My Year Long BlackBerry Switch Project
- IMHO, the next gen of bb os is not out yet on rim phones, playbook yes unless bbx is going to be different from qnx on playbook, until rim locks in an os based on qnx or whatever the heck bbx is, that runs it's phones and tablets, I'd wait. There is just way too much going on as well as not going.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com10-27-11 09:30 PMLike 0 - I wrote some more tonight, a new post tonight and schedule a few more for the coming days. I appreciate ALL the feedback folks, everything that has been said here has provided a spark or an idea for me to write about.
Feel free to comment if you like, I have it all set to moderate before posting, I had no idea how much spam would come about from this. I had to delete over 100 comments from spam bots. I'll figure out a solution for that this weekend.
I'm also glad nobody has said what a terrible writer I am. I spent a good part of my life doing technical documentation so I am trying very hard not be bland and dull.10-27-11 11:41 PMLike 0 - I think you'll enjoy the experiment.
I travel quite a bit for work and now the only gadgets I carry is the 9900/PlayBook combo. I haven't taken the laptop on the road for a while now and the GPS and dedicated camera also stay at home. I haven't missed any "functionality" and think I've found the best combo available today.jeffcrn likes this.10-27-11 11:59 PMLike 1 - This is an interesting idea maybe you can use this time to learn to make apps for BlackBerry/BBX as well.
I do agree though that you might want to consider a PC - maybe a $200 netbook? (Cheaper than new phones lol). I'm a linux fan myself, but for all the advantages of linux, I just cannot do BlackBerry stuff without a true windows setup (not even virtualbox is good enough really imo).
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com10-28-11 12:55 AMLike 2 - Ah I look forward to what you write about! Its quite an interesting take on the "Day in the life of". I switched from a bold 9650 to a iP4 and ipad2 for ~4 months before switching back to blackberry. iOS is a great platform and their devices were pretty great. But I didn't like having to get an app for everything or how bare the messaging was. So now I'm back on BB with a 9930/Playbook combo. I'm picking up my playbook this weekend from my parents house where it got shipped to by accident but I'm looking forward to comparing how well they work together like the iP4/ipad2 combo.jeffcrn likes this.10-28-11 01:04 AMLike 1
- From a Mac user, Blackberry 9780 and Playbook user.
I'd second DM on Mac is always lagging behind. Right now, the latest build is messing up my PB music sync, it doesn't seem to remember which playlist I synced anymore and goes on resyncing everything, which in my case is taking 3-4 hours. Now this is the second 3-4hours I have to keep this thing hooked to sync with that crap. Funny, previous DM build worked fine.
And the occasional need for windows if you play around with OS's a lot. I dislike Windows as well and stay away from it as much as possible.
Other than that, the Wifi transfers depends on your wifi signal, hmm and it should be fine plugging in your blackberry devices with Macs. So long you use wireless sync for the contacts, and calendar, you can have identically wirelessly synced Address Book and iCal. Not so much on the Notes and tasks department though, thats where I use Evernote and Conqu, again wireless, I don't think anyone likes plugging cables to sync. Note on the last two, Evernote on BB and PB is pretty crap, I rely mostly on my Mac to keep things tracked and organized, Conqu doesn't offer an app for the BB and i think is waiting for BBX, but offers Conqu Mobile(paid). I still use the native Notes app on BB but for temporary quick storage only, then I port it to Evernote or where it belongs.
One last note as you make the switch, you'd want to stick with 3rd party offers that are cross-platform, they require some setup but most of them is easy to setup, always look for that. It's future proof incase you switch to another ecosystem. Like Gmail for contacts and calendar, Evernote for notes, Conqu for tasks, etc.
Goodluck.jeffcrn likes this.10-28-11 02:00 AMLike 1 - @Skateman1972
Also on the comment about iTunes, I know it is junk on the Windows platform, but on a Mac it's a whole different story. On top of that EVERY file I have encoded for iTunes plays perfectly on my PlayBook and my Bold. I won't even bother to get into the scripting and automation that are possible with the Mac.
I'd also like to mention that honestly, I have found a suitable replacement for almost every app I want, the exception being some Mac programs that had iOS syncing mobile versions, but that was to be expected and I knew that would be a challenge to overcome. In fact, i have gained functionality in a lot of areas (BeBuzz alone and the notification LED are one of my favorite show off items.)
Anyway, same here, I have never really needed to re-encode any song/video unless it's an mkv that has unsupported audio. Which I use MP4 Tools for. It just repackages mkv's, or re-encodes the audio if necessary. takes a fraction of the time from traditional re-encoding. And it's confirmed that OS2 on the PB will support mkv containers. Maybe by Feb it will also support the Dolby channels.
PM me and we can share tips and techniques .jeffcrn likes this.10-28-11 02:08 AMLike 1 - " DM for Mac does not provide the same functionality as DM for Windows. You probably will need to use Windows for maintaining your BlackBerry, especially for OS upgrades. "
Disagree. Running mac and have "maintained" 3 BBs all with successive recovery from "bricking". I've had more success recovering other peoples phones on my mac than on their windows computers. It might be down to how you run the commander or the DM.jeffcrn likes this.10-28-11 02:42 AMLike 1 - Its great what you are doing. I am sure you will have the support of Crackberry behind you.
Can you describe a little how your daily usage of the devices are like? Like are you a heavy texter and travel a lot.
Thanks for doing this and good luck abstaining from the gadget pron.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com10-28-11 07:18 AMLike 0 - I'm am the designated IT admin for a small manufacturing company as well as the Business Manager among other titles. I wear a lot of hats as does most of the folks who work in small to medium sized businesses. I travel, but not great distances; when doing bids or looking at potential work and dealing with vendors and subcontractors. I'm a heavy email user and texter both personal and business and I have to be able to open attachments that contain PO's or Blueprints. I also am responsible for scheduling and managing projects and resources so I have to keep on top of that as well.
In short I have to be very versatility and communication are my highest priorities at work.
At home I surf, play a game or two, keep track of all the animals we have (things like shearing dates, feeding, vet visits, and other specifics.) I help my wife sell her crafts on Etsy and Artfire. I have a charity scholarship my wife and I started in her mother's memory and projects for church. I'm also a HAM radio fan and love spending time in the wilderness we have here in Idaho.10-28-11 07:52 AMLike 0 - I too find this an interesting thread. I'm in much the same situation. I manage a field based sales team and we have transitioned to having all of them use company owned BlackBerry phones and Playbooks.
Our use is heavy email, some texting(BBM), and a high number of phone calls. I added the playbook to their mix for several reasons, primarily because we do a fair amount of work with spreadsheets and that is much easier to navigate and use with the PB. This means they seldom have to lug their massive laptops out of the office. We also use BBM to communicate among ourselves on a regular basis, avoiding having to have a text messaging plan for our BBs.
From a personal standpoint, I am in much the same situation. Recently I carried my work blackberry and PB, but also a personal Android phone and an iPad. I am in the process removing the Android from my family's personal plan and just use my Bold 9930. I use the PB for all work related items, but have not transitioned 100% away from the iPad yet for personal web browsing.
I'll be interested to read more how the transition goes for you.jeffcrn likes this.10-28-11 08:28 AMLike 1 -
Have you thought about splitting it up into quarters? You could go BB, Apple, Android and Windows Phone. 1 for each 4 months.
Good luck either wayjeffcrn likes this.10-28-11 08:35 AMLike 1 - I would be willing to try other devices in the future, I wouldn't want to spend the cash to do it just for kick, I'm just too practical for that. I have had some contact with a few folks at RIM and I'm hoping to get a little support, but I have not heard back from them yet. This isn't a gimmick for me to try and get free products, but for sure I would spend time reviewing and promoting something if I was given the opportunity to do so.
I'm still transitioning, I'm going to pick up a Torch 9850 when it comes to AT&T or maybe sooner if I can pull the right strings. This time of year money is a little tight getting ready for winter. I just spent 2 grand on Hay alone this month.10-28-11 08:51 AMLike 0 - If I had to put a fanboy label on me, it would probably be an Apple fanboy because I'ma Mac user and I'm entrenched in the Mac/Apple ecosystem. I broke free to a degree when I got rid of my iPhone 4 and went Android for a few months recently, but my work phone has always been a Blackberry.
So what do you guys think, is this even slightly interesting or am I just being a nut job? I'd appreciate any feedback, especially if you have a topic you would like to see covered or an idea or two. The link to my Blog is in my sig and thanks for taking the time to read my rant.
What I really don't understand is why an self described "Apple fanboy" would chose a Playbook over an iPad or a 9860 over an iPhone 4s (or 4 or 3gs for that matter). The only reason I can see for buying either device is a blind loyalty to RIM.
I actually just went the other way. I already had an iPad (my first non-iPod Apple purchase) and a Mac and I somewhat relucantly decided that (touch screen keyboard aside), the iPhone was just a better device with a better eco system that would fit in seamlessly with my other personal tech gear. Had AT&T started selling the 9900 when everyone else did I would have probably bought it though because that keyboard is awesome.10-28-11 08:54 AMLike 0 - I think you are a bit of a nut job honestly. I like the 9900 and would probably have bought one if they had been available on AT&T. I can even see why some might like the 9810 (not me though).
What I really don't understand is why an self described "Apple fanboy" would chose a Playbook over an iPad or a 9860 over an iPhone 4s (or 4 or 3gs for that matter). The only reason I can see for buying either device is a blind loyalty to RIM.
And it's not even a matter of blind loyalty. It's just the fact that the dude likes tech, and he likes to write. Nothing else.10-28-11 09:14 AMLike 0 - you mentioned that you like playing with the latest devices, so if you go all RIM next year it will be easy on you as they will not come out with anything new. Yes, I've said it! QNX phones will not be launched next year because that's how RIM operates: all talk and no act.
Love my 9930 but look at how long it took them to make a decent device!10-28-11 10:04 AMLike 0 - I think you are a bit of a nut job honestly. I like the 9900 and would probably have bought one if they had been available on AT&T. I can even see why some might like the 9810 (not me though).
What I really don't understand is why an self described "Apple fanboy" would chose a Playbook over an iPad or a 9860 over an iPhone 4s (or 4 or 3gs for that matter). The only reason I can see for buying either device is a blind loyalty to RIM.
I actually just went the other way. I already had an iPad (my first non-iPod Apple purchase) and a Mac and I somewhat relucantly decided that (touch screen keyboard aside), the iPhone was just a better device with a better eco system that would fit in seamlessly with my other personal tech gear. Had AT&T started selling the 9900 when everyone else did I would have probably bought it though because that keyboard is awesome.
Either way I made my choice and part of that choice was to go in a different direction despite what people like you had to say and make up my own mind and chronicle the experience. I hope you enjoy your iPhone 4s, from what I read it is a very nice device. My iPhone 4, 3gs and 3g were all good devices too, I've just moved on to something different and I'm enjoying the change.10-28-11 10:20 AMLike 0 - you mentioned that you like playing with the latest devices, so if you go all RIM next year it will be easy on you as they will not come out with anything new. Yes, I've said it! QNX phones will not be launched next year because that's how RIM operates: all talk and no act.
Love my 9930 but look at how long it took them to make a decent device!
Everyone is entitled to their opinion though and I respect yours, we'll see what happens in the next year. The whole point of the year was to start from what some argue is the worst point in RIM's history, and see how things develop and change in the next 12 months.Michelle Haag and kbz1960 like this.10-28-11 10:28 AMLike 2 -
You didn't expect to run into RIM fanboys on the biggest BB Fan site on the internet?
Like you said "Stupid ****". I think you fall in that category.
When you come to a BB fan site and start hating on BB there will be many arguments. But you already knew that.10-28-11 10:40 AMLike 2 - Wow, what?
You didn't expect to run into RIM fanboys on the biggest BB Fan site on the internet?
Like you said "Stupid ****". I think you fall in that category.
When you come to a BB fan site and start hating on BB there will be many arguments. But you already knew that.
Thanks again for all the comments, I looked at my site traffic this morning and the difference in a week is off the charts. I'm going to need a better host soon if it keeps up!10-28-11 10:48 AMLike 0 - I said in my original post that "if I had to put a fanboy label on me" I did not say that what I was. I'm a Mac user because it's the best platform for the nature of my personal and work related computing needs. I'm sure you'll be happy with your iPhone 4s, it's a great device for many people. What turned my off from iOS in recent times was all the great "integration" was becoming a pain in the ****. MobileMe is free now, I'm sure that will cause issue with all the new signups, I could not merge my original AppleID from the start of iTunes with my MobileMe account - so I had to maintain two Apple ID's. When Apple put the MobileMe Calendar in the cloud it caused havoc with several programs I had been using for years. Twice my address book got deleted for no apparent reason. And frankly I got tired of having my home screen on my phone be just a tray full of icons and I did not like the notification system and lack of customization.
Either way I made my choice and part of that choice was to go in a different direction despite what people like you had to say and make up my own mind and chronicle the experience. I hope you enjoy your iPhone 4s, from what I read it is a very nice device. My iPhone 4, 3gs and 3g were all good devices too, I've just moved on to something different and I'm enjoying the change.
While you were struggling with MobileMe I was trying to get my BB to sync reliably to the google cloud. I wasn't particularly impressed with how well my BB worked with Google compared to how well my iPad did (via EAS). That said I am not impressed with Google contacts and moved my contacts to iCloud when I switched my phone to the 4s and my Mac to Lion.
Unlike many people I like the BB OS user interface on the classic BB formfactor. I prefer it to the iPhone. I hate BIS though and won't pay for BES.jeffcrn likes this.10-28-11 10:53 AMLike 1
- Forum
- Popular at CrackBerry
- General BlackBerry News, Discussion & Rumors
My Year Long BlackBerry Switch Project
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD