I am looking at a new phone and was dead set on a Blackberry and now with these Anroid phones I am second guessing. Is there anyone out there that had a Blackberry and now has the Android that can comment or if there are any Andriod pros and cons? Blackberry pros and cons.
I am mostly looking for personal use with internet and e-mail. I am looking for as many apps that would benefit me as well.
Thanks for all the feedback!
Kooty and Calvin both have the droid. I keep asking them and they have nothing but good things to say
From my own personal experience, i have broke every touch screen phone I have owned. (4 to be exact) This is due to being outdoors a good amount (fishing mostly). My blackberry has been thru the grinder and back and is still kicking.
However, I have heard great things about the new androids.
RyanK would be the one to ask – he is in the cell business.
Droid all the way for me!!!! One of the few negatives is the lack of non-gmail email support, i.e. hotmail, yahoo, etc…. I’ve read some forums guys have figured out ways to make it work for them, but I’ve not tried personally. Probably another negative worth mentioning is the inability to use the touch screen with gloves on. Gotta have the heat from the fingy to make it dance.
As for apps, there are a billion out there and more everyday. I’ve had every blackberry made over the last 10 years. In my opinion, this phone kicks all their 
Any specific questions, let me know. There was another thread about this last week. Do a quick search for Droid. 
I dont know anything about the android but i just got a blackberry and love it….i dont like touch screens very well either and i like the scroller on the curve 2. and it has wi fi, so you can connect in places(called hot spots) which is really nice, pictures are great on them too
My buddy left his blackberry on top of his car and drove off down the highway. At 60+ mph he heard something bounce off his trunk and realized it was his phone. He stopped, backed up, and did his best frogger imitation to dodge out into 3 lanes of traffic to retrieve it. Figured it would be dead. Still works like it was new. That has to say something.
I also work in the cellular industry and agree with everything Ryan said. The only thing I would add is that the Blackberry OS has been around for a while now and is pretty well flushed out. The droids are still pretty new, and there are bound to be bugs that are yet to be found.
If I had to chose, I would go droid. They are way cool. 
Great advice from the cheesehead 
and Ryan both!!! Blackberry is very, very good at what they do. And they continue to turn up the “COOL” factor on a daily basis.
One thing on the BB devices. DO NOT GET A STORM!!!! I had one for almost a year. Hated every minute of it!!! The Tour or Curve are the best options out there as far as I’m concerned.
Insurance is a must on any Droid or Blackberry. I pay $6 a month for that and if anything happens “lost, breaks” its a $50 deductible and I get a new phone. Didn’t want you scared off by the replacement price of the Droid.
A couple of the perks with the Droid are very Hi-Quality Video and much better screen resolution overall with the Droid.
I have both. My BB is great for work applications and a static keyboard reliability. But, I must say the Android OS is sweet for recreational use. I think the near future doesn’t smell like fresh berries.
I went from a a BB pearl to the Droid, love the phone….I am still trying to figure out the hotmail connection to this google phone. I will get the same email about 20 times even after I delete it…that is about my only set back with this phone. This is my first touch screen phone and I love it.
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The Curve 2 is a sweet phone! I’d get one but my Curve just keeps on working so I can’t justify spending any money on a new phone!
I JUST got the Curve 2 after having the original curve for a few years. This thing is sweet! The improvements to the OS are significant! Viewing a spreadsheet in full form and a quick and easy zoom! The “Pad” as opposed to the track ball is sweet! Wi-Fi capable so you can email while you talk on the phone…Great new options. Still getting used to the new style key pad though. 
Sweet camera as well!
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One thing on the BB devices. DO NOT GET A STORM!!!! I had one for almost a year. Hated every minute of it!!! The Tour or Curve are the best options out there as far as I’m concerned.
I have a Storm and like it. It’s much improved after the 5.0 upgrade. It’s personal preference whether or not you like a touch screen or mini keyboard.
I heard the new firmware is much better. However, having to click isn’t a touch screen. I had more than one screen lose it’s “clickability” and had to replace the phone. Sorry, still a bit bitter at all the issues I had with that phone. Constantly muting itself when on calls. 
I have the BB Storm and love the email options and it has done well for this guide/farmer/heavy equipment operator with all the abuse I put it through. I love the weather applications also. My phone is an early warning system and on big Upper Red Lake I like to know when nasty stuff is coming. My Storm tells me about storms…now that just makes sense! I also have a GPS app that overlays my position on aerial photos; very sweet deal for hunting. Last night I went fishing, checked the forums on my phone, answered some emails and then fired up the music and let it shuffle through songs as I jigged away.
Although I do have to watch for dirt getting around the screen as that has fouled me up a couple times and the signal strength/reception could use a boost compared to a non-smart phone. That and it does have a hiccup every now and then when it’s super cold outside and I leave it on my belt. You have to keep that screen warm or it will not work…period.
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Insurance is a must on any Droid or Blackberry. I pay $6 a month for that and if anything happens “lost, breaks” its a $50 deductible and I get a new phone. Didn’t want you scared off by the replacement price of the Droid.
A couple of the perks with the Droid are very Hi-Quality Video and much better screen resolution overall with the Droid.
I’ll second that, but where did you get your insurance? I have mine through Verizon, but I don’t think I have a deductible.
I kind of gave up on the MSN/Hotmail. Most of my mail including junk goes there. I now use my Gmail account for important stuff. Lately it’s worked pretty good with the MSN account, but I have to go in and refresh it to get new email. That works for me.
It will be fun playing with the GPS and maps out on the water. It will also be nice to be able to shoot video if anything exciting happens, without dealing with a camcorder.
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I went from a a BB pearl to the Droid, love the phone….I am still trying to figure out the hotmail connection to this google phone. I will get the same email about 20 times even after I delete it…that is about my only set back with this phone. This is my first touch screen phone and I love it.
In hotmail all you need to do is forward your hotmail account to your gmail account. Yahoo is a different story, like Ryan said you have to pay for the premium service to forward mail to another account.
If you run everything through gmail things will run very smooth. If you prefer not to do that then it may take some tweaking.
Insurance is tricky. I had a phone chewed up by a dog this weekend…insurance deductable was $100 and had to be done via mail. A new Curve 2 was $149 with a $50 rebate. So why pay for insurance is my thought. 
We pay $6.00 a month to assurion. $89.00 deductible, no questions. Overnight replacement. We use it quite a bit for plant employees who are hard on equipment. Throw in an exec that leaves his on the bumper occasionally.
At $450.00 + replacement cost, we only need one claim a year to break even. I average 4 claims a year. 
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I went from a a BB pearl to the Droid, love the phone….I am still trying to figure out the hotmail connection to this google phone. I will get the same email about 20 times even after I delete it…that is about my only set back with this phone. This is my first touch screen phone and I love it.
In hotmail all you need to do is forward your hotmail account to your gmail account. Yahoo is a different story, like Ryan said you have to pay for the premium service to forward mail to another account.
If you run everything through gmail things will run very smooth. If you prefer not to do that then it may take some tweaking.
exactly how do I forward my hotmail to google account????? I don’t know this techy stuff???
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exactly how do I forward my hotmail to google account????? I don’t know this techy stuff???
You set up a rule, and forward all mail to Kooty. Then just call him up and have him read them to you.
I’ve already setup all mail from Calvin to go to my SPAM filter…. 
Most of those emails Kooty wouldn’t be able to read… 
Ooops EDIT didn’t see Kootys post clarifying the insurance.
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Insurance is tricky. I had a phone chewed up by a dog this weekend…insurance deductable was $100 and had to be done via mail. A new Curve 2 was $149 with a $50 rebate. So why pay for insurance is my thought.
I don’t believe you would qualify for that deal being under contract. I think thats a new customer or no-contract deal.
Pugg I’m just going on past Verizon experience on the deductible sounds like it may be higher on a BB or Droid according to Tuck. I just have a Voyager now as I’m under Contract and can’t get into Droid for a while yet. I know my cousin paid the insurance in full for year and saved a few bucks when he got is Droid. Either way I think its a must with how much they get for a replacement phone while under contract.
I’ll call the Big V and get the correct info on insuring a BB or Droid.
So I heard the i phone was the best ever but only can get through AT&T. Agree? If so is AT&T just not the deal or what? I have 6 phones through Verizon/Alltel and would hate to try to switch anyways. So I assume that the Droid and black beery are the next best options in a phone through Verizon? I need a new phone too
I had the droid for a litter under a month, didn’t like it at all, took it back and got the android eris. Don’t like that either, both are slow compared to a blackberry. Battery life is bad on both…Hopefully verizon will get the iphone soon, and then it will be all over.
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I had the droid for a litter under a month, didn’t like it at all, took it back and got the android eris. Don’t like that either, both are slow compared to a blackberry. Battery life is bad on both…Hopefully verizon will get the iphone soon, and then it will be all over.
Can you tether with the iphone? I’m trying to make a decision on one of these phone and I just can’t pull the trigger.
Luke, You are the first person I’ve read who returned his Droid. I’ve read a lot of droid forums, so I’m curious why didn’t you like it? The reason I say this, if you didn’t like the Droid, my guess is you won’t like the Iphone.
James, given the areas you travel, I would strongly suggest you stay away from AT&T. My experience was horrible with them. I would basically lose service from Hutchinson all the way to Watertown, SD. Then I would get service while in town there. Then anywhere in SD it wouldn’t work consistently. Around Mille Lacs, it was horrible.
Battery life is poor? I just Googled it and I guess you are not an anomaly. Personally, I don’t expect a smart phone to run 7 days without a recharge. I could probably last a couple days if I wasn’t using it for anything other than phone calls. I have a charger in the truck and carry the USB with me sometimes to work. I know that smart phones eat a lot of juice, it’s the nature of the beast. This is especially true with the Droid when it can run multiple apps at once. You may have had apps running in the background? Some apps won’t close when you go away from them. A ‘app killer’ app is a necessity. I make sure to kill everything when I go to bed or I am done using it. The battery does charge surprisingly fast. I had a Samsung i760 Windows Mobile phone before and the Droid charges in a fraction of the time.
Do any of these other phones have navigation and maps built into them like the Droid?
PS. My Google search came up with an update that is coming out that is suppose to improve battery life.
I was intrigued by the Droid and I’ve been a BB user for 6 months or so. Talked with an insider from a major cell company and here is his feedback. (and he has a Droid)
Droid – Might want to wait for the next version to be released. Lots of bug fixes to be deployed.
BB – been around a while and have corrected a number of their shortcomings.
Sounds pretty familiar to nearly ALL new electronic gadgets. Makes you wonder if electronic companies bother with test efforts or just throw it out there and let the eager buyers start complaining….. Hope not…
49 plus years of buying crap, ok I only bought bubble gum for the first 10 years, I’ve learned to stay away from the first version of ANYTHING. Let the other eager buyers deal with the frustration. After all I’ve never rec’d a bonus check for being the first buyer yet….
Anyhow the BB curve I have now has served me well but sure like what the Droid has to offer…….
For business users, the Droid does have a few items that need addressed. In the security area specifically.
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