[HyperM3]

If anyone out there is as much a die-hard blackberry user as I am(was?) then you were looking for this post.

I was using BB for 5 yrs on ATT and I loved it. I am also someone who is used to getting a new phone every 4-6 months because I get bored really easily. That being said, I had my Bold for just a bit over a year since the day it came out Nov 4th. I had tried to replace it a couple times but none of the phones excited me and I went back to the Bold. However, Ive been waiting for something new since the Bold 2 was announced back in June and its taken forever for anything to be released on ATT.

Over the past year ATT has lost ground as the premier smartphone carrier. They used to have all the latest and greatest. Now they are just behind the times. I was even waiting for the TP2/Tilt2 to be released but apparently thats just taking forever too.

Ok, so I have absolutely nothing bad to say about ATT with my Bold. I absolutely loved the service. Rarely if never had any failed calls or issues. I would, and plan to, go back to them in a heartbeat. Everyone complaining about ATT is usually on an iphone(its not the service, its the phone!)

So I took the plunge yesterday and switched to VZW for the Droid. I was extremely worried that Id miss everything a Blackberry could do for me. I am happy to report I'm about 95% satisfied with the switch.

First off, Id like to say that the phone is absolutely awesome. I do plan on probably getting the HTC Passion/HD2 if it comes out for VZW but only because I need the latest and greatest. Plus, and this might be a shocker, the keyboard does nothing for me on this phone(read:I dont even use it).

Yes, I was so worried that I was going to miss the easy typing of the qwerty Bold keyboard(that was the best Ive ever used). But with the on screen keyboard(and Im talking just vertical, not landscape) I am typing faster and cleaner than on the bold. Yes, you read that right. Ill repeat that, I type faster and with less mistakes on the screen keyboard than on my Bold. I actually have more mistakes when I use the landscape one or the pullout keyboard. I am flying through texts with this phone and I couldn't be happier.

Web browsing is not a chore anymore either. The OEM browser on the Droid is fantastic. I didn't even feel the need to download Opera or any aftermarket one. Double tapping is fine for me to use when zooming in. Seriously, if people really need to complain that you cant pinch to zoom then that must mean its hard to find things to complain about with this phone.

I thought I would miss BBM but as of yet, I don't, at all. Everyone who I had on there texts me now. Big woop. Everyone pretty much has unlimited texts these days anyway. Most OS's also wrap text conversations anyway so I can see the whole conversation on the Droid. Nothing really lost. The new BBM was cool with the barcode and group chat but you know what, sometimes its nice to not be in a group chat on a phone. If I wanted that, Id just head back to the forum. Grievance over.

Also, I found a lot of the same applications I had used on my BB through the marketplace like Pandora, iTrader for stocks, Password keeper(that was a huge find) etc. The only application I sorely miss is Viigo. I found a sorta good news reader but its nowhere as neat and organized as Viigo. Other than that though, I found a ton of applications that I didn't have on my BB which are just absolutely amazing(and free). And I'm not talking about stupid light sabers or shake-to-fart apps, I mean actually useful apps.

Blackberry Bold had great voice quality but using the Droid is like using a landline. I don't know if its verizons service, the noise cancellation feature or the phone itself. Regardless, its great. And its comfortable to hold at the same time, not hard to find the sweetspot.

Ok, now lets talk about what I miss about the BB.

First off, I miss the ability to easily assign specific rings to groups. I used to have family, work, friends etc. listed with specific ring tones so I would know who was calling. You cant do groups on the Droid but you can do specific ring tone. For that though, you have to go to each contact and set it, which can be really annoying when you have over 100 contacts.

On the same note, I miss the ability to assign tones, rings, vibrations to each notification from the phone. This phone didn't even have profiles until I downloaded an app that created them. Really tough to switch to vibrate mode from loud mode if you went into a meeting or something. I also cant just assign ring to phone and vibrate to everything else. Maybe its there or I need another app, but I'm just saying whats bugging me so far. Whats weird is it finds the ringtones that I put on the SD card to assign for ringtones(although it has all my sounds as an option for that) but it cant find them when doing notifications for anything else other than a phone call. I have to use factory sounds for them and they all suck, to be blunt.

Ok, what else. Oh yeah, apparently I live in the one deadzone for VZW 3g service. I bounce from 1x to 1 bar 3g all the time in my house. I never lost 3g once with my ATT anywhere in my area. I have yet to see full bars on the Droid anywhere. Not sure if its VZW or the phone but this has me slightly worried. However, I have yet to have interrupted service or slow browsing speeds so maybe I'm worrying too much.

I miss the bedside mode from the BB when you plugged it in the charger. I used my Bold as my clock when sleeping and the Droid doesn't have that. There is a charging dock coming out that seems to have some sort of magnetic way of turning on a bedside mode. We shall see.

Oh, yeah, I forgot. I dont think its me but I cant figure out how to get into the vidoes Ive put onto the SD card. Seriously, there is no internal video watching app that I can find on this thing. Very weird and if I missed it, please help me out here. Also, in regards to the SD card, I liked how the blackberry gave you folders when connected to the computer. There is nothing like that on the Droid. I created folders on the SD card hoping it would work. It found the ringtones and pictures but not the videos(see prior complaint though). About that though, it would be nice if I could get into the folders on the actual phone for digging around purposes.

It may sound like I have a lot of complaints about the phone but I'm chalking it up to a new OS, never using the phone before, and probably finding apps to help me with most of the stuff. But it takes a lot for me to stick with a phone and I feel I'm going to have this one for a while(at least 6 months lol).

Feel free to post up any questions or comments if you're worried about taking the plunge to the phone. Ill try to answer everything as best as I can.

[shocka1212]

i went to go look at it. i honestly like the iPhone better(call me biased). the touch screen just doesnt feel right for some reason. feels like im still clicking it rather than the easy sensitivity that the iPhone has. in terms of service and internet, i would have to say that sound quality over the phone is better for verizon but the 3g doesnt really make a difference to me because even know i may lose my 3g service once in a while, its in a place i can use wi-fi. its a good phone, i like the htc better than the motorola.

[mach330]

i think touchscreen is on par with iphone. i got this phone for my wife and been playing with it last couple of days. i'm trying to stop myself from holding out until the passion comes out. hopefully before end of the yr as i'm dying to use my ne2.

btw...which app did u use to create the profiles? i've been looking for that as well. i haven't done videos yet. let me check tonight.

p.s. the voice search option is really quite good. i don't like the physical keyboard as well. i wish they made it pop up more so i can feel it. the virtual keyboard is fine for me.

[Bimmer335i07]

Wow great write up Alex! Did you write all of this on your new droid? lol!

I was thinking about going to AT&T and just getting a BB. Now, I might just stay with VZW.

[cn555ic]

pics of it in action would be nice

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by mach330

btw...which app did u use to create the profiles? i've been looking for that as well.

The app is called "toggle settings". It doesn't work perfectly but it works quick enough for me at the moment.

No Scott, I didn't write all that on the droid lol.

As for pics of it in action, theres a ton on youtube so I didn't want to be redundant.

[MyE92]

"The new BBM was cool with the barcode and group chat but you know what, sometimes its nice to not be in a group chat on a phone. "

just messing with you... Glad you like the phone! I'm thinking of making the switch also, but i"m going to hold out until next week and see how the Bold 9700 turns out.

[mach330]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

The app is called "toggle settings". It doesn't work perfectly but it works quick enough for me at the moment.

No Scott, I didn't write all that on the droid lol.

As for pics of it in action, theres a ton on youtube so I didn't want to be redundant.

thanks...

btw..i figured out the video. you can see the videos under "gallery". i hope that helps.

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by MyE92

"The new BBM was cool with the barcode and group chat but you know what, sometimes its nice to not be in a group chat on a phone. "

just messing with you... Glad you like the phone! I'm thinking of making the switch also, but i"m going to hold out until next week and see how the Bold 9700 turns out.

Yeah, you got me. The group chat thing was fun until I would get notifications at like 3 in the morning and it wore thin.

I too was waiting for the 9700(since like june) and my gripe is that it just took way too long to be released. To be honest, I was running 5.0 on my Bold 9000 for a while and while its a nice upgrade in OS, the 9700 offers nothing to me other than a trackpad. Its still the same OS and antiquated web browsing. Oh wait, a better camera, cant forget that!

For real though, the Droid is so far beyond what a BB is at this point until RIM updates their OS. Its been about 5 years since RIM came up with the current designs and it needs a refresher.

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by mach330

thanks...

btw..i figured out the video. you can see the videos under "gallery". i hope that helps.

I still don't see videos under gallery. How do you have your videos stored?

[ejazbmw]

nice write up althought most of it was about the BB lol question how do you change phones every 4-6 months? I sign a 2 yr contract and my friend usually gets me out of it in 1 year so i can upgrade without having to cancel my contract. Verizon on Nov 14 is going to start charging 340 dollars to cancel your contract with them which is crazy. Unless your a baller and don't care, i just wanted to know if you had some kinda loop hole lol

[mach330]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

I still don't see videos under gallery. How do you have your videos stored?

what type of format is your video in? mine is mp4. if it's avi i don't think you can view that. you'll probably have to use an app for that.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dro...les-droid.html

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by ejazbmw

how do you change phones every 4-6 months?

Just buy a new phone at retail cost and activate it. No reason to sign a contract every time unless you need the discount.

[fizzle]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

Just buy a new phone at retail cost and activate it. No reason to sign a contract every time unless you need the discount.

so you paid $600 for the droid??? DAMN

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by fizzle

so you paid $600 for the droid??? DAMN

No way. I switched to Verizon and paid new activation price. When under contract though I'll pay retail.

[fizzle]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

No way. I switched to Verizon and paid new activation price. When under contract though I'll pay retail.

oh yea duh. do you get any discounts at BB?

[karliejai]

Originally Posted by Bimmer335i07

Wow great write up Alex! Did you write all of this on your new droid? lol!

I was thinking about going to AT&T and just getting a BB. Now, I might just stay with VZW.

theres nothing on AT&T besides the iphone you should consider... even with VZW theres the new curve 2, tour or storm 2 if u want a blackberry.

[RevC]

im loving the droid more and more every single day. quite a step up, still getting used to the ackward holding position but im sure i will get as used to as i have its flat keyboard (took me a couple days).

[JayKay335i]

Storm FTW.

My buddy just got the droid and loves it. He said the same thing about voice quality.

[RevC]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

Storm FTW.

My buddy just got the droid and loves it. He said the same thing about voice quality.

the storm was the worst phone i EVER purchased, but glad you like it.

the Droid's OS is amazing..

[fizzle]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

Storm FTW.

My buddy just got the droid and loves it. He said the same thing about voice quality.

LOL @ storm...what a pathetic phone. i think you are the only one who actually likes it. probably the worst phone ever.

Google OS is pretty nice, but still prefer iPhones OS for some reason. it just works, and everything is well put together. glad you guys like the droid tho, if i didnt have an iPhone i would def get one.

[RevC]

Originally Posted by fizzle

LOL @ storm...what a pathetic phone. i think you are the only one who actually likes it. probably the worst phone ever.

Google OS is pretty nice, but still prefer iPhones OS for some reason. it just works, and everything is well put together. glad you guys like the droid tho, if i didnt have an iPhone i would def get one.

+1..a lot of apps and things on android are still beta, but in the future i think we have a contender for the iphone