and yeah I know it considered old and out dated already.I too am giving the android a chance just ordered the incredible a few days ago.I am still keeping my 8330 in use just added a line for the android .So I am gunno be netural in the android/blackberry conflict ,lol :p