comfy slippers, upgraded to a NEW Blackberry!

[StuMcB]

So after months of trouble with my NEXUS 4 mainly, frozen screens and poor reception after upgrading to the all singing and dancing Google Lolli Pop and then getting the upgrades to than upgrade, my contract came to and end. SoI hit the high street.

At first I was tempted by the new NEXUS 6 as I have a nexus 7 but it just felt a little too big especially in my line of work. I briefly looked at Samsung but it only drew a "Meh" from me. Looked at LG phones as I was a previous fan and the Nexus 4 was made by them. Motorola phones didn't really appeal even though I know they're the same as every other phone. What about an iPhone.....nah just didn't fancy being a clone of all the youth at work. Then it struck me in the corner of a car phones whare house. A BlackBerry stand. As soon as I picked up a new BB OS10 that was it. I then thought what do I do on my phone,

1) Calls
2) Text
3) E-mail
4) Web search 'n' surf.

The sales man tried his best "we don't sell many of these they're old hat, not very good at all". I asked him what he meant and he couldn't really give me an answer. So I bowled home went on line to my mobile operator and ordered a new Blackberry classic. It arrived the next day. All shiny and heavy, 4g etc,etc. BB world for any apps I'd need or Amazon app store or I can side load off the Play store should I really want too. Standby by even with heavy use is around two whole days three if you turn off at night. All in all a backwards step in to comfy slippers but great reception, super fast internet, easy to type texts and Email that's unbelievably easy to use. Only Apps I don't have yet are Netflix and Amazon MP3 all others came over and work find.

 

[Phog Allen]

You know Stu, I think you are on to something. When we finally made the smartphone jump a year or so ago we thought about what we really do with it. Your list covers it. We settled for unlocked Moto g models with LTE for $200 apiece from Amazon. No contracts, no bull, no debt. They work fine.

 

[MicBaldy]

I'm thinking about going back to blackberry myself when my current contract expires. I miss my old Bold, and I don't use many apps to begin with. I do like the looks of the new Classic.

 

[patten1969]

I love my BlackBerry. I've had several. When I got the last one, the salesman, who was maybe 23, showed me all the things he could do with his Samsung, which included turning your TV on and off.
I do exactly what you do, and not much more. I use it mostly for business, and you can't beat it for that.

 

[Toothpick]

Blackberry Bold is in the top 2 of my most favorite phones.

It was like a little tiny computer. Not like these smart phones now where everything is an app and are basically useless without apps. The phone actually did the heavy lifting. Did everything without an app.

 

[kevdogg329]

I miss my blackberry. I hate texting on a screen. Am alwYs afraid of breaking it. Also dislike autocorrect

 

[Gig103]

I still sometimes miss my Blackberry keyboard, although Swiftkey's predictions and autocorrects are very good. The BB productivity apps (mail/contact/calendar) were very good too. But I don't miss the small, non-touch screen (and I didn't like the touchscreen Blackberry I tried a few years ago). I am not fan of these huge phones with the 6" screens, but my current 4" 720p display is great for Tapatalk and web. That's why I haven't upgraded after almost 3 years. That, and although I don't do much with apps these days it is nice to have the selection out there.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Personally, at least 50% of the apps I use aren't on BB so it's a non-choice, but as long as you're happy with it, it's a good phone for you!

 

[global_dev]

I use a z10 for work, an iPhone 5s during day, and a nexus galaxy at night. The transition from the bold to the z10 recently was pretty difficult comparatively. It's not bad, but doesn't have the auto on/off anymore and ther are some things that are difficult to understand, like the volume buttons media vs ring change. I am getting used to it though.

 

[Razors Direct]

Looking to get a Blackberry Passport myself. Not sure why but it intrigues me. Currently with the beast that is the Note 4

 

[paintflinger]

Blackberry Bold is in the top 2 of my most favorite phones.

It was like a little tiny computer. Not like these smart phones now where everything is an app and are basically useless without apps. The phone actually did the heavy lifting. Did everything without an app.

...but it's still using applications? I'm confused.

from wiki

All the familiar pre-loaded BlackBerry applications are available on the Bold 9700

 

[kevdogg329]

I miss my 9700. Was the best blackberry I had owned.

 

[Gig103]

...but it's still using applications? I'm confused.

from wiki

He probably meant third party apps. Blackberry, like Palm before them, had excellent organization built-in apps like tasks, calendar, and email.

 

[redrako]

The Blackberry keyboards were engineering marvels. No matter how big your fingers, you could type fast and accurately. My wife and I had Blackberry Curves which we had picked up after Palm destroyed the Treo line.

Today we are unhappy Apple users who are out of contract and will probably go with Android phones in the future.

 

[Toothpick]

...but it's still using applications? I'm confused.

from wiki

He probably meant third party apps. Blackberry, like Palm before them, had excellent organization built-in apps like tasks, calendar, and email.

Exactly. There was no need to search an "app store" for a better texting app, or a better calendar. I'm not even sure Blackberry had an app store back then?? I never looked.

I had the first Bold in 2008? I think it was the 9000. It was a beast and I loved it!

 

[Phog Allen]

I will add that if there is one thing I do not like about most of the virtual keyboards it is the constant keying of the wrong characters. Add in auto-correct(which you can likely disable) and there has been some colourful language spoken in the presence of my 'smart' phone. It comes from fat finger syndrome. I have about a size 15 ring finger so you can imagine. I am not a huge guy at 6' but do have large paws.

If I am not mistaken the main draw of BB was super secure messaging. Well, and has been said the PDA features as well. I have never used one but knew those who have and they all liked what it did. I think two things may have hurt BB badly. First was the rather stiff upcharge from your carrier to access the services. This may have flown with businesses who budgeted it in but the average Joe didn't need it once the other two smart phone platforms came out doing most of what BB did/does within their basic fee range. Second was the bungled 7 inch tablet. If there is one device I truly enjoy using it is my Galaxy Tab 7 inch tablet. Small enough to fit just about anywhere but so MUCH more screen than the phones. Wasn't there some issue with the tablet lacking a core function of typical BB hardware? I've wondered if they would have hit a home run with that one how it would have affected the entire tablet market.

 

[StuMcB]

Well I looked at the BB passport and came to the conclusion it was a tadge too big. The classic has a great 3.5screen that is just touch sensitive and is better that any other touch screen I've used. You can also use the track pad as well. Any text is a joy, very few misspelt words and the BB learns how you type. So the more typing the better the predictive type. As I say you can use a much improved BB world, Amazon app store or side load from the play store. For me its ideal, sure a few web sites are hard to read but most just auto size for the BB. I've set google as my web home page as BB defaults to bing (here in the UK). It's better than my bold by a whooping 100%. Its heavy in the hand too. Made from metal and plastic not just plastic. If your unsure just go and try one in store. Just remember what you want in a phone and then check BB out again.

 

[Kit Walker]

I went from the BB Torch to the Galaxy S-4 for the camera.

Other than the camera and browser, the S-4 is junk! It can synchronize with Outlook, and the "voice control" can't even control the telephone the majority of the time around here. It requires such a solid data connection to function that even going into the local Costco disables it, and out here in the country, forget it! The Torch was a true hands-free phone, with instant response to voice commands and over 90% accuracy. The android system takes forever to respond, and has about 30% accuracy.

 

[StuMcB]

I forgot about the no nonsense voice control

 

[dieselfuel79]

My first smart phone was a BB pearl...which died after calling 911, ironically, over and over again. Went to the Curve and finally the Bold 9900. BBM was a staple in communication at that time, and I really miss how fast and convenient the BB OS really was. It's too bad that in today's market, people have high (and sometimes) unrealistic expectations of what their smartphone should offer.

I went onto the Samsung GS3 and then succumbed to the "kool-aid" and now have an iPhone 6. Although I enjoy how clean iOS operates, I'd gladly take another BB in the future.