Storm 9530 to Android? Anyone?
 

Hello forum,

it been a journey on my Storm 9530. I've been here since the Verizon release with OS 4.7.0.67 (which was a MESS). The Storm is the one cellular phone I have kept the longest and invested many hours tweaking. I spend more time feeling up my Storm than I do my wife (a fact she has brought to my attention!).

However the upcoming release of the Android X has me drooling. I recently handled a tweaked out Motorola Android with O/S 2.2 Froyo and I am thoroughly impressed. I was initially warned the email was not as responsive as BB push email technology. However, I have a Gmail account and saw absolutely no difference in email responsiveness after sending a test email to my friend's account. The screen is vibrant and I have yet to see any downside in transitioning over.

Has anyone else handled one of the newer Android phones? I am interested in the opinions of other Storm users. My contract with Verizon expires late next month and I had originally planned to transition to the Storm 2. But the Android X looks amazing.

Holla back folks!

Not coming from a Storm but other BB models such as the 7520, 7250, 8830, 8330, and now an HTC EVO. I do like the EVO as it's very snappy and quick. However, the battery life is nothing compared to the BlackBerry. I can manage to get a full day's use out of it, but it was never a concern with the BlackBerry.

Any Google App integrates well with the Android OS. So if you have Gmail, that will work great. If you have Yahoo, or anything else, forget about it. I have a Yahoo account and there is no push. It pulls every 15 minutes. You can also set the increments to (I believe) 30 mins, 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, 1 day.

Also, notifications are lacking BIG TIME in android. For example, no Facebook notifications when someone writes on your wall or if someone comments on a post you commented on. I have found a 3rd party app call Bloo that helps with that issue but it doesn't resolve it. When you get the notification, it launches the mobile Facebook site, not the Facebook app.

The browser on the EVO is amazing. Speedy and has Flash Lite, Full Flash support is in 2.2 as you probably already know.

I know the Droid X is big like the EVO, it's actually bigger than the EVO. However, it's Motorola and I am not a big fan of their products. Haven't had the best experiences with them. I have had the EVO for going on 2 weeks now and I do like it. It is different than a BB, and there are things I miss about my BB as I have said above, but with the many apps to choose from, you can find "work arounds".

One more thing I miss about BB is exceptions for contacts. Nothing like that on the Android OS other than ringtones. No special SMS notifications or email notifications for specific contacts. Again, I have found a few third party workarounds, but I am filling up my device with "workarounds".

Try one out and see if it works for you. If not, take it back and get the Storm 2.

jsconyers,

I was aware about the Facebook matter. 90% of my FB activity is uploading photos on the fly and the occasional thought of the day. However, I will definitely miss being able to receive and reply to comments. I have seen posts regarding possible tweaks to the FB app for the Android because it definitely is not as good as the one for Blackberry. I also read about Bloo. Because Android is open source I am hoping for a better work-around app in the near future that solves the problems until a better FB app build is released.

Regarding your Yahoo account. Check out an app called "K9" or "K9 mail". I have no experience with it, however I have seen a few Youtube videos and blog posts that claim it simulates the speed of push email technology. Obviously its pull, but this is what I am reading about it.

Fortunately for me, other than FB, I don't utilize some of the great aspects of Blackberry such as exceptions. I also have had a quite different experience with Motorola products. My previous Motorola slider was an awesome little phone. Believe it or not, my employer still provides pagers to employees and my Motorola "flex" pager is over 15 years old and still running strong.

What is drawing me to the Android X is the virtual real estate (4.3" screen), 1 Ghz processor, 8 megapixel camera, and plethora of apps that allow the user to customize the phone in many aspects. Other than basic phone calling, SMS/MMS, and email, my phone is a tool to combat boredom. The Storm has done that wonderfully but I am seeing more opportunity on the Android.

It is well known the Android screams past even the iPhone on its browser. However, I did hear from Salomondrin that Blackberry is planning to integrate a similar style kit browser into its arsenal that will perform as well.

Overall, I don't see the Blackberry chapter of my life closed if RIM develops a touch screen device with more landscape, a lighter and sleeker frame (the Storm is small but noticeably heavier than other BB's), a better camera, and faster browser.

I know I will miss Blackberry. But its always exciting to try new devices. Anyone else out there on a droid?