[anon(9721108)]

Hmm, sounds analogous to our "hover & BB menu"?? Hover is readily accommodated with trackpad. Sounds like Apple's 3d sort of catching up?

well its kind of like a preview or choices on the app before you use the app. For example if you press slightly on the camera icon, a little box pops up with choices: camera, video, pictures, etc. and you can select one. This is without entering the camera itself. Press harder and you are in pic taking mode. Its a great idea but quite frankly I almost broke the glass of the demo 6S when I was at Bestbuy It can be turned off and that's how I would set it. It takes some practice and it almost seemed like more force is required for some iphones and others not so much. (probably just me)

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[Michniks]

About 3D Touch - some introduction




BTW. When I get for the first time iPhone 6 to my hands from my friend - I said one thing - we have to sit and I will watch this phone over the table - this phone seems to waiting for every second when he can roll out from your hand and fly on the floor... :/
As for me - I would by for it some case with glue.


When I read this thread since a few months and especially since when more BB 9900 user woke up and came to live with proud of using this phone. I was considering on some kind of meeting. Yes, its a crazy idea. But than, I realized that each of us live far far away from each other. Maybe in future I will find a cheap fly from Europe to US or Canada.

[idssteve]

BTW. When I get for the first time iPhone 6 to my hands from my friend - I said one thing - we have to sit and I will watch this phone over the table - this phone seems to waiting for every second when he can roll out from your hand and fly on the floor... :/
As for me - I would by for it some case with glue.

Lol, fastest typist in my office also has the smallest hands. Go figure. Classic is SO top heavy in her small hand! My "smart guys" glued a strip of Velcro to the back of her Classic and she wears a home made Velcro ring midway on her middle finger. Greatly assists positive single handed grasp of her oversized Classic. I've tried it with my oversized devices and it's a solid concept, IMO. Might work for oversized iPhone & others? Messes with QI charger, tho.

They used a transparent silicone adhesive that seems to be holding.

No need on 9900, of course. 9900 is still her fastest fave

[jamesp614]

T-Mobile has been refarming the 1700 band for LTE so 4G is becoming more spotty. So I bought and unlocked an AT&T 9900 and moved over to that. I receive 4G with T-Mobile on the 1900 band. And if I ever switch to AT&T, I am compatible.

Posted via CB10

[EFats]

Has anyone actually seen a white 9900 in the wild? These are about as rare as an honest politician.

I have! The head of our software group uses one still! He refuses to let go of it despite the company paying to upgrade to a round of BB10 devices, and then again to iPhones when corporate HQ moved off BES and onto Mobile Iron.

Thing is I talked to the front line IT guys, they all thought these were all bonehead moves


Posted via CB10

[EFats]

For crying out loud, I just bought a Z30. It's my favorite BB10 phone of the ones I've owned (Q10 is a close, close second).

And what am I using this glorious beast of a device for right now?

I'm using it to shop for 9900s.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!

Ahahahaha! That sounds just like my story! I had a 9360, then I 'upgraded ' to a Q10, which I really like, then snagged one of the last new Z30's. After a while I missed OS7 with a great keyboard so I went hunting for a 9900 with my BB10 phone!

Posted via CB10

[idssteve]

I have! The head of our software group uses one still! He refuses to let go of it despite the company paying to upgrade to a round of BB10 devices, and then again to iPhones when corporate HQ moved off BES and onto Mobile Iron.

Thing is I talked to the front line IT guys, they all thought these were all bonehead moves


Posted via CB10

My office of 26 coworkers staged a "mini revolt" back to 9900s about two years ago. IT threw a fit but it didn't take management long to see our jump in productivity. They buy us 9900s or ANYthing we want now. We use our devices in very atypical ways for a particular data entry role. 9900 is simply superb for single handed data entry.

Field service division is also still using their own 9930s & Classics despite being issued some kind of awful Casio. Sometimes I feel sorry for IT. Lol.

[anon(6038817)]

I busted out my 9810! The keyboard isn't nearly as good as the 9900, but it's still better than a virtual keyboard for me. I do like the slider form factor and larger screen.

Unfortunately, it's locked to AT&T. not that I could use it if it were unlocked - my current carrier is Ting. Super inexpensive Sprint and T-Mobile MVNO but no BIS support.

BBOS7 is a brilliant little OS, btw. So simple, yet complex at the same time.

Sent from my BlackBerry Torch 9810 using Tapatalk

[mushroom_daddy]

... I just bought a Z30....
And what am I using this glorious beast of a device for right now?

I'm using it to shop for 9900s.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!

Buy a 9900! You know that you're going to have to get another one, eventually! Why prolong the pain?
And, keep the Z30 - use it for media consumption etc. at home, on the road with WiFi or tethered to the 9900 with the Bold's hotspot, where it will just sip data.
The 9900 as primary device, coupled with a larger screened smartphone, tablet or of course, the PlayBook is a practical flexible combo.

[anon(9721108)]

What are your Hotspot experiences? My v7.1.0.391 won't connect to my ipad air. I think it is Apple that doesn't "play nice" though, as they are pretty fussy about what devices are allowed to connect to theirs.

At least the Bluetooth connects from my Blackberry visor mount brand Car speaker to my iphone to play MP3 songs and answer calls, etc.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[anon(9721108)]

tethered to the 9900 with the Bold's hotspot.

Just an FYI, I wasnt trying to steal your Hotspot topic's thunder, we were actually replying to this thread at the same time, but it sure looks like I piggybacked off you haha

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[anon(6038817)]

Buy a 9900! You know that you're going to have to get another one, eventually! Why prolong the pain?
And, keep the Z30 - use it for media consumption etc. at home, on the road with WiFi or tethered to the 9900 with the Bold's hotspot, where it will just sip data.
The 9900 as primary device, coupled with a larger screened smartphone, tablet or of course, the PlayBook is a practical flexible combo.

I have long been considering a dual-wield arrangement such as this. The possibilities!

 Newfangled | C003C2D50 

[Doug_M]

Now That's dedication to Blackberry!

To be fair to the iPhone I work from home (on a computer) 4 days a weeks so I'm really not using any phone much during that time.

[idssteve]

My 99s will wifi thru anything my BB10 or laptop will. I sometimes use 99 to provide hotspot itself but usually have mifi around or other reasonably trustworthy wifi. Idk anything about wifi thru iPhone, tho.

99's Bluetooth gets a workout thru truck stereo for music and as hands free voice. I can crank stereo up and hear other callers even over wind noise thru open windows. .

Really love 99 thru PlayBook. Especially with PlayBook hdmi into large flat TV. 99's trackpad is even more wonderful for LARGE screens than for tiny ones, IMO. No need to look at device while navigating large screens. Really wish my laptop had trackpad.

Miracast from my Classic has largely replaced my Playbook's hdmi but we keep a PlayBook hdmi into breakroom TV.

[idssteve]

I have long been considering a dual-wield arrangement such as this. The possibilities!

 Newfangled | C003C2D50 

Dual carry can be a powerful concept. Especially if both devices are single handed friendly... Which means simultaneous use, one in each hand. I've been a two fisted user for about a year now. Typically 99 in left and Classic in right. A POWERful combo that provides optimal benefits of both platforms. I'm frequently looking up calendar, etc on one device while speaking on the other, for a simple example.

My 9900 isn't much larger than the battery pack I was carrying with my fixed battery Classic. Better to carry a spare device than a spare battery, IMO.

[David Tyler]

I have long been considering a dual-wield arrangement such as this. The possibilities!

 Newfangled | C003C2D50 

I've gone "triple-device:" The Passport SE is my daily driver, but I have the 9900 to take on bike rides or to the gym -- two situations where the Passport is too big. I'll also bust out the 99 sometimes when I'm wearing a suit and want something in my pocket a bit less obvious and a bit more elegant. I have a separate SIM card for the 9900, and I just forward calls to the SE when I'm using the Bold. I also have a separate BBM for the Bold, and I just direct my contacts back and forth between the two BBMs with the status. Finally, I have an iPad Mini I with no personal information and no SIM card -- I use it for streaming movies and checking in on NHL Game Center (an app sadly and ironically no longer supported for BlackBerry).

[timroth161]

Thanks everyone for this great thread, it's been great to read. I hope somebody from Blackberry sees this and decides to make a Android-compatible optical trackpad to mimic the 9930 form factor. The release of the iPhone-SE proves that not everybody cares about having a big screen that burns through precious battery life. The capacitive keyboard on Passport and Priv is a partial, but nothing beats the precision of a trackpad cursor and the trackpad cursor makes one-hand use more comfortable. Since Google is now merging Android and the Chromebook OS the infrastructure is in Android for a trackpad cursor.

[anon(9721108)]

Thanks everyone for this great thread, it's been great to read. I hope somebody from Blackberry sees this and decides to make a Android-compatible optical trackpad to mimic the 9930 form factor. The release of the iPhone-SE proves that not everybody cares about having a big screen that burns through precious battery life. The capacitive keyboard on Passport and Priv is a partial, but nothing beats the precision of a trackpad cursor and the trackpad cursor makes one-hand use more comfortable. Since Google is now merging Android and the Chromebook OS the infrastructure is in Android for a trackpad cursor.

Funny you mentioning the iphone SE, I was at Walmart today and checked them out for the first time, nice size. I demonstrated to the sales guy that on a smaller device my thumb can cover the entire device for single-handed useage, I couldnt with a larger Android in front of me.

Also looks like the iphone SE is $98 for a 2 year contract with Canada-Wide calling and 5 GB's of data, (Rogers) pretty good deal for $55 but its basically exactly what I have now but I am keeping the 9900 and going to rock it as long as I can. No Regrets.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[anon(9721108)]

Also saw this little diddy today that was the ONLY PKB they had at Walmart. A total cheap copy of a 9900 or 9780 but still kinda cool to see. NO IDEA what kind of software it runs, havent bothered to even check.....



Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[anon(6038817)]

This thread has me seriously thinking about going Bold again, but I'm struggling to justify the hassle and cost.

I need to get all my jumbled thoughts organized, so I'm going to write them all out here. I would appreciate if you'd share any advice, feedback, or similar experiences.

Here's my situation - or situations, rather:

(WARNING: long-winded exposition follows)

The Carrier Situation

My carrier is Ting. It's a MVNO that offers service through both Sprint (CDMA) and T-Mobile (GSM). I use their GSM service because it's more BYOD-friendly and gobs of devices work well with it, including all the BB10 handsets.

I like Ting. Their service is no-contract and their rates are in a tiered structure so that you only pay for what you use. My average monthly bill with them has been $24 - a fraction of what I paid when I was with Verizon. They also have the best customer service of any carrier I've used.

Unfortunately, Ting does not support BIS on either their CDMA or GSM services. So, if I wanted to enjoy the best that legacy BlackBerry devices have to offer, I would need to switch to one of the "Big 4" carriers in the US: T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint.

I'm looking at T-Mobile. Generally, it has the cheapest plans of the "Big 4". And I know their coverage is adequate for my needs because I'm already using their towers on Ting. It would also allow me to easily switch between BBOS and BB10 devices.

But I'm also toying with the idea of going back to Verizon. My wife's line is still with them but I've hesitated to bring her over to Ting because, despite the high monthly cost, it has its perks. They still have the best coverage and their service is super-reliable. And thank goodness I was smart enough to purchase phone insurance through them with my wife's plan, because she recently broke the screen on her iPhone 5 (she doesn't switch phones as much as I do, obviously) and we were able to replace it with a new 5S for only $150 and without doing any contracts.

Adding another line to my wife's Verizon plan would only cost an $20 per month, so if I'm going to keep my wife on Verizon it might actually be a little cheaper for me to switch back (assuming together we don't go over our 3 GB monthly data limit) than to remain on Ting. It would certainly be cheaper than me switching to T-Mobile and my wife staying on Verizon.

I could certainly move us both to T-Mobile and end up saving money, but I'm concerned my wife would be unhappy with the coverage, and one of the principles I've lived by that has kept my marriage healthy is: "happy wife, happy life".

The major disadvantage of me going to Verizon is their limited support of BB10 devices. I could use a Z10, Q10, Z30, and Classic on Verizon. But no Q5, Leap, or Passport.

I briefly considered the possibility of using a BBOS device on Verizon and keeping my line on Ting for my BB10 devices. I could even lock down my Ting usage so that I consume 0 minutes, 0 texts, and 0 data and only pay $6 per month to keep my Ting line active. But 2 lines would be overkill for me. And I'd hate to pay any more than I absolutely have to for mobile service.

So to sum up, if I want to have BIS service, I either switch to Verizon or T-Mobile. Verizon would cost about the same as what I'm paying for Ting since I'd just add a line to my wife's plan, but I wouldn't be able to switch to a Q5, Leap, or Passport if I wanted to. T-Mobile would be more expensive than my Ting plan but I would have the ability to switch from a BBOS device to any BB10 device with ease.

I'm actually leaning towards the Verizon option now. It seems to make the most sense cost-wise, and I could dual-wield a Passport tethered to a 9930 if I absolutely had to. I also think that out of the "Big 4", Verizon is the most likely to support BIS the longest, being the largest carrier and all. I'm sure there are many business users on Verizon who still depend on their trusty 9930s to get things done and will insist on Verizon supporting them as long as possible.

The Phone Situation

Anyone who's followed my antics here on the CB forums, my BBM Channel, or in my personal and BerryFlow blog posts knows how fickle I am when it comes to smartphones. Lately I've been switching phones every few weeks. It's crazy. I know I need to stop and settle down for the sake of my own sanity. But I'm agonizing over which phone to settle down with.

I prefer to carry only one phone on my person. My phone occupies its place of honor in my right front pants pocket. My left front pocket contains my wallet, keys, and sunglasses. Back pockets are purely for decoration and serve no practical purpose. Why would I want to put stuff in those only to eventually sit on the stuff, thereby crushing the stuff and making me sit funny and uncomfortably, as well?

My quintessential struggle over what type of device should be in that right front pocket has always been whether to go all out, or get the bare minimum. Do I get a bleeding-edge flagship that has a giant 4K screen, a gazillion megapixel camera, and has every possible app and feature I could want? Or do I go "retro" and get a phone that meets my basic needs and nothing more?

Bleeding-edge is expensive. Retro is (usually) cheap.

Bleeding-edge has more bells and whistles, but tends to distract and keep me glued to the screen more. Retro distracts less, but drives me to use other devices to get stuff done that I could do on a bleeding-edge device.

I could go on and on, but you get the gist. It's an ongoing struggle for me and I vacillate constantly.

My heart tells me "you know you don't really need all that stuff, at least not in the device you carry with you all day every day. There's so much good you could and should be doing with your time. Your phone shouldn't stand between you and greatness and you can only do so much glued to a screen. Physical keyboard, toolbelt, phone calls, emails, texts, a few basic apps - that's all you need. Everything else is fluff or it can wait until you're in front of a computer or have access to your other devices."

My brain tells me "get the device that does as much as possible. It'll make your life so much easier. Why not take advantage of the convenience available to you? Better to have too much than not enough. And you've been down this road before. Every time you go retro you immediately miss so many things that you eventually end up back where you started".

I recently listened to my brain and just bought a Z30 because it's the all-around best smartphone I've ever used (I've owned 2 in the past). It's not perfect (no phone is, IMO, especially without a physical keyboard), but it does so many things I need and want and does them so well.

Conversely, I've also proven to myself that I can get by with only a feature phone if I want to. Back in December I used a feature phone as my daily driver for 2 weeks. It was actually an enlightening experience. I discovered that I was more aware of what was going on around me and able to live more in the moment.

I convinced myself a while ago that the BBOS ship had sailed and I was done with legacy BlackBerry devices for good. I even sold my 9930 (and 2 charging pods). But ever since I discovered this thread (thanks a lot, guys), I've been hearing my heart loud and clear. It's promising me that if I'm willing to sacrifice a little convenience - and I'm persistent - I'll gain so much more than I'm giving up. It's telling me it'll be easier this time since I have deleted my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts and there are fewer things clamoring for my attention. It's telling me to be Bold again.

I have some serious pondering to do.

[anon(9721108)]

Hey Fangled, I think adding the line to your wife's sounds good, still cheap and as long as you can still swap devices every once in a while. But say you go over the 3GB limit, how much extra would they charge?

Would you sell any devices that would not work?

With Rogers, if I go over my 5Gb they tack on another $70 to my bill! (Or so one of the Rogers Service people told me a couple years ago)

[anon(9721108)]

I've gone "triple-device:" The Passport SE is my daily driver, but I have the 9900 to take on bike rides or to the gym -- two situations where the Passport is too big. I'll also bust out the 99 sometimes when I'm wearing a suit and want something in my pocket a bit less obvious and a bit more elegant. I have a separate SIM card for the 9900, and I just forward calls to the SE when I'm using the Bold. I also have a separate BBM for the Bold, and I just direct my contacts back and forth between the two BBMs with the status. Finally, I have an iPad Mini I with no personal information and no SIM card -- I use it for streaming movies and checking in on NHL Game Center (an app sadly and ironically no longer supported for BlackBerry).

This might sound odd, but can you tell me the difference between a Passport SE and a regular Passport? Seriously I haven't even read on these yet.

EDIT: ah ok, just means Silver Edition

[anon(6038817)]

Hey Fangled, I think adding the line to your wife's sounds good, still cheap and as long as you can still swap devices every once in a while. But say you go over the 3GB limit, how much extra would they charge?

Would you sell any devices that would not work?

With Rogers, if I go over my 5Gb they tack on another $70 to my bill! (Or so one of the Rogers Service people told me a couple years ago)

I think VZW charges you a flat fee per MB over your limit, but I'm not concerned about going over. I rarely even hit 500 MB per month on my own, thanks to home and work WiFi.

If I decide to go Verizon and end up replacing my Z10, Q10, and/or Z30 with Verizon variants I'd probably sell my GSM versions, as the verizon models are all unlocked and will work with GSM SIMs, too.

 Newfangled | C003C2D50 

[anon(9721108)]

Oh, yeah -- Note to self: WATCH RALPH'S VIDEO!!

and you better have watched my 9900 video by the time you see this or I'm getting an S7! ^_^

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[David Tyler]

and you better have watched my 9900 video by the time you see this or I'm getting an S7! ^_^

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

>Homer Simpson-like shriek of terror!!<

I've been a little busy lately. <blush>

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk