[b52junebug]

Alright I must say something here. I am a demo tester for most of the phones coming out at verizon. I also demo'd the 8520 from Tmo. The curve 2 feels like a cheap peice of plastic. The rubber buttons are cool from a dont get dirt in it when my kids drop it, but really? This is a definate consumer based device. From its integrated multimedia buttons on the top to the touch pad.

I also have the Droid, as part of the test bed. So Im carrying both the droid and the 8530. I just turned in the Omnia 2 and the storm 2.

Droid:
Pos: I use google voice especially since my phone number gets changed more than my underware. The integration of the app with the phone is outstanding. It is really fast with the browser, the voice search is cool. It integrates well with google maps and gives voice turn by turn directions. Games are pretty nifty the monkey game is a riot. The little green alien dude is cute..

Cons: When im on the phone my earing pushes the mute button, so I have a tendency to hold it away from my face or try to do some other manuver. No way to import contacts to it from outlook. Now I can import them to Gmail or google voice and pull them in, but its just not working for me right now. The swiping of the screen takes some time to get used to, and I can guarantee you will open up many wrong apps. The escape button, isnt escape its back. So if you were in a web page there is no way to get "home". Other than opening a new window. I dont have a password set up yet, but I find that when you hit the lock button on the top of the phone, it doesnt always lock. I will say I am so spoiled with the bb lock screen when holstered feature.

8530:
Pros: duh blackberry...
cons: Cheap plastic kids toy feel. Cmon RIM I know we were going for rugged, but geez..

If anyone wants to know about the Omnia 2 though.. Well let me say this, I am a blackberry girl, but I would take one of those in a NY minute... The swipe feature for typing is truely awsome and time saving. I had the phone for a month. (oct-nov) and it only locked up on me twice. That is unheard of for a WM phone. The screen is about 1/3
" bigger than the Iphone. The motion sensor is way too cool. Good Mobile Messaging integrates really well with the phone. The Vcast apps work really well with it too. The memory capacity is way better than we have seen in a WM phone. Has an integrated stylus. That was the problem with omnia 1 and it was so friggin small. Camera is great! Took pictures of the blue ridge parkway.
cons: reset button is under the back cover. Which in a pinch can be hard to get off. Not a fan of the widget screen. It seemed to lack any real options. So switched to standard WM screen. Very happy with that.
Other than that.. I love that phone.

HTC Imagio/Whitestone:
Pros: HD Flo Tv, labrynth game, little pop out stand in the back to hold it up so you could watch TV. (I was in the office on thanksgiving and was able to see the macy's parade) FM radio with headset plugged in.
Cons: had to be rebooted all of the time. Battery life was standard HTC crap. Disabled the flow screen so i could have standard Good screen icons. Could not use transcribe in the Good screen, and the ability to swipe the screen up and down is not available in Good. So your stuck using the scroll bar on the side. ick. Battery cover took an act of congress to get off. Had to use the top of the stylus to pry the damn thing apart. Sorry for the scratches verizon... kept hitting the volume button too, that was anoying as hell.

Anyway, here are my reviews..

[b52junebug]

Originally Posted by contraria2

(In general, why are so many people excited over weather apps and widgets? On the Droid forum people were buying the droid just so they can get a weather widget... Since when are we infatuated with the weather?)

okay so I am a weather nerd too..

I have Weather bug on the Droid, and it updates depending on my location. Also shows the temp in the upper left hand corner on the home screen.. really cool..

[zerog46]

So the rubber side buttons must contribute to the 9700 also being as you state "A definite consumer based device".

Thanks for your "Review" but I will take my own chances.

[b52junebug]

Originally Posted by zerog46

So the rubber side buttons must contribute to the 9700 also being as you state "A definite consumer based device".

Thanks for your "Review" but I will take my own chances.

Its not the rubber buttons that make it a consumer based device, but all of the features. Hell my pager is heavier than the 8530. It just has that kids toy feel. The 9700 feels like a great device. This one just feels cheap.

I liken it to what you would give your toddler so that they could have a play phone like mommy's.

[zerog46]

Originally Posted by b52junebug

Its not the rubber buttons that make it a consumer based device, but all of the features. Hell my pager is heavier than the 8530. It just has that kids toy feel. The 9700 feels like a great device. This one just feels cheap.

I liken it to what you would give your toddler so that they could have a play phone like mommy's.

That's great you made your point, if you wanna complain about it anymore make your own post in the Rants and Raves section instead of thread crapping here.

[LunkHead]

Originally Posted by b52junebug

Its not the rubber buttons that make it a consumer based device, but all of the features. Hell my pager is heavier than the 8530. It just has that kids toy feel. The 9700 feels like a great device. This one just feels cheap.

I liken it to what you would give your toddler so that they could have a play phone like mommy's.

Come again rover????

I guess you never used an 8330 then as the weight difference is not really even noticeable.... I also suppose the heavy weight of the Droid is a-ok with you.

When I moved from the Droid to the Curve 2, I was left feeling like the Droid weighed as much as a brick and the Cruve 2 felt like a feather...

I would not say the Curve 2 feels cheap or like a toy... I have had just about every BB ever made and I have also sported numerous different smart phones over the years...

The review you posted "from a seasoned device tester" like yourself, is just plain wrong and false.... Makes me wonder if you really even have it or the Droid...

Moving right along... I give your review....

Kris

[WPWoodJr]

Originally Posted by b52junebug

I just turned in the Omnia 2 and the storm 2.

How did you like the Storm 2?

[carmen]

1st off I would like to give a thumbs up to the users on this site!

I have the Droid but I'm not using it. Instead I am still using my Tour. Now I'm not a complete OS geek but I do switch up my phones to the latest and newest on a regular basis so I have some operating experience. I have had the Moto Droid since release date but because I don't have MS Exchange & use Outlook (yahoo account) I cannot get my Droid to sync contacts, calendar and emails (right now tasks & notes would just be a extra) in one seemless sync. I haven't been able to get any REAL answers on any Android forum. And although users say it can be done (with 3-4 third party apps) I can't seem to get a complete answer from one single person.

Lunkhead said it in an early post.......LOVE IT! IT'S FAST, PRETTY SCREEN & COOL! But business machine I haven't seen it yet. There are numerous people asking the same question on the Droid forums but all you get is........Google will sync......I guess they didn't read my question...I DON'T WANT GOOGLE & I NEED OUTLOOK! Maybe I just didn't do the best research prior to the purchase but I would have never thought that something so easy would take me over a month to figure out (and still don't). Plus, because I do have to work for a living I am only able to play with the thing on days off then quick change on the internet and back to work with my Tour I go.

I'm not sure if I'm more frustrated with the phone or the lack of help on the Android forums????

[LunkHead]

I think touchdown will work for your needs on the droid. I can't remember if it has a free trial but I am pretty sure it's a pay app... It's in the app store and if it offers a trial (i can't remember) then it might be worth a look..

Kris

[TimW]

Wow, this thread has officially confused me.

I currently have a TMO curve (8320) running OS 4.5.0.81...I got this phone when they first came out, and it's worked spectacularly for the nearly 3.5 years or so I've had it (can't recall exact date). Prior to that, I had a 7100 whose OS I never updated since it worked (unlike, I guess, many with the 7100).

Well, my Curve has started acting really odd lately, going into what I call the Spinning Hourglass of Doom mode...which usually requires a reboot. I had to reboot 4 times today...something I've never had to do before.

So, a friend works for TMO and was telling me about the 9700. Sounds great, so I go into TMO and discuss options...to keep my current $59 "Mail and more" plan, I have to plonk $450 down for the phone. To 'upgrade', I need to get a new plan, which ends up being about $69 + $30 data plan. So, when you amortize the cost of the phone upfront, or the upgrade plan, they're basically equal.

Wife is on VZW, so we look into a family plan (she has an Omnia 2). For slightly less than what we're paying combined, we can have a family plan and get a discount through her work on the monthly charge (15%). So, we end up saving a couple bucks.

I really didn't like the BBs they had there....I am not a super fan of the Storm 2, though I admit I only played with the Storm 1 and know all the bad about that. So, I start fiddling with the Motorola Droid and like it. I read all sorts of good things, then I read this thread, which starts strong, then leave me as confused as before.

So, here's some background: I currently run my own business (online retail) and am the sole employee. While I used to reply a lot on my BB to incoming emails (product questions), I find that I am more and more using the incoming emails more for picking up order items from the warehouse (If I am out and about), or answering very short queries. Longer emails I wait until I get home to my office.

I use the phone, obviously, but also the camera to take pics of items to send to email inquires (easier than taking camera, then uploading to computer, etc.). Thus, the flash has come in handy before. Never thought I'd use a camera, but I do now and again for that.

PDF reading on my 8320 sucks. I've never been able to read one, and when a vendor sends an invoice, I'd like to read it and not have to wait, even though they're usually never time-sensitive.

I do use the browser, fairly regularly, to visit Internet forums on which I have a presence, for moderating (on one board) and marketing purposes (several boards). Easier from home, but not always convenient to wait that long.

I use Outlook at home, and though I don't have a ton of contacts (only about 200 of the 700 I have are regularly used), getting them to my phone would be important, though regular "synch" of that isn't strictly necessary. Calendar is needed, but Google calendar can be used, I suppose.

So, while my Curve is being used to help me run my business, what I need is a phone that can read email regularly (most important), respond to some on occasion and do regular text messaging (important), and browse Internet forums with a browser that doesn't suck (also important). I don't do sports scores, weather apps. I have a "fitness" program on my BB (FitDeck), the Amazon app, and a couple of games, both of which are marginally OK.

The BB would fit the bill except for the latter...browsing is just plain painful, and I don't see the BB really improving in that area anytime soon.

So, based on this, to you BB/Motorola Droid (because I want a physical keyboard as backup), does the BB make THAT much more sense over a Droid, and if so, Curve 2 or Storm 2? Or should I try and eke out waiting for the Tour 2 (and why it's better than Curve 2), albeit with a current Curve that's starting to act up?

Thank you for your time,
Tim

[LunkHead]

I would say the Tour 2 fit the bill for you..

The Droid camera is HORRID and the Curve 2 does not have flash...

Now the browser on the Droid BLOWS the BB browser out of the water...

The BB is king of the hill for email...

Outlook... BB hands down again... The Droid will do it, but it's a pain and not really ready for primetime when it comes to this..

Rule out Storm 2 because you said you want a real keyboard...

Soooooooooooooooooooooo.....

The Tour 2 looks like the best fit for you IMHO...

Kris

[TimW]

I've been reading up on the Storm 2 again. I initially ruled it out due to lack of physical keyboard, but I am willing to reconsider it. A buddy of mine recently was assigned one for work, and likes it a lot. One thing I've been noticing lately is that when browsing the Net, I really want a larger screen. Storm2 FTW in the BB world.

While pics don't have to be awesome, they do need to be at least reasonably decent.

What I am getting is that the Droid is more a micro-handheld computer that happens to make phone calls and take pics, whereas the BBs are phone/email devices that can be made to do other things.

So, is seems that, until ruled out, it's between Storm2 and Droid.

Thanks for your opinions and help.

[LunkHead]

The Droid keyboard is pretty useless unless you have tiny fingers..

I did not like the fact that you had to push a button on the top and then swipe to unlock it.. AND, there is no way to disable this. It gets old after a while.

Another downside to the Droid is that when a phone call comes in you have to swipe to unlock (answer) and this can be a bit challenging at times...

I am not slamming the Droid as I really liked it but there is a reason I went back to BB's... The few things I did not like about the Droid outweighed the numerous things I loved about it....

The touch screen on the Droid is night and day better than the Storm IMHO....

I do not like the KB on the Tour and I am sure the Tour 2 will sport the same...

Try out a Tour in the store and see if you like the KB or not... It's either going to be love or hate and should make your decision easier...

My .02

[jnyost]

I've recently had the Curve2, the Tour, Storm2, and Droid. I'd take the storm 2 out of all of them. If you asked me a few weeks ago if I thought I would be saying the same I would tell you that you were crazy. I think having the Droid for a little bit opened me the storm 2.

The curve 2 is awesome. I loved the touch pad, the weight, and the form factor. I hate the tour's keyboard. I can't stand keys that are right next to each other. I like separated keys like curve's. Now my storm, I love the real estate on the screen, and find I can type faster on it than any other phone I've had. I was VERY fast on my old curve and could only be about as 1/3 proficient when I tried the Storm 1. The storm 2 isn't anything like the storm 1.

The Tour isn't better than the Curve. That's like saying a Bold is better than a Curve. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Different form factors, different keyboards, etc.

I vote Storm2. Do your research and you'll see a lot of positive reviews. Don't let the Storm1 faults ruin you.

[jnyost]

Originally Posted by LunkHead

The Droid keyboard is pretty useless unless you have tiny fingers..

I did not like the fact that you had to push a button on the top and then swipe to unlock it.. AND, there is no way to disable this. It gets old after a while.

Another downside to the Droid is that when a phone call comes in you have to swipe to unlock (answer) and this can be a bit challenging at times...

I am not slamming the Droid as I really liked it but there is a reason I went back to BB's... The few things I did not like about the Droid outweighed the numerous things I loved about it....

The touch screen on the Droid is night and day better than the Storm IMHO....

I do not like the KB on the Tour and I am sure the Tour 2 will sport the same...

Try out a Tour in the store and see if you like the KB or not... It's either going to be love or hate and should make your decision easier...

My .02

Damn, that's almost like I wrote it myself....

Except I like the touch screen on my Storm2.

I tried REALLY hard to like my Droid but I just couldn't keep it. It's fine for a lot of people but it just couldn't keep up with me. I use it too much for business.

[misaac]

I used the moto droid for 6 weeks, it is currently on ebay. Using it just made me realize how much I love my curve 8330. My main complaint with the droid is the battery life. If you play with the phone much, the battery won't last 16 hours. My Curve has been off of the charger now for almost 40 hours and still has 50% battery remaining. And I've used it quite a bit.

I'm going to check into the Curve 2 tomorrow. I didn't realize until today that a Curve 2 was coming out.

[jnyost]

Originally Posted by misaac

I used the moto droid for 6 weeks, it is currently on ebay. Using it just made me realize how much I love my curve 8330. My main complaint with the droid is the battery life. If you play with the phone much, the battery won't last 16 hours. My Curve has been off of the charger now for almost 40 hours and still has 50% battery remaining. And I've used it quite a bit.

I'm going to check into the Curve 2 tomorrow. I didn't realize until today that a Curve 2 was coming out.

You'll love it. It's been out for a couple months now. It's a great phone.

[contraria2]

Originally Posted by misaac

I used the moto droid for 6 weeks, it is currently on ebay. Using it just made me realize how much I love my curve 8330. My main complaint with the droid is the battery life. If you play with the phone much, the battery won't last 16 hours. My Curve has been off of the charger now for almost 40 hours and still has 50% battery remaining. And I've used it quite a bit.

I'm going to check into the Curve 2 tomorrow. I didn't realize until today that a Curve 2 was coming out.

You'll fall in love immediately. It's the old curve on steroids

Try it and you'll buy it...

Enjoy

[TheBigNewt]

Hey I've had an 8900 for a year and a Moto Droid (wife actually) for about 3 weeks. The Droid is an impressive unit. My wife had a Curve for over a year, Pearl b4 that and she loves it (and she's not that into browsing either just messaging). Screen is WAY cool, browser equals the iPhone/iTouch (I've got one of those too) in most respects. it's a fast phone using Verizon's excellent network (I use Tmob's EDGE). It's not that hard to figure out. The BB is more compact and can be used one-handed. The Droid's physical keyboard is weak, we don't use it. The phone is kind ofa brick is the main thing against it. Otherwise it's pretty excellent and a definite rival to any BB. The touchscreen typing is no problem at all.

[TimW]

Originally Posted by LunkHead

The Droid keyboard is pretty useless unless you have tiny fingers..

I did not like the fact that you had to push a button on the top and then swipe to unlock it.. AND, there is no way to disable this. It gets old after a while.

Another downside to the Droid is that when a phone call comes in you have to swipe to unlock (answer) and this can be a bit challenging at times...

These.

After evaluating the Droid for 2 weeks, I ended up back with a Blackberry...a Tour.

The battery issue I had with teh Droid was resolved by changing the screen timeout to 30-seconds...I had it set for 2 minutes, and that just killed battery life. I had it set that long because of the main reason I went back to a BB:

The "unlock" procedure.

Blackberries are easy to unlock with one hand. The Droid was awkward, at best. After removing from the holster, you had to try and find the small power button, press it, and THEN do the swipe thing to unlock the phone. It was the "wake up" portion of that which was awkward. To have to do this after a mere 30 seconds stunk. Even my BB won't lock if I set it down for a few minutes.

I was able to cobble together solutions to get the Droid to do what I needed it to do...
* receive email from my Internet business (via POP through GMAIL, not elegant),
* get my contacts onto the Droid (upload a .csv file to GMAIL, synch contacts to Droid, then delete the contacts from Gmail...I didn't want my contact's info in Gmail)
* Synch my calendar to Outlook (which I use at home for my email client). Gmail has a Synch tool, which worked, but you can't accept appointments sent to you on the Droid. (Yeah, maybe with an Exchange server, but I don't use one).

After using it for 2 weeks, one of which was at a major trade show, I decided I needed a phone that did email and calendaring really well, not a micro-PC that happened to also make phone calls.

The Droid is a very capable device, just not for me.

So, I went with a Tour. I had thought about the Storm 2, because of the larger screen, but after playing with it more during my hour wait for service at the Verizon store (!!), I realized I liked a physical keyboard much more than I had thought (I used it whenever possible with the Droid), and going to a Storm2 would probably cause the same frustrations as with the Droid.