 SteelyI rise when the sun goes downPremium
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ
kudos:1 | [Verizon] Upgrade to a BlackBerry, Droid or something else? I'm eligible for a "new every two" phone but I don't know what I'd want to replace my BlackBerry Curve 8330 with (which, btw, is still working fine). I miss the better organizer and WiFi capability of my old Palm TX, and the larger screen and more flexible Web interface of my iPod Touch. Should I be looking primarily at the newer BlackBerry models? If so, which ones? Or should I be expanding my search...to something like a Droid? A guy I know just got an HTC Eris and it looks pretty cool!
I use my Curve mostly as a personal phone, occasional Web browsing and for e-mail from various accounts (aol.com, verizon.net, gmail.com, etc.) when I'm out and about. Any suggestions?
Oh yeah...a small annoyance of my 8330 is that it doesn't allow for mult-page SMS text messages so I'm limited to 160 characters per message. |
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 sapoCruising Down Memory LanePremium
join:2002-09-16
Sacramento, CA
kudos:1 | All this will do is sprout senseless arguments that mean nothing. Go to the store and try out the live models for a good while. The VZ Store should have fully activated phones so you can do it all.
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Purple Drink |
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SteelyI rise when the sun goes downPremium
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ
kudos:1
1 edit | said by sapo:All this will do is sprout senseless arguments that mean nothing. I disagree. Going to the store is all but senseless and meaningless. Every time I walk into a Verizon Wireless store here in NJ I want to shoot myself. I've never spent less than 45 minutes and usually a lot longer there, mostly WAITING for someone with a brain to help me. A few minutes tapping on a display phone don't really give you the "feel" or the limitations of the phone, especially a complex "smartphone" like a BlackBerry or Droid. Users here are a lot more sophisticated, technically oriented, articulate and to the point than the typical 19-year-old girl working at my local VZW store. I'm sure someone here can share experiences with one of the newer Droid or BlackBerry models that might help me decide what to do. |
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 DragasoniWe're All Mad HerePremium
join:2001-12-14
Palm Bay, FL
 ·Earthlink Cable ..
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I'd hold off and wait for a while. Verizon is rumored to be getting the Nexus One (Google Phone) and Tour2 very soon, possibly this summer. Also, rumor has it the iPhone will be coming to Verizon in the 4Q of 2010.
I also have the BB 8330 which I could upgrade now, but I'm waiting until Christmas to see what happens...I really want the iPhone, but hate AT&T.
-Dragasoni-
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»www.dragasoni.com |
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SteelyI rise when the sun goes downPremium
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ
kudos:1 | I've thought about holding out for the iPhone but 4Q '10 is still far off and there are no guarantees. What would the Tour2 bring to the table that would make it desirable over the present Tour and other BBs? |
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 thenderScreen tycoonPremium
join:2009-01-01
Brooklyn, NY
kudos:1
·Optimum Online
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What do you use your phone for and what do you feel are the major limitations of your current device? How do you use it? What would you like to be more intuitive/faster?
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Macbook, & BlackBerry repair in NYC |
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SteelyI rise when the sun goes downPremium
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ
kudos:1 | said by thender:What do you use your phone for and what do you feel are the major limitations of your current device? How do you use it? What would you like to be more intuitive/faster? Well, I thought I answered at least some of those questions in my initial post! 
Internet speeds on my 8330 are decent when I'm in a good area but not are not always great. They're adequate, though, I suppose. Processor speed can be slow and frustrating.
With regard to the organizer functions (calendar, tasks, reminders, etc.) I always thought my Palm was more flexible and intuitive. Also, the Palm Desktop Software replicated most of the fields on my computer screen which made it easy to make changes and upgrades and then sync them to the device. I think the BB desktop application is way inferior.
On the whole, e-mail functionality is good on the BB but it could be better. An "undo" function would be nice (for e-mail and everything else)! E-mail attachments such as PDF files and some photos can be difficult to enlarge and view properly. Larger e-mail messages are sometimes "truncated" with no way to retrieve the balance of the message.
Web browsing can be frustrating, too. There is no Flash support (not sure about Java) so some pages don't work at all. It's not that easy to enlarge text or images on a Web page and, as I said up top, the screen on my Curve is small compared to my iPod Touch and old Palm TX.
These are just a few things off the top of my head. Also, I know very little about the Droid products so maybe someone who has used both a recent BlackBerry and one of the new Droids can offer some comparisons. |
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sapoCruising Down Memory LanePremium
join:2002-09-16
Sacramento, CA
kudos:1
1 edit | reply to Steely
Read some reviews and look at Youtube videos then. The Droid has been deeply discussed here.
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Purple Drink |
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SteelyI rise when the sun goes downPremium
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ
kudos:1 | Yes, I'll do all the obvious things you mentioned plus some of the ones you didn't. Thanks. |
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 AlcoholPremium
join:2003-05-26
Climax, MI
kudos:3 | reply to Steely
Droid is a good toy that is also a phone.
Blackberry is a good phone that is also a toy.
You have to decide which one you want.
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I found the key to success but somebody changed the lock. |
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 PhoenixAZGet A MacPremium
join:2004-01-04
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:1 | reply to Steely
Droid = Modern
BlackBerry = Antiquated OS, and resemble's DOS. |
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thenderScreen tycoonPremium
join:2009-01-01
Brooklyn, NY
kudos:1 Reviews:
·Optimum Online
2 edits | reply to Steely
Not i detail.
The processor speed being slow will anger you even with newer blackberries. My theory is the problem is rooted in the O.S. Newer Blackberries are faster, but the lag problem still exists. Even on a bold 9000 I encountered the other day, I hit send, began dialing and it couldn't keep up with the numbers I was typing. Sometimes it does this, sometimes it doesn't, but I've experienced blackberry lag on enough separate occasions on enough phones to know it exists, and the way the OS is being overhauled(NOT!), it'll be like this for a while.
As for the calendar, the BB is also a bit limited here. For example, let's say you use google calendar to schedule bookings in a multiroom facility. On the iPhone, you can log in and add bookings to several different calendars, and have them added to different calendars on your phone. With the blackberry, you can only add to one calendar which matches your name and every booking will show up on the same calendar. So, if someone calls and asks "is 10-2 PM available in room 1", you have to go to a computer.
As for web browsing, there are third party blackberry browsers. However, they take longer to pop up, have bugs, and due to the lower screen resolution do not impress like the more modern android devices. Opera Mini didn't have a sensible way to paste into the URL bar for a long time, and bolt's font is terrible.
You have to really love a blackberry for the specific features it offers and be gaga over its interface to justify buying one right now.
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Macbook, & BlackBerry repair in NYC |
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thenderScreen tycoonPremium
join:2009-01-01
Brooklyn, NY
kudos:1 | reply to Alcohol
I see the blackberry as a phone that's also a pager, and the droid as a phone that's also a computer.
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Macbook, & BlackBerry repair in NYC |
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DragasoniWe're All Mad HerePremium
join:2001-12-14
Palm Bay, FL Reviews:
·Earthlink Cable ..
| reply to Steely
said by Steely:I've thought about holding out for the iPhone but 4Q '10 is still far off and there are no guarantees. What would the Tour2 bring to the table that would make it desirable over the present Tour and other BBs? Well, the Tour2 has the trackpad, the 5.0 OS, and it's supposed to have WiFi. Rumor has that it's going to be called the "Bold", like they're going to drop the Tour name. Not sure though, we'll see.
Agreed, Blackberries are becoming kind of dated. I like mine, but I prefer my iPod Touch for many things, I just wish it could muti-task without jailbreaking. The new iPhone 4.0 OS is supposed to bring multi-tasking though. Let's hope that comes to pass.
I did try the Droid phones, but honestly after using an iPod Touch the OS just doesn't compare. It's a cool phone and can do so much more than the iPhone or Blackberry. But scrolling, panning, and the overall touch screen experience falls short. I just don't like it even though it's a great phone. It's too complicated compared to the iPhone OS.
Apple just does a great job keeping things simple. Locked down like hell, but simple. I'm no fanboy, but I really do enjoy my old iPod, iPod Touch, and definitely plan on getting an iPhone around Christmas this year.
-Dragasoni-
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»www.dragasoni.com |
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DragasoniWe're All Mad HerePremium
join:2001-12-14
Palm Bay, FL Reviews:
·Earthlink Cable ..
| reply to thender
said by thender:Not i detail. The processor speed being slow will anger you even with newer blackberries. My theory is the problem is rooted in the O.S. Newer Blackberries are faster, but the lag problem still exists. Even on a bold 9000 I encountered the other day, I hit send, began dialing and it couldn't keep up with the numbers I was typing. Sometimes it does this, sometimes it doesn't, but I've experienced blackberry lag on enough separate occasions on enough phones to know it exists, and the way the OS is being overhauled(NOT!), it'll be like this for a while. Totally, this is my biggest gripe with mine. It's never consistent, and the battery pulls are just pathetic. My iPod Touch gets slow sometimes too, but not like this Blackberry does. And the 3GS solves this with it's faster processor.
I'm also so tired of the "chirp" during voice calls, which nobody can seem to fix. My Blackberry was my first smartphone, but I doubt I'll buy another RIM product with all the troubles I've had.
-Dragasoni-
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»www.dragasoni.com |
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 RoboticsSee You On The Dark SidePremium
join:2003-10-23
Louisa, VA
·Comcast
| I had the 8330 for awhile. Still kind of miss it, but I went for the Motorola Droid when my time came for an upgrade.
Droid can be a little bit of a headache to learn. But in the end it is a neat (I have to say) toy.
But its a good phone, and you can just about say its a small pc.
Over all the Droid is a great phone with a few bells and whistles I could care less about. But I will be keeping it.
My daughter has the iphone, and Ive played with hers quite a lot, but decided on the Droid.
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Long you live and high you fly and Smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
and all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be. |
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RoboticsSee You On The Dark SidePremium
join:2003-10-23
Louisa, VA Reviews:
·Comcast
1 edit | reply to Dragasoni
I got rid of the chirping on my blackberry by down grading the OS...worked great, and no more chirping.
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Long you live and high you fly and Smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
and all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be. |
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get the droid. I was in the same situation as you and I bought a droid on ebay and love it. No new 2 year contract and I got the phone. I am also not having any problems with my email as it is almost instantaneous. |
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 TomPremium
join:2000-09-10
Chicago, IL | reply to Steely
Just a data point: I've had a 9700 for about 6 months, and have the opportunity to mess around with a Droid for the next month or so. While there is a lot more flexibility available with the Droid, I find myself coming back to the Blackberry.
I'm not sure if it's because I like the keyboard better on the 9700, but even with huge thumbs, I like the fact the keys are firmer on the BB keyboard than on the Droid, and I primarily use the phone as a messaging device. Also, the screen on the Droid seems to pick up fingerprints a lot more than an iPhone/iPod Touch.
That said, the Droid has a nicer browser and a terrific screen, but having had the opportunity to use one I wouldn't switch. Take the advice given here, though, and go try one yourself. Everyone has different opinions about what they like in a phone.
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"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw |
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SteelyI rise when the sun goes downPremium
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ
kudos:1
1 edit | said by Tom:While there is a lot more flexibility available with the Droid, I find myself coming back to the Blackberry. I was just about to post that it looks like most people are advising against another BBerry when you had to mess it up! 
Yesterday, I spent maybe 10 minutes in a small, non-corporate Verizon store looking at some of the phones. It wasn't nearly enough time to make a decision but I do know for sure that I don't like the whole touch screen thing on the latest BB Storm, so that's out. The Motorola Droid looked cool...and later in the evening my electrician stopped by the house and pulled one out of his pocket. He told me he just got it after a couple of years using a Curve 8330 like mine and said it blew the old BB away in his opinion. Apparently it's great with gmail (duh) but not so great with yahoo mail w/o 3rd party intervention. I primarily use gmail, aol.com and verizon.net mail so I guess I'd be in good shape.
I guess I should have asked earlier, but is it easy to transfer contacts and contact information (including all the sub-fields) from a BB to a Droid? It was surprisingly difficult to properly copy the information from my old Palm TX to my Curve. |
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