1. Berry Fairy's Avatar
    Hey folks,

    I'm new to Blackberry and this forum all together so please be patient. That said, I am very happy to be here. I am currently looking at a partial upgrade option from T-mobile and I am trying to decide between the BB Bold 9900 and the HTC Amaze. I like the Bold because of the touchscreen, physical keyboard, and optical pad. Having three ways to input commands into a phone is a BIG selling point for me as my experience with touchscreen only phones have shown that capacitive screens tend to lose sensitivity over time. Once the sensitivity begins to decline, it becomes very frustrating (for me) to use that device. Anyway, my purpose in this thread is to ask those of you who have had experience with both Android on HTC phones and Blackberries running OS 7, which platform is more stable and bug free? I want my phone to make/take calls, send/receive texts, and alert me when I get an email. I don't really use many apps. I want to avoid OS crashes, freezing up, and other glitches. So tell me, which phone is going to do exactly what I tell it to do and is consistent at all times?

    Note: I specify the HTC phones because I have heard that Android OS works better on HTC phones than it does on Samsung, LG, etc. If I am mistaken, please let me know.
    azrin640 likes this.
    01-18-12 10:20 PM
  2. FlashFlare11's Avatar
    Hey folks,

    I'm new to Blackberry and this forum all together so please be patient. That said, I am very happy to be here. I am currently looking at a partial upgrade option from T-mobile and I am trying to decide between the BB Bold 9900 and the HTC Amaze. I like the Bold because of the touchscreen, physical keyboard, and optical pad. Having three ways to input commands into a phone is a BIG selling point for me as my experience with touchscreen only phones have shown that capacitive screens tend to lose sensitivity over time. Once the sensitivity begins to decline, it becomes very frustrating (for me) to use that device. Anyway, my purpose in this thread is to ask those of you who have had experience with both Android on HTC phones and Blackberries running OS 7, which platform is more stable and bug free? I want my phone to make/take calls, send/receive texts, and alert me when I get an email. I don't really use many apps. I want to avoid OS crashes, freezing up, and other glitches. So tell me, which phone is going to do exactly what I tell it to do and is consistent at all times?

    Note: I specify the HTC phones because I have heard that Android OS works better on HTC phones than it does on Samsung, LG, etc. If I am mistaken, please let me know.
    Hi and Welcome to CrackBerry!

    I haven't owned any Android phone, so I can't tell you what BBOS is in comaprison, but I've been using BBs for 3 years now and, going by the description on how you use your phone, I can say that BlackBerry OS will serve you well. It's a tried and tested OS and one of the longest running OSs on the market. It's stability is well-noted.

    Having said that, there will be times when your phone may freeze, but a quick battery pull should fix the issue. I myself have twice experienced the phone rebooting when using the browser, but that was only when visiting very heavy sites. I've only had to do about 3 battery pulls in 6 months.

    Other than that, I've had my BB7 phone for about 6 months and have never had to reload the OS and have had very few issues, with the ones above being the only ones.

    I hope I was helpful and that you enjoy your new BlackBerry! Be sure to visit the 9900 forums if you need any help for anything!
    Berry Fairy likes this.
    01-18-12 10:33 PM
  3. bluz's Avatar
    Hey folks,

    I'm new to Blackberry and this forum all together so please be patient. That said, I am very happy to be here. I am currently looking at a partial upgrade option from T-mobile and I am trying to decide between the BB Bold 9900 and the HTC Amaze. I like the Bold because of the touchscreen, physical keyboard, and optical pad. Having three ways to input commands into a phone is a BIG selling point for me as my experience with touchscreen only phones have shown that capacitive screens tend to lose sensitivity over time. Once the sensitivity begins to decline, it becomes very frustrating (for me) to use that device. Anyway, my purpose in this thread is to ask those of you who have had experience with both Android on HTC phones and Blackberries running OS 7, which platform is more stable and bug free? I want my phone to make/take calls, send/receive texts, and alert me when I get an email. I don't really use many apps. I want to avoid OS crashes, freezing up, and other glitches. So tell me, which phone is going to do exactly what I tell it to do and is consistent at all times?

    Note: I specify the HTC phones because I have heard that Android OS works better on HTC phones than it does on Samsung, LG, etc. If I am mistaken, please let me know.

    simple ! go for the Android ...it's the future !
    01-18-12 11:24 PM
  4. azrin640's Avatar
    Be Bold
    Berry Fairy likes this.
    01-18-12 11:34 PM
  5. Berry Fairy's Avatar
    When you say Android is the future, do you mean to say that Blackberry is going to be obsolete in a couple of years?

    Really guys, I'm a full-time college student and I work for about 75 doctors everyday. I need a phone I can rely on that won't crash.
    01-19-12 07:24 AM
  6. Rickroller's Avatar
    Both phones (Amaze and Bold) are solid phones. I've never heard that HTC runs Android better, and know first hand this isn't the case. HTC has their own version of Android (called Sense), which a lot of people enjoy, because they've got a "Friends Stream" widget that keeps all your FB and Twitter feeds in one simple spot, that makes it easy to stay connected.

    Both phones have strengths and weaknesses. There have been some hardware/software issues with the Bold 9900, which has resulted in people waking up with a dead phone, completely unrecoverable (meaning a "brick") rendering the phone essentially useless. There are many posts about this in the 9900 sub forum you could check out if you want to do some homework.

    Not to say the HTC won't have some bugs, but i've read a lot of good reviews on it. Out of the box, i'd probably say the Bold would be the easiest to use, but keep in mind any updates, back ups, etc have to be done connected to a computer, whereas the HTC can be done all OTA (over the air).

    As for touchscreen sensitivity declining over time, i've never heard this before. Whatever touchscreen you had before probably developed a bug of some sort, as I know many people still use early iterations of iOS phones, as well as old models of Android with no touchscreen issues.

    You're best bet is to simply go and play with both phones, and make a decision based on what seems best for you.
    01-19-12 08:29 AM
  7. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    Both phones (Amaze and Bold) are solid phones. I've never heard that HTC runs Android better, and know first hand this isn't the case. HTC has their own version of Android (called Sense), which a lot of people enjoy, because they've got a "Friends Stream" widget that keeps all your FB and Twitter feeds in one simple spot, that makes it easy to stay connected.

    Both phones have strengths and weaknesses. There have been some hardware/software issues with the Bold 9900, which has resulted in people waking up with a dead phone, completely unrecoverable (meaning a "brick") rendering the phone essentially useless. There are many posts about this in the 9900 sub forum you could check out if you want to do some homework.

    Not to say the HTC won't have some bugs, but i've read a lot of good reviews on it. Out of the box, i'd probably say the Bold would be the easiest to use, but keep in mind any updates, back ups, etc have to be done connected to a computer, whereas the HTC can be done all OTA (over the air).

    As for touchscreen sensitivity declining over time, i've never heard this before. Whatever touchscreen you had before probably developed a bug of some sort, as I know many people still use early iterations of iOS phones, as well as old models of Android with no touchscreen issues.

    You're best bet is to simply go and play with both phones, and make a decision based on what seems best for you.

    I agree with "Your best bet is to simply go play with both phones."

    BUT Bricking issues of the BlackBerry's Bolds Seem to be tied to OS7.0, I have yet to read of anyone with OS7.1 having a bricking issue, so update your device as soon as you get it, (Also you'll experience improved battery life from OS7.1)

    As for updates: BlackBerry Protect, a FREE preinstalled app Allows you to Back up your device regularly OTA, and you can Back up your BBM OTA as well, you only need to connect to the computer to upgrade your OS, back ups are all OTA.


    Make sure you test the devices how you intend to use them, if you are a 1 hand user because you're always on the go, then make sure you try both devices out using only 1 hand, that is a mistake many forget to try and then complain about the phone being too hard to use, when they would have realized that in the store.
    Mecca EL likes this.
    01-19-12 08:41 AM
  8. dtango's Avatar
    "the bricking issue" is seriously like 1% of the customers, usually people on these forums who have been messing around installing leaked software etc.

    the bold is fantastic phone.
    Last edited by BigBadWulf; 01-19-12 at 11:01 AM. Reason: language
    sam_b77 likes this.
    01-19-12 08:58 AM
  9. Rickroller's Avatar
    As for updates: BlackBerry Protect, a FREE preinstalled app Allows you to Back up your device regularly OTA, and you can Back up your BBM OTA as well, you only need to connect to the computer to upgrade your OS, back ups are all OTA.
    Good to know..I wasn't aware that was what Blackberry Protect did (as it's been about a year since I last used a Berry )

    "the bricking issue" is seriously like 1% of the customers, usually people on these forums who have been dicking around installing leaked software etc.

    the bold is fantastic phone.
    Well for 1% of users, there were sure plenty of posts about it in the forums..not to mention happening to CB founder and fearless leader (twice I believe). And it wasn't just from installing "leaks" as you propose. It seemed to be more related to the battery than anything from all that i've read about it. Either way, it's something for someone to "be aware" of before making an informed decision.
    01-19-12 09:03 AM
  10. soo007's Avatar
    Hey folks,

    I'm new to Blackberry and this forum all together so please be patient. That said, I am very happy to be here. I am currently looking at a partial upgrade option from T-mobile and I am trying to decide between the BB Bold 9900 and the HTC Amaze. I like the Bold because of the touchscreen, physical keyboard, and optical pad. Having three ways to input commands into a phone is a BIG selling point for me as my experience with touchscreen only phones have shown that capacitive screens tend to lose sensitivity over time. Once the sensitivity begins to decline, it becomes very frustrating (for me) to use that device. Anyway, my purpose in this thread is to ask those of you who have had experience with both Android on HTC phones and Blackberries running OS 7, which platform is more stable and bug free? I want my phone to make/take calls, send/receive texts, and alert me when I get an email. I don't really use many apps. I want to avoid OS crashes, freezing up, and other glitches. So tell me, which phone is going to do exactly what I tell it to do and is consistent at all times?

    Note: I specify the HTC phones because I have heard that Android OS works better on HTC phones than it does on Samsung, LG, etc. If I am mistaken, please let me know.

    both platforms have their pros and cons. android is fragmented (don't believe what eric schmidt says) and bb os is stale and rotting to death.

    at least ice cream sandwich is modern. by the time bb10 makes its debut (excluding the lousy playbook) it will already be way too late.
    01-19-12 09:15 AM
  11. sam_b77's Avatar
    both platforms have their pros and cons. android is fragmented (don't believe what eric schmidt says) and bb os is stale and rotting to death.

    at least ice cream sandwich is modern. by the time bb10 makes its debut (excluding the lousy playbook) it will already be way too late.
    How does your reply help the OP on any way? This is just a needless bash post.

    How is the BBOS stale? Sure it doesn't have fancy transitions etc, but the OS delivers work wise. The 9900 on OS 7.1 is very stable. Doesn't hang. I can't remember when I did my last battery pull.

    Words like "stale" etc are just general up in the cloud words which convey absolutely nothing.

    iOS is as stale as 5 year old bread. Nothing has changed on it since day 1, yet people claim it to be the best thing since sliced bread.
    Last edited by sam_b77; 01-19-12 at 10:46 AM.
    01-19-12 09:36 AM
  12. SRR500's Avatar
    both platforms have their pros and cons. android is fragmented (don't believe what eric schmidt says) and bb os is stale and rotting to death.

    at least ice cream sandwich is modern. by the time bb10 makes its debut (excluding the lousy playbook) it will already be way too late.
    Please define what "stale and rotting" means. I've seen that kind of jargon thrown around before.

    To me WinMo 6.5 is stale and rotting. BBOS is still under active development and deployment. It's far from dead.
    01-19-12 09:44 AM
  13. Berry Fairy's Avatar
    Great information guys, I really appreciate it. I don't really care about the transitional effects on Android. All I want is a stable platform with minimal bugs. I've had a history of phones which inexplicably lose service, crash, or erase vital information.

    My experience with capacitive screens losing sensitivity was with my iPod touch. The screen and home button either require multiple presses to perform a desired command, or perform the wrong command all together.
    01-19-12 10:56 AM
  14. SRR500's Avatar
    @OP.
    Based on what you describe as your priorities, a  would serve you well. My advice is to try one in the store, and if it feels good in the hand buy it.

    Don't be afraid to use the 14 or 30 day(depending on your carrier) return window if it doesn't meet expectations.
    01-19-12 11:28 AM
  15. bluz's Avatar
    as i have already said.... simply go for an Android device..time to let go the past and embrace future- ANDROID......
    01-19-12 11:16 PM
  16. bluz's Avatar
    When you say Android is the future, do you mean to say that Blackberry is going to be obsolete in a couple of years?

    Really guys, I'm a full-time college student and I work for about 75 doctors everyday. I need a phone I can rely on that won't crash.
    it WON'T be it is ALREADY !
    01-19-12 11:17 PM
  17. karaya1's Avatar
    The future of what? Poor battery life and fragmented ecosystems? The future of my phone may or may not vibrate when i get a message? (problem exhibited by my friends, who are not idiots). Get real.

    Ill take my "old" device that works like new after two years, that never crashes, freezes, misses and email or a call and goes two days on one battery charge with heavy use.

    To the OP, definitely give the 9900 a shot, the keyboard is amazing and i believe BB keyboards only get better with time as they "break in".

    The longevity of these phones is amazing, which is why you still see so many 83xx and 9000's in action. My 9700 is over 2 years old and i still use it hard every day, the only thing ive done is buy a new battery and replaced the bezel because the old one was so scratched up from dropping it all the time (with no case). I never miss a call, email or message and the reliability is amazing.
    I've used a friends 9900 and love it and will pick one up in due time. Amazing keyboard, screen and build quality, as well as finally having a great browser (the browser on the 9700 os 6 is pretty mediocre).

    For the needs you've described, a BB will not disappoint. Upon picking one up, make sure you do the BB 101 reads here on CB and learn how to use the phone properly so you don't leave tons of apps open in the background, adjust a few settings to increase battery life and make the device "yours" by adjusting the notification systems that are so great. Most of the apps everyone uses are on all platforms, so the app argument really isnt that relevant unless you are going for something specific like angry birds.

    I have friends with androids that are shocked my 9700 does twitter. They thought it was exclusive to their devices and iphones. The ignorance is shocking.
    01-20-12 05:42 AM
  18. SRR500's Avatar
    it WON'T be it is ALREADY !
    Again, why? What exactly makes bbos obsolete?

    The OP asked a legitimate question. So far he has been answered by BB users that are able to tell him why they think BB is a viable option and by Android users that offer a statement with nothing to back it up.
    01-20-12 06:33 AM
  19. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    Try out both phones.

    Mobile post via Tapatalk
    01-20-12 06:39 AM
  20. FuzzyB's Avatar
    I will tell you right now, I am a business owner and use my device hard an rely heavily on communication and the security of all information...there is no way I would choose a droid over a bb based on this alone....and I have no issue at all with android.
    01-20-12 06:45 AM
  21. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    ^^^ I need the same, and would never dream of using a BB, as they are too underpowered for my needs currently. Not saying that to argue; just that OP should try out both.

    For the record, I think BB would suit OP just fine, based on needs.

    Mobile post via Tapatalk
    01-20-12 07:15 AM
  22. Berry Fairy's Avatar
    The fact that BB keeps my info secure and allows me to backup my phone daily is a huge appeal to me. I hear that RIM is thinking of switching to an Android platform in the future though, will that make the current Bold worthless when it happens?
    01-20-12 08:57 AM
  23. Berry Fairy's Avatar
    And speaking of security, does BBOS allow me to password lock individual apps such as photos or text messaging?

    Another concern I have is that I read somewhere that when you lock the screen and put the phone in your pocket, the phone will wake up if a button on the keyboard is pressed and run the battery down. Is there a way I can have both the screen and keyboard be unresponsive when I push the lock key at the top?
    01-20-12 09:02 AM
  24. tack's Avatar
    And speaking of security, does BBOS allow me to password lock individual apps such as photos or text messaging?

    Another concern I have is that I read somewhere that when you lock the screen and put the phone in your pocket, the phone will wake up if a button on the keyboard is pressed and run the battery down. Is there a way I can have both the screen and keyboard be unresponsive when I push the lock key at the top?
    You should not have a problem with either phone waking up in your pocket. I have had both, and that is not a big issue.

    If you really think you want a hardware keyboard, then go for the BB. If you are open, you should play with both phones. If you have an iPod Touch and have already bought apps, I think you should try the iPhone as well. Your apps will transfer without extra costs and you already know the interface.

    They are all great communication devices and all solid. I would say pick your Android carefully in terms of hardware and battery. HTC has had some really big misses of late to me. Sense is nice however. Samsung seems to have risen to the top popularity of late. The BB and iPhone are both solid.

    If you care heavily about hardware keyboard, battery life, and data usage, you should try the BB. Don't listen to the obsolete talk. The Android and iPhone will have more app choices and seem more "advanced" in a few areas, but the BB is solid and up to date in my view.
    01-20-12 11:38 AM
  25. jimboyarguelles's Avatar
    To the OP.

    Im not sure why you are limited to an HTC phone. But if I were you, I suggest you get a Galaxy Nexus.

    I have both the Nexus and the 9900. I use the Nexus as my primary phone and the 9900 as a secondary phone as I have contacts who use BBM.

    Until recently the 9900 was fine, it was pretty good with emails and BBM. The LED notification light is also cool. However recently it has started to reboot during phone calls and it seems I have done all steps to resolve. I was hoping to get help on this site and started to read other threads and there have been so many complaints. Also I have a cousin with a 9810 and she regrets the purchase.

    The Nexus on the other hand has been flawless. It is running Ice Cream Sandwich which is the latest Android build. Aside from a very slick and sophisticated UI, it has been flawless and bug free from day one. No reboots, no bricking, and surprisingly battery wise it outlasts my 9900.

    It can do everything my 9900 can do except BBM. Im not sure if video calling is important to you but no Blackberry can do that.

    The phone is so fast that you get more done. At first I didnt care about apps but now that I have this, it seems like a bonus to have an app for everything- something the Blackberry also lacks.

    This is an unbiased recommendation. I really wanted to like Blackberry again, but sad to say Im starting to regret it. So if you want a reliable phone with advanced technology and a healthy ecosystem, I recommend the Nexus.

    Hope this helped.
    01-20-12 12:02 PM
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