Why After 9 years I may leave the Blackberry
 

Wondering if their other once blackberry hardcore owners that are now leaving to the new Pre, Android or Apple phones?

I blogged in detail as to why I'm thinking of making the move from the 9630 to the HTC Hero on Sprint:

Hanging up BB Sneakers: Blackberry Tour 9630 is improved but not enough
I've owned and loved blackberry phones since the very first 950 pager but it's time to move on. The times it worked during 9/11 and NYC blackouts were priceless. The single double A battery that lasted a month was incredible. But technology and user demands have evolved into a new era where companies have to deliver more than reliable email. Real time email isn't the key it's real time data the Twitter Age.
more here if interested
MacSpotLight.BlogSpot.com: Hanging up BB Sneakers: Blackberry Tour 9630 is improved but not enough

this might not be the great place to post this... Anyone else aware of RIM's limitations and leaving and looking at alternatives?

I've been test driving an HTC Dream on Rogers, and while there are lots of things I like about the experience, I still go back to my Bold for most of my mobile needs.

Android is not ready for the enterprise. Once it is, we'll look at it!

each is his own, each device or platform has its high / low points in the end its all what you are looking for out of the device with you.

one device is not better then the other they are unique in there own way. each offer some function while lacking a different. there is no perfect device. with that said. hope you enjoy what ever device you move to.

NJBlackBerry, why do you say that? If you're talking about Android 1.6 or earlier, I understand. But, if you're talking about 2.0 (will be officially released on Friday), then I'm very curious what about it is not enterprise-ready.

Check out Boy Genius Report's take on Android 2.0 on the Moto Droid.

Motorola DROID review « Boy Genius Report

It's still got some fatal flaws that need to be addressed before it comes anywhere near enterprise-level communications grade. (n)

Android has tons of promise, but like Palm's WebOS it is still a work in progress. Nobody gets it 100% right on their first time out of the box.

I never stop searching for the ultimate mobile. What I have learned is that I come running back to BlackBerry every time. The trap I fall into is that I keep trying to make other devices do what a BlackBerry does natively - superb email. What this tells me is that my #1 priority remains email, followed by PIM, and as long as this remains true I'll be using BlackBerrys. If my focus were to change to multimedia, BlackBerry would be a poor choice. I'd then go with Nokia or even (gasp!) the iPhone.

I left AT&T and my BlackBerry Bold to get the Palm Pre on Sprint. Total rookie mistake, leaving a carrier to get a particular new phone, and I should know better but I did it anyway. I got lucky though, and maybe some of that luck is the residue of good planning. I asked folks A LOT of questions about Sprint in my area before taking the Pre plunge. I didn't change carriers completely on the bind at least! I loved my Palm Pre - for about 2 or 3 weeks - and realized I was doing it again. Trying to make the Pre do email like the BlackBerry. I was seduced by several Palm features:
1. Touchscreen.
2. Shape/form factor.
3. Multimedia capabilities.
4. That I was a Palm user from way back.

1. As great a device as the Pre is, it simply isn't the best fit for how I work. I still have mine, and use it as a backup and for a change of pace. But once the "new-ness" of the Pre wore off, I found that the touchscreen was a cool novelty only. It didn't help me work faster or more efficiently.
2. The shape/form factor causes a compromise with the keyboard design. It's light years behind BlackBerry in this respect. Palm put a Centro-style keypad on the Pre, and it's one reason I never tried a Centro.
3. As cool as the multimedia features of the Pre are, I just don't use them. I have an iPod for when I'm at the gym, a real camera for most photography, and only use the phone cam for quick picks. Honestly, for what I do with my phone camera, the BlackBerry's is fine.
4. WebOS sure isn't the old Palm OS, a.k.a. "Garnett", a.k.a. "Franken-Garnett", that's for sure! This new OS is stable, quick, and a breath of fresh air. Of the 4 reasons I was seduced by the Pre, this remains the strongest lure and is why I'm keeping my Pre. I want to see where Palm takes this new OS. So far they're supporting it very well, putting out multiple updates already that improved it and added new features. Still a long ways to go, and I believe the long-term success will depend on Palm getting the developer community behind WebOS. Palm's strength in the past was the gazillions of apps available. So although the Palm Pre is not my primary device, it's definitely one I'm keeping.

Wirelessly posted

The only beef I have with blackberry is how u pay for apps in the app world.I don't want to use paypal how about letting me use my credit card or charge it to my cell bill other than that I love the phones just wish they made more for sprint

I'm sure App World will open up to other forms of payment. It's relatively new though and PayPal was a good starting place.

Android is a great idea, but as an open source design, it needs to be developed. For me, the BB is a stop gap until Android is further developed and I am hoping 2.5 will get it where I want it. A side note is that the Android app store already has about 15,000 apps available, and should quickly add more. Like Rambo47, I'm looking for the perfect mobile device and I see that in Android. Like my switch to linux, I'm also waiting till it has developed a better interface.

Considering it but I don't exactly like Apple's approach to things like the App Store (and its seemingly arbitrary approval process). The Droid looks interesting and has strong potential to be a game changer but it's too early to tell for certain. Pre is permanently out for me as long as it's only on Sprint.

Email isn't a top priority for me either. I do want a decent selection of apps. I definitely want a much better browser. I'm not quite sure where I'll be headed at this point. I'd like to see some real world experience with the Droid. These sneak peeks and quick reviews that pop up for new devices rarely tell you the important stuff that pops up from actual day-to-day use.

BGR's review of the Droid pointed out some disappointing flaws. It's one to watch, but it looks like another Revision 1 device with some issues.

Motorola DROID review « Boy Genius Report

The salient points in the review seem to be:
1. Physical keyboard is poorly designed.
2. Android third-party apps are of generally poor quality compared to the built-in Android apps.
3. Lack of a real password to unlock - you have to draw a picture instead.
4. Lag/freezing.
5. Buggy Exchange support.

I posted this in another thread...

All the pioneers are dead on the prairie... First generation devices rarely last, and always disappoint the early adopters.

Yet we keep buying them :)

I still have a BlackBerry 5810 in the desk.

As I said I'm playing around with, er conducting technical evaluation of a Rogers HTC Dream. I'm looking at it from a corporate IT point of view but I could look at some personal use issues.

At the moment my impressions are:
1) The touch screen is disappointing when compared to the iPhone.
2) It supports background processing (though with different UI semantics than the blackberry which I'm still wrapping my head around).
3) From a user point of view the browser, email, Market (applications store) are much better than Blackberry. There is no push email or MDS push which I make extensive use of, so for me the Blackberry wins YMMV
4) Application permissions on Android are not as flexible for the user as on the Blackberry. You are told what the app wants and you can install it (granting the permissions) or not. On the Blackberry the user can allow some and not others. For example on the Blackberry I run the Wordpress application without any of the permissions it asks for, and it runs fine within those bounds.
5) System security from a design point of view is interesting and reasonably strong. There have been some notable huge blunders in implementation.

Generally, all the people on here who want to run their Blackberries without a Blackberry data plan and use Wi-Fi hotspots for data should get an Android. I'm running it with a PAYG sim card for voice and SMS, no data except Wi-Fi and everything works as expected without any fuss.

seems like once they replaced the trackwheel RIM has been trying to find it's balance... the 8700 series was once of the best blackberries in terms of build and feel... the 7200 series as well... RIM may loose it's touch and feel with the trackpad...

RIM post the track wheel has made turn trying to survive in the 'popular mobile market' since they had a hit with the pearl.

I still miss my thumb wheel from my 7105t. :cry:

The 957 battery was much better.

I guess I just hate progress. :smile:

Back to BB like always you will ... ( star wars wannabe )
 

I know what your thinking : iPhone , Android , and even WebOS seem so visual , reliable , and totally awesome ... I'm ready for something new instead of same ole' Blackberry this or Blackberry that ... right ?
Well let me tell you that like yourself after many years I too had doubts and wanted something new so I went from : BB 8700 , 8800 , 8300 , Treo , 8310 , iPhone 2G , T-mobile G1 (Android) , 8900 , iPhone 3G , iPhones 3GS , and now I'm running back to good ole' Blackberry 9700 just as soon as I can get my mitts on one.
8-)

I can't say exactly what keeps me coming back to BB after all these fancy smancy devices out there but for some reason I need my crackberry ...
:shock:

It's all about finding the right solution for your own needs. If you're a multimedia guy more than anything else, the iPhone 3GS is the king. Android and WebOS may mount serious challenges in the future, but for now those platforms are still both "works in progress". The original iPhone had some serious faults/missing features, and it took several revisions to start addressing them. So WebOS and Android may get there, but IMHO they're not there yet.

What has kept me coming back to BlackBerry is how well it suits my needs. #1 for me is email/messaging, #2 is PIM. Multimedia is WAY down the list. After realizing I was being seduced by the multimedia hype, I found I was trying to force a multimedia powerhouse device to be more like a BlackBerry. The obvious solution hit me like a kick between the eyes: Use A BlackBerry!