1. saintolaf's Avatar
    This is my first post and I had a few points. I am a typical 'power user' of Blackberry and I use it as both my corporate as well as my personal phone. I started off like many do, with an 8520, and for over a year now I've been with a BB Bold 9780. I pretty much depend on it for all my work emails as well as my surfing, browsing, downloading pictures etc.

    That said, despite my fierce loyalty towards Blackberry and the fact that almost everyone I know found it hilarious that I clung on to my 'dinosaur' of a device, I am now finally waking up to the fact that there is very little to defend about my BB anymore, and I am more and more convinced that its just a piece of junk. This, especially after using a Samsung Galaxy S2 of a colleagues and being blown away by the entire Android experience.

    I can only say that after experiencing Android, and even another colleagues Lumia 800, that the BB OS is painfully behind the times, and I find myself unable to defend it anymore. Here are a few points that have become clear to me over the last year -

    1. NO ONE is on BBM anymore : At one point my contact list on BBM had 130 names. Now I have 12. No kidding. Within a year, its gotten down to this number. I use Whatsapp for everything, really, and on the 9780, as some of you might know, even that app is clumsy to use.

    2. Rebooting the phone after app installs/deletes : This has got to be the most embarrassing thing. Also, it takes like a year for it to actually load and start up again. Hilarious, if not pathetic.

    3. NO Apps that I want : I do not need to elaborate on this. Anyone with half a brain knows what I am talking about.

    4. Clunky and Slow : Web pages hang, the clock symbol appears and never seems to leave, navigating from icon to icon is a painful experience and for someone with large hands like me, its very difficult to use this OS in any useful way. Lord knows I tried hard enough.

    Overall, I am not happy with the way things are. Also, coming here and reading praise about how happy some users are with Blackberry makes me wonder if they have even tried Android or even Windows Phone, which is miles and away more sophisticated than this antiquated system we seem bent on defending even though we all know there is nothing worth defending anymore. Yet, why do we defend BB even though they have failed us time and time again? Can you name ONE instance over the last year where RIM has actually come through for you and given you a WOW experience? I cant think of a single instance. If anything, the most disgusting part was the 4 day outage last year which reduced my BB to a piece of junk.

    Just my two cents. I feel Ive been living in a world of denial, standing behind a company that actually did not deserve my devotion or money, and now I feel I have woken up and need to make a decision. Come May 1st, I'll be migrating to Android, but it irks me that it took me so long to do it. But its the best decision I would have ever made. I wouldn't call this abandoning a sinking ship, its rather, making a sensible decision that any sane person with any sense of self respect would make at this stage.

    Thanks for reading.
    cckgz4 and phonejunky like this.
    04-05-12 12:43 PM
  2. SnoozerBold's Avatar
    04-05-12 12:46 PM
  3. hootyhoo's Avatar
    In before the lock.
    SnoozerBold likes this.
    04-05-12 12:49 PM
  4. Blackberry_Boy's Avatar
    Thankyou for sharing this with us.
    estro22 likes this.
    04-05-12 12:59 PM
  5. daveycrocket's Avatar
    Full marks for original thought and it's good spelling
    04-05-12 12:59 PM
  6. SnoozerBold's Avatar
    Is it just me in thinking that a lot of these posts are the same group of a few people just trolling for fun?
    Geeoff, fast666, Stewartj1 and 1 others like this.
    04-05-12 01:11 PM
  7. sleepngbear's Avatar
    Just my two cents. I feel Ive been living in a world of denial, standing behind a company that actually did not deserve my devotion or money, and now I feel I have woken up and need to make a decision. Come May 1st, I'll be migrating to Android, but it irks me that it took me so long to do it. But its the best decision I would have ever made. I wouldn't call this abandoning a sinking ship, its rather, making a sensible decision that any sane person with any sense of self respect would make at this stage.
    BB phones consistently work best for me, so that's what I buy and use. I bought a PlayBook because I like it better than iPad. That's all I require for a company to be deserving of my business. This is not denial, these are my personal preferences. How and why RIM does anything it does, the rise and fall of the stock price, BB market share, they're all beyond my control and have exactly nothing to do with what I like about the product. I don't like all-touch-screen phones. I do like how BBOS works, and I have experienced none of the hanging or lagging of which you speak. I am not a big BBM user, so I don't care how many or how few other BBM users are left. Of my two closest personal friends, one still uses a dumb phone and the other switched to iPhone years ago. So what. I am an anti-fan of Android for many reasons that there is absolutely no point in going into now; but suffice it to say, I am well aware that this is my opinion and it is not shared by most other consumers. Nor do I buy a device because it is popular; quite the contrary, I actually tend to avoid such devices because I hate running with the crowd.

    If you are not happy with the product, then find one with which you are happy. End of story. Enjoy your Android.
    04-05-12 01:12 PM
  8. sleepngbear's Avatar
    Oh, and one more thing:

    http://forums.crackberry.com/general...t-here-260887/

    Maybe you can get up to TWO posts before dumping your deplorable BB.
    04-05-12 01:13 PM
  9. sam_b77's Avatar
    Increased my post count before the lock
    04-05-12 01:16 PM
  10. saintolaf's Avatar
    While many of you may not care or worry about whether or not your BBM list has people or not, for users like me, for whom this was an initial draw, it is a BIG drawback....
    vrs626, Yaceka and rdv06405 like this.
    04-05-12 01:19 PM
  11. vtpmt81's Avatar
    OP, remember that the SGS2 is far more advanced than your 2010 model BB Bold. Secondly, there is a thread that you can post in that is pinned to the top of the General Discussion section since you are switching from BB to Android.
    04-05-12 01:22 PM
  12. addicted44's Avatar
    Nice 1st post!

    /sarcasm
    04-05-12 01:23 PM
  13. sleepngbear's Avatar
    I own a motorcycle that cannot use fuel with more than 5% ethanol. If all the gas stations in my area decide to go to 15% ethanol, is that the fault of the motorcycle manufacturer and everyone else who still rides that brand of motorcycle?

    Sorry, I have no idea why that analogy popped into my head.
    04-05-12 01:25 PM
  14. saintolaf's Avatar
    I do realize that there is a separate thread for people moving from BB to Android, I just wanted to list down a few of my thoughts in general, and as such felt that this was an appropriate forum for it. My moving to Android is only one part of it. To be fair, I did look at the Lumia 800 and its gorgeous and I did like the way emails and the messaging system on it was set up, but I suppose Android is more customizable.

    As for BB, I agree there are many users who are totally happy with their phones, and thats great. However, should I settle for 'serviceable' or should I settle for 'better'? Anyone looking for the second option will know what Im talking about
    04-05-12 01:26 PM
  15. shemaree09's Avatar
    Comparing a 9780 to a newer Android is a no-brainer. The 9780 is not even current.

    The difference for me is that my Blackberry just works.

    I dont use BBM so that was never a selling point for me.

    After experiencing other devices, yeah all the bells and whistles were cool, but the battery would be dead by lunch time and my emails came in hours later.

    I still enjoy my Blackberry because its does everything I need it to do, very well.

    Who cares about all that extra stuff?
    Last edited by shemaree09; 04-05-12 at 01:34 PM.
    04-05-12 01:29 PM
  16. kbz1960's Avatar
    Your list looks like every other list on here. Same ol news.
    04-05-12 01:30 PM
  17. anon(749368)'s Avatar
    I used to stand behind BB and when the new Bold 9930 came out, I was there, at the store, to get one. And yesterday I got an Evo Design. The Bold is a great device but the OS is underdeveloped and RIM shot themselves in the leg announcing BB10 and not offering any continuation for OS7. What developer in their right mind would create apps for a dying environment? But what made me switch at the end was the lack of apps and my GF (women have such a bad influence on us, don't they?). Like the OP, I had used BBM to keep in touch with family but as of New Year, I had do one left in my contacts. This is a serious problem with RIM, they are bleeding customers and there are no newcomers to fill in the gap. I think that if anything will take RIM down, is going to be the continuous bleeding out of customers. Judging by all reports, BB10 will be an awesome platform and combined with a great device design, it can be a killer phone. The only thing is: will RIM increase awareness about their new devices or will the OS 7 release fiasco repeat?

    PS: I still have a Playbook, which is awesome
    04-05-12 01:37 PM
  18. saintolaf's Avatar
    Thank you for confirming what I thought about BBM. So then this is not an issue that only I have faced then. My staggering loss of contacts on BBM always surprised me. Also, when someone exited BB & got a new other phone, for some reason they would still show up on my BBM list and I would have no idea that they werent even on the platform anymore until they told me. BBM is a VERY integral part of BB and without this feature I dont see the platform being harnessed to its full potential. Also, Whatsapp on my Bold 9780 is a horrific experience and not one that is pleasant in any remote way.

    Someone said that my Bold 9780 is not current and therefore cannot be compared to an Android phone. I live in a country where an entry level Android phone by Samsung, lets say, is 1/5th the price of a Bold 9780, and even that is much smoother and faster than my BB. How does that make me feel? Not good.
    04-05-12 01:43 PM
  19. Mystic205's Avatar
    Seriously, are you telling me you couldn't have added this to one of the hundred other whining threads on the same topic??

    I am all about reading someone's opinion.. but this horse is long since dead....
    Chrisy, dangerousfen and menaknow like this.
    04-05-12 01:44 PM
  20. Geeoff's Avatar
    Alright. Switch to Android. It's not a bad idea, and it's certainly more up-to-date than your current phone. Life is too short so you might as well enjoy yourself.

    Although switching to Android might not be bad now, keep an eye on BB10 for future. If RIM can sort out the initial bugs then it might turn out really good. And it can fun to cheer for the underdog. Especially if the underdog is actually better than the leader in some key areas.

    But remember that it's just an electronic device. There are more important things in life. Even Apple is not the meaning and purpose of life.

    shemaree09 likes this.
    04-05-12 01:44 PM
  21. shemaree09's Avatar
    thats cool and all, but everybody doesn't have the same phone or experiences the same problems.

    you use BBM, I dont.

    If you feel Android is better, fine. Go get a Android. Why feel the need to start a thread about. Just do it.
    04-05-12 01:46 PM
  22. saintolaf's Avatar
    To answer your question, I have loved and defended Blackberry for a long time now, its just that only recently have I woken up to the cold, harsh reality that the 'smartphone' I had was anything but. I am also genuinely surprised at the number of users here who use and love Blackberry phones but don't use BBM.
    Last edited by saintolaf; 04-05-12 at 01:51 PM.
    04-05-12 01:49 PM
  23. EveryApp Mobile's Avatar
    No,there shouldn't be any denial. The other OSes are currently more sophisticated than the BB OS. That is why BB 10 is being made.
    04-05-12 01:50 PM
  24. Joltcola1234's Avatar
    Comparing a 9780 to a newer Android is a no-brainer. The 9780 is not even current.
    This is the first thing I thought when reading this. The 9780 is pretty dated now, I wouldn't expect that it could compete with a Galaxy S2.

    If your 9780 is still a pricey piece of hardware in your country, your country simply isn't supporting Blackberry phones. I got my 9860 for free in Canada, and this phone easy competes with the Android phones I've used.
    04-05-12 01:57 PM
  25. Blackberry_Boy's Avatar
    I do realize that there is a separate thread for people moving from BB to Android, I just wanted to list down a few of my thoughts in general, and as such felt that this was an appropriate forum for it. My moving to Android is only one part of it. To be fair, I did look at the Lumia 800 and its gorgeous and I did like the way emails and the messaging system on it was set up, but I suppose Android is more customizable.

    As for BB, I agree there are many users who are totally happy with their phones, and thats great. However, should I settle for 'serviceable' or should I settle for 'better'? Anyone looking for the second option will know what Im talking about
    Settle for whatever you want. Run with the crowd; you seem to be that sort of person. My 9900 and PB are a great combination for what I need to do: business. BBM is a great and inexpensive way for me to communicate with my secretary between continents. It is also instantaneous. The keyboard is first rate, and if you can type on a piece of glass, you are very talented. Or more likely you don't really do any serious work anyway.

    Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. All of which we hear time and time again.
    04-05-12 02:12 PM
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