Help A webOS User Thinking About BB

Hey BB users! So I used and abused Android for a year but got sick of its clunky buggy bloatedness and switched to webOS: a Pixi+ then a Pre+. I've been using webOS for almost a year and I love it. Recently though, the Playbook caught my eye so I started reading through these forums and finding out everything I can about the PB, it appeals to me because of the form factor and its "similarities" to webOS. Then I found out about BB OS7 and I've just seen the leaks for the Torch 2 and I'm getting more and more interested the idea of owning a BB!

At the moment it's a toss up between the HP Pre 3 and the BB Torch 2, depending on price/availability and a couple of other things, it could go either way.

This seems like a great community who really care about these devices so I'd like to pick the brains of you seasoned BB veterans and find out about the following:

1. Gmail: it's my main email system, how well does it work with BB, both natively and in the browser? Is it instant and 2 way? Folder/label/threaded messages support? Can I have more than 1 email account installed? I need a Gmail and a YahooMail (don't ask) account running together, is this possible on BBs?

2. Google Contacts and Calendar: All my contacts are in heaven- I mean the Cloud, how nicely do BBs play with cloud contacts? Currently on the Pre + we have Synergy, so it's easy to log into a number of accounts and pick and choose what data we need, i.e. I use 1 gmail account for mail and calendar and a second one ONLY for contacts. Will that be a problem on BB?

3. Messaging: As much of a BB noob that I am, I'm aware that BB messaging is legendary, I know about BBM and it would be a nice to have, but I'm really interested in the text message/sms management on BBs. I have thousands and thousands of sms's. webOS 2.0 now auto backs up all my sms's to my Palm Profile. What's the SMS backup/management scene like on BBs? Random lost messages? Phone slow down when there's more than a 1000 messages? Messages going to the wrong contacts? (Like my old Android phones)

4. Battery life and reception: My Pre + reception is quite good, one of the better smartphones I've had in that regard, but battery life is terrible. What's the general consensus on BB OS's battery management (interested in the feedback of Torch users in particular here because of the touchscreen usage) and the cell reception on BBs in general?

5. Needing a PC: According to Apple, the iPad is a post PC device, however I couldn't even turn mine on and start using it without plugging it into a PC and I can't back it up or update it without one. This is somewhere webOS is winning. I never have to plug my Pre + in except for once every few months when I do a routine back up of all my photos/videos. How do BBs perform in this area? How often will I be needing to plug my Torch 2 into my PC?

6. Device updates/maintenance: webOS does it all OTA, how about BBs?

7. Text Assist/Auto Correct: webOS 2.0 brought some awesome text assist options: auto correct, shortcuts, user dictionary, is all this available on BBs?

8. Customisability/Hackery: iDevices jailbroken, Android devices rooted and custom rom'd, Pre + patched and themed. I like customising my devices, how easy/hard/necessary is it on BBs? I've seen there are themes about, are they easy to install and officially supported by RIM or a community effort? Is there a registry type element to BB OS that allows easy customisation of the software? Homebrew?

That's all I can think of for now folks, these are all really important aspects of usage that I consider when going for a new device, and I'd love all your expert CrackBerry advice and opinions! Thanks :D

1-browser support using OS6 is HTML5-based since a few weeks ago and works well. You can have various email accounts in your BB. You can either use the BB messaging app or use the Gmail app found in m.google.com. Using the native app's Gmail icon lets you use some Gmail features, like marking messages with stars, using labels, reporting spam, etc. Read/ unread status sync works from your BB>Gmail, but not the other way around.

2-contacts can be synched using the Google Sync app for contacts, calendars, and other stuff. No tasks synch support yet. Contact sync can be sometimes a bit not straightforward re: all fields being equal on the BB and the Google Contacts site, but it works.

3-you can backup your SMSs and other stuff using BlackBerry Protect, a free app from RIM. I don't know if there is a limit on the amount of messages you can save. I've read about users having issues when they have maaaaaaany SMSs.

5-using BlackBerry Protect helps in not needing to constantly do a PC backup. OS updates, depending on your carrier, require connecting the BB to your PC for backup and installation.

6-again, depends on carrier basically. App updates acquired through App World are pushed to your BB and you will be notified of them on screen and via PIN messages.

8-on BBs you can use a hybrid OS, which are mix-and-match OS versions put out by hybrid builders using the best/ fastest/ more reliable software "pieces" into a whole OS package. There is a forum that has all the info; hybrids are OS and device specific.

I hope this helps a bit!

Thanks for this!

Originally Posted by Guatiao

Read/ unread status sync works from your BB>Gmail, but not the other way around.

Do you mean it doesn't work automatically or it doesn't work at all? Because I don't mind hitting refresh to see the changes.

Originally Posted by Guatiao

all fields being equal on the BB and the Google Contacts site, but it works.

I don't really understand what you mean here :o

Originally Posted by Guatiao

I've read about users having issues when they have maaaaaaany SMSs.

Ha ok I'll have to read up on that, could be a problem for someone like me!

Originally Posted by Guatiao

8-on BBs you can use a hybrid OS, which are mix-and-match OS versions put out by hybrid builders using the best/ fastest/ more reliable software "pieces" into a whole OS package. There is a forum that has all the info; hybrids are OS and device specific.

Now this is verrrry interesting to me! I like to be able to optimise my device OS beyond what the manufacturer did, I'll be looking into this ;)

Originally Posted by Guatiao

I hope this helps a bit!

It does a lot, thanks buddy!

What I mean about the fields is that sometimes I put, for example, the full name of a contact on my BB (first name and the 2-part surname, customary in Puerto Rico) and the first part of the surname would end up as part of the first name. Minor nuisance...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Ah ok, yeah that's quite minor I guess.

The main issue you will run into with the BlackBerry and the consumer level BIS service is that gmail support is halfway there, but no further. It is very good at pushing mail to your device and syncs read and deleted status back to gmail within a reasonable time. Synching read, replied, forwarded, or deleted stays flags is either terribly inconsistent or non-existent. Folder/label support is minimal. Even if you have the special gmail plugin, you won't access archived messages.

The gmail app solves some of those problems but only polls the server every 15 minutes, doesn't allow you to attach files, and reduces battery life.

The firm I work for tried google apps for its corporate email, but gave up because of its limitations and went with Exchange/BES. My life has been much easier since the change, as much as in dislike Microsoft and Outlook.

You might be better served hanging on to the Pre and investing in one of those battery backup gadgets to keep the battery topped up. For me, battery life is a deal-breaker and the main reason we stay with Blackberry. Stability is excellent as well, but we are app minimalists as a matter of policy.

Hm that doesn't sound too good. Is there any news of whether or not this is being looked at in OS 7? Battery life so far has me choosing between using the phone for stuff other than calling and texting but then losing all juice before I get home, or turning off every unnecessary setting. Annoyingly, webOS devices take ages to boot up, up to 5 minutes from off to ready to use. I don't think I'll be buying any new accessories for this phone at this point though, upgrade time is within the next few months. Hope to find out more about the Torch 2 before then!

Boot time with OS6 is fast compared to OS5 and to what you mention about webOS (5 minutes!!!!).

I should hope so! The problem with webOS is it pulls everything from the cloud as it's booting up which takes ages.

Messaging/battery life nothing beats a bb. My advice is to try it out and see if it works for you. I've tried android os and it just didnt work for me. Good luck on your decision.

As a blackberry die hard I have seriously looked into the pre3. I was speaking to one of the mods here on twitter and we came to a consensus that the hardware has finally caught up to the software on the pre. A 1.4ghz processor is mean! I'm curious to see what it can do. The new bb7 os IMO is just what os6 should have been. My deciding factor in the bold touch is how much they integrated apps into bbm and made battery life. My 9650 makes it through a day but nothing more.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Originally Posted by eve6er69

As a blackberry die hard I have seriously looked into the pre3. I was speaking to one of the mods here on twitter and we came to a consensus that the hardware has finally caught up to the software on the pre. A 1.4ghz processor is mean! I'm curious to see what it can do. The new bb7 os IMO is just what os6 should have been. My deciding factor in the bold touch is how much they integrated apps into bbm and made battery life. My 9650 makes it through a day but nothing more.

Now that's interesting! I agree with the hardware finally catching up with the software, although my Pre+ is overclocked to 1ghz and it runs buttery smooth, but there's the occasional lag.

The thing that really got me thinking about the Torch 2 is that RIM is also finally getting their hardware game together and sticking a 1.2ghz processor in it, along with BB OS 7 and its "Liquid Graphics" and much improved browser I'm assuming, it makes the Torch 2 a much more appetising option to me alongside the Pre 3, if you think about it, they'll be the 2 most closely competing devices when they're both out.

The only thing I'll need to know about other than what I asked in the OP is how they'll both feel in my hand. I've been looking forward to webOS on a 3.6" screen at 800x480. Although the Torch 2/PB combination might mean I don't really end up needing a larger than 3.2" screen...

its going to be a hard pick cause bb and palm both have similarities and there cons its up to what feels right in your hand and what meeets your needs