[BergerKing]

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?

Heck, comparing the 9780 to the 9900 is almost two different experiences. With processing power the newer Bold runs sweetly, the majority of the time!

Comparison of the 9780 to a recent vintage dual core Android is definitely no contest. The bigger screens are a draw, until you need to use it in direct sun (AMOLED).

I'm currently using an Android with my BB on Wi-Fi, to keep up with my keyboard skills. I miss BBM, still have a number of friends on, some really fine BlackBerry folks, many who have become real-life friends.

For some people, a change makes sense. I am using an Android because I paid for an app that later got supported, but can't transfer to BB. There are some things I'm using that I wanna see 10 get.

I still love my BB, that's not gonna change. I moved temporarily due to cost, app commitment, and to keep my upgrade spacing so that I can upgrade annually. They discontinued our Premier program, so I'm set up to deal with that.

BlackBerry is my first smartphone love, she introduced me to worlds I'd never imagined. She isn't the Belle of the Ball right now, but can be again. And when the baseball season is over, as the new BlackBerry season is supposed to open, we'll come back for the dance again.

[[email protected]]

My wife has that Swype app on her Android, and has a lot of fun swiping around, watching a word appear, then tapping away, editing it, often cancelling it and trying again.
Its all fun to play with, but if you need to be typing away for long periods of time saying a QWERTY keyboard isn't an advantage is just silly.

Maybe she just isn't good at using Swype. Maybe some folks are able to adapt faster/quicker.

When HP killed Palm(6yrs with a KB phone) I went to a HTC Evo. Terrible phone. Battery pulls, website crashes etc. But the KB was never an issue. Now 8 Days with the iPhone 4S. Really dislike the small screen and some other things, but the KB is again not the issue.

I've got no dog in this fight. Just don't agree with absolutist statements re: personal preferences.

[Tre Lawrence]

Maybe she just isn't good at using Swype. Maybe some folks are able to adapt faster/quicker.

When HP killed Palm(6yrs with a KB phone) I went to a HTC Evo. Terrible phone. Battery pulls, website crashes etc. But they KB was never an issue. Now 8 Days with the iPhone 4S. Really dislike the small screen and some other things, but the KB is again not the issue.

I've got no dog in this fight. Just don't agree with absolutist statements re: personal preferences.

Well said.

Preferences are not facts.

Mobile post via Tapatalk

[sleepngbear]

Maybe she just isn't good at using Swype. Maybe some folks are able to adapt faster/quicker.

When HP killed Palm(6yrs with a KB phone) I went to a HTC Evo. Terrible phone. Battery pulls, website crashes etc. But they KB was never an issue. Now 8 Days with the iPhone 4S. Really dislike the small screen and some other things, but the KB is again not the issue.

I've got no dog in this fight. Just don't agree with absolutist statements re: personal preferences.

Not sure what you've used mean by this. I've got some preferences that are marginal in that I lean toward one over another but would settle for the other if I had no choice in the matter. Then I have some absolute preferences where I must have one and I abhor the other. Some of these preference differences can be demonstrated between cell phones. BBOS vs., say, iOS could be considered one of the former, but a physical keyboard vs. a touch screen would be among the latter. And yes, I understand that there is no iOS device with a physical keyboard, which does render that first preference rather moot. And I understand that these are my preferences and not everyone else's. But there it is.

[[email protected]]

Not sure what you've used mean by this. I've got some preferences that are marginal in that I lean toward one over another but would settle for the other if I had no choice in the matter. Then I have some absolute preferences where I must have one and I abhor the other. Some of these preference differences can be demonstrated between cell phones. BBOS vs., say, iOS could be considered one of the former, but a physical keyboard vs. a touch screen would be among the latter. And yes, I understand that there is no iOS device with a physical keyboard, which does render that first preference rather moot. And I understand that these are my preferences and not everyone else's. But there it is.

The statement I'm referring to is "saying a QWERTY keyboard isn't an advantage is just silly."

Poster seems to imply that because of his and wife's experience, a full KB provides an advantage that a touch screen does not. He(assuming 'he' because of wife reference) does not say this advantage is specifically for him.

[peteygrizz]

[BlackBerry Guy]

I love my 9900 but I won't go all out for RIM if I don't think I should be, so this post puzzles me greatly.
For starters I would dispute the OPs post as I felt it was fairly uninformed.
Second, moving to a new OS which has less apps than BBOS at the moment seems very premature. Announcing BB10 hindered BB7 sales greatly.
The email management on Playbook is so far inferior to BBOS at the moment its not even funny. Theres no customisation, no proper notifications, and its all very very slow. So far BB10 is shaping up to be a step back not forwards.
Guys like Alec Saunders were brought in, as you say. And whats he done? Why all the love for Alec Saunders? Key apps missing before he came, key apps missing after he came. The only things he brought were a stash of custom bright tshirts, the word 'awesome' in every sentence, and a daft idea to give away PlayBooks that further devalued the product. Dude must be a jedi the way people still think he's doing a good job when he seems to have done the sum total of sod all.

I'm not sure how the OP's observations could be uninformed:

1) BBM: I'm sure more people that just him are losing BBM contacts because they're moving to other platforms. I know my list has been shrinking, and I've been using Whatsapp or SMS more than before. As far as him saying it's clumsy...not sure what he means there.

2) Rebooting on app updates/deletions: One of the many joys of this OS. We all have to put up with this.

3) Apps: What more needs to be said? Lacking in quality and quantity when compared to iOS or Android.

4) Clunky and slow: Well that could be more the device he's using. The newer high end devices are fairly quick, but the spinning clock does show up more often than it should, especially on a 1.2ghz device with a dedicated GPU. I'm thinking this is more attributed to the OS.

Announcing BB10 undoubtedly has hindered BB7, but at the same time the old java based OS is on it's last legs. The early BB10 announcement combined with the PlayBook does a few things - it lets people know that RIM is serious about re-booting itself, and also it's giving time for developers to start writing apps and building the new QNX based ecosystem, so that when the BB10 phones do launch, there's hopefully an interesting App World to go along with it. RIM's already hurting in the short term, might as well tough it out to give the future a better shot.

I agree that the email experience right now on the PlayBook is not up to what you would expect out of a BlackBerry device. But bear in mind that it's not necessarily a reflection of what the BB10 experience will be like. I'm sure RIM's primary concern when releasing PBOS 2.0 was "just get a working email client out there to shut everyone up!"

What Alec Saunders has done is put himself out there. He admitted that there was an app problem, he has engaged developers , he does it enthusiastically and is visible to the community. In short, he's working to solve the app problem. What did RIM do on the app front before he came on board? You didn't hear very much from the guys that were responsible for dev relations. Half the time, they tried to convince you a browser was all you needed. As far as results, we can't expect the man to work miracles over night. However, when you look at PlayBook App World now, you're starting to see some apps from known iOS and Android developers in there.

[hondateg91]

A few things I can agree on some of those points and yes some OS's might be "better", but it's what works for the end user. What doesn't work for you, won't work for the person next to you. No need to just create an account to post this when there's already a stickied thread for this. Even I switch occasionally back to BB when I miss the keyboard and right now hoping to go back to Android for awhile.

[southlander]

Comparison of the 9780 to a recent vintage dual core Android is definitely no contest.

And conversely comparing a Bold 99xx or one of the new Torches to one of those very first under-powered/underspec'ed Android phones is no contest. G1 on TMO. Sucked. Droid Eris by HTC on Verizon. Sucked. I quite remember how the press b!tched and moaned about how there were no good Android devices to compete with the iPhone. It was just getting started. Then bam. A flood of steadily improving devices.

We all know the OS6 and older BlackBerrys were under-powered in the hardware department for anything other than their core strength. Messaging. Phone calls.

[Deathcommand]

I guess the problem is..
If we say no, then we are denying out denial, putting us in a state of denial.
If we say yes, then we accept our denial, putting us in the state of acceptance.

A very confusing topic choice sir!

[grover5]

I know this...I love my 9900. I love it more than my HTC sensation, mytouch 4G or galaxy S. I mean to say it does everything I want better than I thought it would and is sexy as to boot. I could buy any phone I want and I did. I use what I like the most. I assume everyone else does as well.

[SourBB]

Your phone is a dinosaur get a BB7 device. The browser can hang with the big boys, mostly. Don't try YouTube though it's "Buffering" galore.

Jokes aside I had my DROID Inc for about a month until I was missing my old pearl flip again. It's a novelty man, android can do some impressive things no doubt but the wow factor will renounce itself in a matter of weeks. My Bold 9930 isn't bleeding edge by any means but I find it hard to believe that it makes me less productive as compared to an iphone or android. Do as you wish and change is good sometimes, best of luck and thanks for the sensible post. And fyi fanboys/girls don't usually have reasons to back up their blind loyalty oh and consider my PlayBooks multitasking a wow factor from rim in the past year.

[BergerKing]

And conversely comparing a Bold 99xx or one of the new Torches to one of those very first under-powered/underspec'ed Android phones is no contest. G1 on TMO. Sucked. Droid Eris by HTC on Verizon. Sucked. I quite remember how the press b!tched and moaned about how there were no good Android devices to compete with the iPhone. It was just getting started. Then bam. A flood of steadily improving devices

We all know the OS6 and older BlackBerrys were under-powered in the hardware department for anything other than their core strength. Messaging. Phone calls.

Oh, you nailed that one! No sarcasm intended, some of the early Androids definitely weren't the cats' meow. The newer Bold is a large step up from the 9780, and is what we wished for 18 months back, for many. We've seen a whole generation of enthusiasts come in, take one look and turn up their noses. Then, the great dry spell that the latter 2010 to thru mid 11 brought us, then more were shown a promise that didn't materialize when expected for this year.

It takes results, or even the faithful begin to waver. Give us the results and a memorable experience, word of mouth can bring it back. But as long as we're told what we can't get, the longer that road to recovery will be, or the shorter it is to that fatal dive.

[daveycrocket]

I guess the problem is..
If we say no, then we are denying out denial, putting us in a state of denial.
If we say yes, then we accept our denial, putting us in the state of acceptance.

A very confusing topic choice sir!

Pychologically denial is an issue which is denied to our conscious state. In other words we cannot know that we are in denial but our behaviour may show it.

commonly denial is used where we know the issue but ignore it.

[E92Vancouver]

Let' face it. RIM is in denial and the existing customer base is in denial. High fives to RIM for doing such a good job. If it wasn't for all the haters, hating the best smartphone in the world, RIM would be number one.

When RIM gets feedback that they are doing a good job, it breeds mediocrity and the smart customers just vote with their feet and switch platforms.

I always laugh at the Blackberry fanbois on this forum who scream how Blackberries are the best smartphone on the market, but their profile indicates they are rocking a Curve 8300 or a Pearl 9100. Excuse me, 2006 is calling and they want their blackberry back. What a joke.

Try buying a current Blackberry and support the company so they can have profits and develop something great.

I guess the fact that you are not upgrading speaks volumes about blackberry. You are telling the company that you don't see any value in their new products because they don't do anything better than your 2006, Pearl 9100. And you are probably right.

RIM is losing money and market share which proves it is a bad business model trying to sell smartphones to dinosaurs who are either too scared to try a virtual keyboard or can't figure it out. Sadly, the writing is on the wall and it is all over but the crying.

When the company is in denial because the vocal minority sporting 9100s and 8300s, is giving high fives for a job well done, this is what happens:

[sleepngbear]

The statement I'm referring to is "saying a QWERTY keyboard isn't an advantage is just silly."

Poster seems to imply that because of his and wife's experience, a full KB provides an advantage that a touch screen does not. He(assuming 'he' because of wife reference) does not say this advantage is specifically for him.

Well, for them and myself and other users like us, it is an advantage ... and it's a huge advantage. But I think we all understand and appreciate that that's not the case for all users. I mean, we're not so dumb as to ignore the overwhelming popularity of full touch screen phones. Not all of us, anyway.

[saintolaf]

Thank you all for your responses. I feel I've learnt a great deal, actually. A few things of note -

The country I live in, India, is perhaps one of Blackberry's key markets. There is no concept of a two year contract here and people can switch their device based on their moods and whims whenever they want to. This is one of the many reasons that Blackberry users often get a Berry, but then a couple months later realize they are missing out on things they really want/need, and since they're not under contract or anything, they junk their BBs and move on. Kind of explains why the market here for used and dumped second hand BBs is pretty huge.

Here, texting can get pretty expensive which is why BBM and Whatsapp have become integral parts of a users smartphone experience. Now with Lumia becoming a huge hit here, and many, many BB users flocking to it, BBM has fewer users, making it not the platform it once was.

Also, Iphones are in the minority here as they are way overpriced and therefore command a negligible market share. Samsung Android phones currently rule the roost.

Also, BIS plans here can be pricey, and most of the time, web browsing either doesn't happen or is way too slow for what it is. This is a general user issue here and I suppose it varies from country to country?

I also see that there is no "One" Blackberry experience and each user has such a different take on it. I for one will not be purchasing the 9900 as its exorbitant here (more expensive than the Galaxy Note even, imagine!).

[sam_b77]

Lumia a hit in India?? Maybe you know all 5 people who bought one. Talk to the dealersand retailers mate, Lumia is a miss as of now.

Samsung is doing very well and RIM's previous India CEO made some missteps with the dealer network which has pushed sales down a bit as the dealers were pi$$ed at RIM.

None of the people I know are dumping BBs. They are quite happy with the OS7 devices. Maybe you should try one.

[stubbornswiss]

Funnily enough, my list of BBM contacts is actually GROWING!!

I was away from mid December to mid March, visiting family and friends in the UK and also in Africa - many of whom I hadn't seen in years, and had been out of touch with. Nearly everyone I met had a BlackBerry, and of course the first order of business was to exchange PIN's!

A lot of people in these countries will actually BBM rather than make a phone call, and once again I began to appreciate that service. So much so, that I actually bought 3 BlackBerries for people.

Now that I'm back in the states, it's great to be able to keep in touch with my family/friends all over the world without having to pay for international calls or international texts. (RIM...... whatever you do, please don't get rid of BBM).

Oh........ did I mention that I'm a long time BB user, and that there is nothing out there that compares with a BB's physical keyboard? NOTHING!!

Ok.........time to get up! Have a good day, y'all.

[Beesh1]

Before you try and slander the BlackBerry at least have a new one before comparing.
I have the 9900, my sister yesterday bought the HTC One X yesterday, within an instant I had a dislike of it not because I dislike HTC, but because...its just so BLAH...so complicated.
UI of the 9900 is so simple, you can get from one place to another with ease. With the One X, its many swipes for one thing....
However, we know BB10 will be touch screen only, we have yet to see what it is like. But at least let the phone come out before you mindlessly slander it when people actually know its going to be a good phone.
EDIT: BBM contact lists increase and decrease. Mine has been increasing, I have made new GREAT amazing friends and I have met not so good ones. Times change get used to it buddy.

[bobauckland]

Thank you all for your responses. I feel I've learnt a great deal, actually. A few things of note -

The country I live in, India, is perhaps one of Blackberry's key markets. There is no concept of a two year contract here and people can switch their device based on their moods and whims whenever they want to. This is one of the many reasons that Blackberry users often get a Berry, but then a couple months later realize they are missing out on things they really want/need, and since they're not under contract or anything, they junk their BBs and move on. Kind of explains why the market here for used and dumped second hand BBs is pretty huge.

Here, texting can get pretty expensive which is why BBM and Whatsapp have become integral parts of a users smartphone experience. Now with Lumia becoming a huge hit here, and many, many BB users flocking to it, BBM has fewer users, making it not the platform it once was.

Also, Iphones are in the minority here as they are way overpriced and therefore command a negligible market share. Samsung Android phones currently rule the roost.

Also, BIS plans here can be pricey, and most of the time, web browsing either doesn't happen or is way too slow for what it is. This is a general user issue here and I suppose it varies from country to country?

I also see that there is no "One" Blackberry experience and each user has such a different take on it. I for one will not be purchasing the 9900 as its exorbitant here (more expensive than the Galaxy Note even, imagine!).

My family lives in India. Windows Phones are nowhere near being a hit because they face a lot of the similar problems a BB faces, i.e. lack of apps.
Also, didn't the Microsoft India store go down in Jan or Feb with all users passwords exposed?

Android phones are a rage, yes, but compare the data plans.
BIS plans are cheaper than regular data plans, particularly for BBM only plans, and 2G data only, which would explain the slowness compared with same the 499 rupees 3G plans.
Android phones are far cheaper, yes, doesn't equate to better though.

Maybe she just isn't good at using Swype. Maybe some folks are able to adapt faster/quicker.

When HP killed Palm(6yrs with a KB phone) I went to a HTC Evo. Terrible phone. Battery pulls, website crashes etc. But the KB was never an issue. Now 8 Days with the iPhone 4S. Really dislike the small screen and some other things, but the KB is again not the issue.

I've got no dog in this fight. Just don't agree with absolutist statements re: personal preferences.

I take your point, it does come down to personal preference. OP put out some pretty definitive FACT statements and I suppose I retorted with FACTS of my own when neither are facts, just opinions.
I will fully accept that both my wife and myself are probably just not very good at using Swype, and touchscreen keyboards in general, but then thats the beauty, to me, of a proper physical keyboard. You don't need classes to get it, theres proper shaped keys, theres no spending a few seconds wondering if lag killed your tap on a screen button, you can feel it.
For people who prioritise screen size for games, watching videos, media needs, Im sure a touchscreen phone will be far better than most QWERTY keyboarded units.
Equally, for people who prioritise typing, whether its emails or messages or whatever, I can't really imagine too many people who would PREFER to use a touchscreen keyboard over a physical keyboard.
I get loads of long emails from people that end with a signature saying 'Sent from my BlackBerry'
Most of the ones from my touchscreen toting friends are one or two words until they can get to a comp to hammer out a longer message.
Yes, Im sure this is all based on preference, but are you seriously telling me someone who has to do loads and loads of typing would prefer a touchscreen keyboard over a physical one, purely for typing? Im struggling to imagine that.

[soren203]

I agree with you on some points Im slowly loosing all my bbm contacts I was at 105 now im at 70 and Im going to be loosing one soon. All of my android friends make fun of my phone to I guess bb is a little behind in the times but Im hoping that bb10 will put it on par with all the other platforms, except windows phone every thing is better than windows phone

[Flexin]

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.

I find it funny that a person will you a BlackBerry for years and never once talk on a BlackBerry forum. Then they are made aware of another phone that is so amazing that they figure out that their BB is a steaming pile of...you get the picture. They make the switch and then decide they have to tell the BlackBerry world what they have been missing. Like we are living under a rock. I just upgraded in February. I know what's out there and I bought a 9810.

As far as Android goes, I can't stand that os. It gives me a headache. That would be the last phone I would switch to.

If your happy with your new phone, then I'm happy for you. That is all that matters is that your happy with your phone.

I get the phone that works for me. Years ago I wanted nothing to do with BlackBerry. I was with Nokia 100 as my first phone. I think that was before BlackBerry came out or around that time. Everyone said you need a flip phone. First of all I hated and still hate flip phones. And not one of these people offered to pay for my phone. Since I'm paying I get to decide.

Next I moved into a new Nokia. I forget the model but it's in the house here somewhere.

From there I decided I wanted a full keyboard. So I moved from the Nokia phones which I loved into a Palm Tree with the Plan os. I was very happy with this phone. When I found my text messages were set up like a chat rather then individual messages my life was changed. Seeing that made my brother in law switch to one as well. When my contract was up in was going to switch to one of two new Palm phones. The problem was Palm and Rogers stopped playing well and they didn't offer them. This gave me three choices, switch to Bell, get a different phone or keep my old Palm. I kept my phone and used it for at least a year after. I didn't like one phone offered by Rogers at the time.

I would have had the phone even longer if a woman didn't kick it off my hip when we posed for a picture at a party.

Thats when I moved into BlackBerry with the 9000 and now the 9810. As of today, the only phone I'm thinking about next is a BB10 phone. If I'm unhappy with that I will stay with my 9810 or look around.

What was the point of my long a$$ story? I'm research my purchases and get what I want. I'm very happy with my phone.

One last thing. Yes I have lost some BBM friends to the iphone but my BBM list is now larger then it has ever been.

James

[alnamvet68]

In before the lock.

Me too.....

[Flexin]

I agree with you on some points Im slowly loosing all my bbm contacts I was at 105 now im at 70 and Im going to be loosing one soon. All of my android friends make fun of my phone to I guess bb is a little behind in the times but Im hoping that bb10 will put it on par with all the other platforms, except windows phone every things better than windows phone

They will still try to talk down to you about your phone. If BB10 isn't as good they will let you know. If it's better they will try to find something to compliance about.

Did anyone hear about the big fight iOS and Android users are in over instagram? The iOS users want to feel special and don't think Android users deserve it. Android users are trying to knock iOS users off there high horse while standing on theirs. It's kinda funny. You want to see some people passed off? Have them make the app for BlackBerry. They both will lose their minds.

James