Captivate or BB Torch for Business

[adawg]

Hi everyone. New here, but looking for a little help. I am looking for a new mobile device for work. I currently have a BB Curve that is slow and way outdated. I've been told I can choose any smartphone I want from AT&T. I think I have narrowed it down to the Captivate and the BB Torch. I am a very heavy email user (get in the neighborhood of 400 emails a day for work) so that is the device's main function. If I choose the Captivate I am sure my IT folks will use Good as the email client, as they do on our iPhones.

My gig also has be on the Internet looking for articles a lot, so a good, fast browser is preferred. I thought I had decided on the Captivate, but now I am reading about problems with freezing, GPS not working anddelayed email delivery. Have these issues been fixed? As cool as the phone is, it has to work for me.

My other concern is the touch-screen keyboard. I have always had blackberries, so the keyboard will take some getting used to.

That said, the Captivate seems lightyears ahead of the Torch in features. But is it really a business device?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[TRSN]

My thoughts:

It is too bad the Captivate doesn't have the slide out keyboard that the Galaxy S on Sprint has (Epic). I have had both Captiviate and Epic and for certain times of heavy email I really like the slide out keyboard. With that said, Swype is awesome and is available on Captivate and is a huge benefit that you should look at. The Captivate AMOLED screen is as good as it gets. For me, the downside to the Captivate is 1) broken GPS (for me this is a show stopper as I require a GPS) 2) no FFC 3) no LED flash with the camera and 4) no slide out keyboard. These may not be issues for you.

I was in an AT&T store last week and according to the store manager there the Torch already seems outdated. In his opinion, it just didn't compare to the other devices out there. I didn't ask him to explain as I wasn't really interested in the Torch. Sorry i can't substantiate his claim.

Now - for perhaps something you haven't thought of. Tomorrow (Nov 8), AT&T is launching the new Windows Phone 7 OS with 2 new phones. They will have the Samsung Focus and the HTC Surround. Again, from the AT&T guys, who went through substantial training on these new phones, they said that WP7, and specifically the Focus, blows away every other phone out there. The Focus has the same AMOLED display as the Captivate and runs on the new, reportedly very stable, WP7 OS. The downside to these new Windows phones is that you there just aren't as many apps as there are for the Cappy. That will change over time, but should be noted. And I hope Swype will become available for it soon.

Bottom line - I left Blackberry devices several years ago, and have not looked back. I have had iPhone 3G and 4, Captivate, Sprint Epic, and did not even give another thought to the BB.

Good luck with your decision. let us know what you decide.

 

[Frisco]

RIM Blackberries are geared toward business, email usage and they are exemplary in that nitch of the smartphone market.

Android devices are another world altogether, and many make the switch from BBs to Androids quite happily. But if I were still in need of a device with the emphasis that RIM Blackberry provides I'd never have moved to an Android; they just don't compare to that specialization, in my opinion.

The way the OP is stated, it appears that the Torch would be the way to go, unless you're willing to put up with less than what you're used to with the robust email and other business capabilities of the Blackberries.

 

[falconeight]

I would stay away from the torch. I love BB but the torch has build quality problems. The keyboard doesn't feel right. The slide is loose or gets loose quick. If I needed a email heavy phone I would get a bold 9700 or wait a few weeks for the 9780.

 

[adawg]

Thanks for the feedback, and please, keep it coming! To a couple of the points made here, I had a BB Bold - 3 actually, they all crapped out on me, so our telecom folks gave me a Curve to get me by for a bit. While it is a turd for speed and memory, the Curve has worked well.

Frisco - What email capabilities do I lose with the Captivate over a BB? I know we use Good as an email client for non-RIM phones (iPhone and Androids). It seems to be feature rich, but admittedly, I've never used it myself.

 

[Frisco]

Frisco - What email capabilities do I lose with the Captivate over a BB? I know we use Good as an email client for non-RIM phones (iPhone and Androids). It seems to be feature rich, but admittedly, I've never used it myself.

One of the best articles I've seen on this subject, written by an Android fan this past June, is here:

Jumping from BlackBerry to Android? Here's what you need to know! | Android Central

Basically, get your Google mojo going and you'll be fine.

 

[mikayla]

I own a torch
and it is a good phone
and for all that it does
it is good for business, i believe
but it does seem dated

 

[Rockinfigs]

i have both and i would choose the torch over the captivate for your use...email on the captivate doesnt even come close to how bb handles emails..if you do alot of emails like you say then bb is the way to go..Yes the web on the torch is slower and the screen as not crisp but u can get used to it..i have no problems with my torch..build quality is good and no problems freezing up or restarting..plus the gps on the torch works unlike captivate..my captivate has restarted on me few times. Im actually gona sell my captivate and get the focus tues.

 

[adawg]

When you say it doesn't handle email well, are you talking about the default email client? I am a total newbie to Android, but from what my Telecom folks tell me, they would install something called Good on my system to handle emails and mobile security. From the way they talked, it is similar to what is on the BB. Is that not true?

Again, I appreciate all the insight from everyone!

 

[mhw100]

I too am interested in this phone.

My only concern in talking to other business associates is that it the OS can be a little buggy e.g. phone shutting off, poor GPS, poor battery life (unless you turn a lot of things off) - which kind of defeats the purpose of having those tools. Additionally, I understand to get it set up the way you want it work requires a fair bit of tweaking e.g. to remove some of the lag etc. This more or less mirrors what I've also read in this and other forums as well however others I'm sure will disagree.

Many associates have told me that they would not buy the Captivate again for business but they love it for the great screen to watch movies, browse and tweak etc.

I have the Torch and it seems to do everything a business phone needs to do. The only thing that annoys me is the screen particularly coming from the crystal clear 9700. I'm getting used to it however as each day that passes and it certainly isn't what you would call "bad." Browsing is fine, no OS lag whatsoever, build quality is good (had to return my first one though).

As much as I would like to move to Android for a bit more fun and a change of pace, I think I'm going to wait for another year or so to see it mature a bit more. I think there is a "pro" version coming out to cater to the business professional sometime in 2011 but I'm not sure of that.

I think you have to weigh your decision on what you are going to mostly use it for. Sounds like it mostly for emails more so than browsing. As I said the browsing in OS6 with the Torch is not that much slower than the Android I don't believe, so it would come down to the question of email handling for you.

 

[CrimsonPride]

really its hard to beat bb for business, but i know my captivate would work fine for business if i needed it to

 

[Frisco]

When you say it doesn't handle email well, are you talking about the default email client? I am a total newbie to Android, but from what my Telecom folks tell me, they would install something called Good on my system to handle emails and mobile security. From the way they talked, it is similar to what is on the BB. Is that not true?

There are apps in the Android Market which address the differences between other operating systems and Android, everything from iPhone mimicking to Blackberry-like messaging and email handling.

I'll try again on a write up link comparing Android and Blackberry:

Android Vs Blackberry - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

 

[Terrigno]

I was a heavy blackberry user for years. Honestly for business, go with the BlackBerry. The Typing on the QWERTY and the Instant email notifications are amazing. I loved BlackBerrys and only switched to the Android for something different. If BlackBerry was to amaze me with a Banging device, I would go with it. But........I wouldnt recommend the torch. Go with the Bold 9700 Refresh. Best BlackBerry I ever owned, and I owned just about all of them.

 

[mnemonicj]

I have Exchange e-mail at work and I get e-mails very quickly on my Captivate, often before my laptop gets them over 3G. It is a little difficult to e-mail while walking with the touchscreen, but I like the browser and the ability to customize your phone.

The only thing that I would like that a BB has to offer is the ability to communicate via BB IM. All of my clients that I communicate with a lot have BB phones and use it all of the time. It is a quick way to get an answer from them while they are in a meeting.

 

[mhw100]

I was a heavy blackberry user for years. Honestly for business, go with the BlackBerry. The Typing on the QWERTY and the Instant email notifications are amazing. I loved BlackBerrys and only switched to the Android for something different. If BlackBerry was to amaze me with a Banging device, I would go with it. But........I wouldnt recommend the torch. Go with the Bold 9700 Refresh. Best BlackBerry I ever owned, and I owned just about all of them.

I thought exactly the same about the 9700 and still do in may ways. It is hard to imagine a better communication tool. The 9780 will provide the webkit browser so that will remedy a big hole in the 9700.

Having said that, after using the Torch for a few weeks I don't think I could go back to the smaller 9700/9780 screen. The Torch offers the Touch screen, phyical board and trackpad as inputs so it also provides an extra bit of versatility e.g. I use the virtual for the short texts/emails and the physical for the long ones. Again, the only drawback I see to the Torch is that damned screen resolution.

 

[adawg]

So, I just found out that there is some snag between our plan and AT&T with the Captivate, so the Torch it is for me.

I'll likely be changing my personal carrier to AT&T (have Verizon and while once rock solid, is now horrible where I live) in a few months. Guess I'll get the latest and greatest Android at that point.

Thanks gain for all the help!

 

[saintforlife]

So, I just found out that there is some snag between our plan and AT&T with the Captivate, so the Torch it is for me.

I'll likely be changing my personal carrier to AT&T (have Verizon and while once rock solid, is now horrible where I live) in a few months. Guess I'll get the latest and greatest Android at that point.

Thanks gain for all the help!

Good choice! My wife is on her 2nd Captivate and has lots of issues. It is just not worth it IMHO. If you are getting 400 emails a day and are having to reply to even a fraction of them, I think u will appreciate the physical keyboard of the Torch very much.

 

[viny2cool]

I wish, ATT could get thier hand on Droid Pro...its a good option for people who prefers physical keyboard.

also I tried integrating all my emails with gmail. It works great, even its little slow as compared to on gmail.com on website, but its works for me. there is a delay of like 2 mins to recieve it on the phone.

Its not a problem for me, as I dont need to read and reply every email, but might be a problem with people using phone for work email.

 

[sremick]

It is too bad the Captivate doesn't have the slide out keyboard that the Galaxy S on Sprint has (Epic). I have had both Captiviate and Epic and for certain times of heavy email I really like the slide out keyboard.

If it had a slide-out keyboard, then while all the fans of such would now be happy, all the silent fans who prefer to not have the added bulk and mechanical complexity would be complaining. Not everyone likes them, and having it there and simply not using it is not ideal as it adds unwanted size to the device.

i have both and i would choose the torch over the captivate for your use...email on the captivate doesnt even come close to how bb handles emails..if you do alot of emails like you say then bb is the way to go..

Email on the Captivate is as good as you want it to be. I have a Blackberry for work and a Captivate for personal use. By using K-9 email with IMAP push, I have a better email experience by a long-shot on my Captivate than on my Blackberry.

 

[mhw100]

Email on the Captivate is as good as you want it to be. I have a Blackberry for work and a Captivate for personal use. By using K-9 email with IMAP push, I have a better email experience by a long-shot on my Captivate than on my Blackberry.

What makes it a better experience?

 

[Aerodrifting]

I really think you can type faster on the enormous 4inch virtual Qwerty keyboard on the Captivate, plus you have swype.

Other than the GPS, Captivate trumps the BB in just about every single aspect. The screen is bigger / brighter / higher resolution, the processor is faster and Captivate comes with a much larger storage.

If you really like typing on physical keyboard Splint Epic 4G has the #1 physical Qwerty keyboard of all smartphones, but more moving parts usually spell easier to break.

I don't know what ATT tells you, but Samsung Focus is exactly same as Captivate except running MS windows.

 

[7upster]

BB was made for working people. I have had them as work phones and I loved them. Android is for fun while bb is for work and hardcore email users that need to get emails right away. Androids are not the best at emails. So get android for fun and bb for work if you can't get both due to funds just get vthe bb.

 

[mhw100]

I really think you can type faster on the enormous 4inch virtual Qwerty keyboard on the Captivate, plus you have swype.

Other than the GPS, Captivate trumps the BB in just about every single aspect. The screen is bigger / brighter / higher resolution, the processor is faster and Captivate comes with a much larger storage.

If you really like typing on physical keyboard Splint Epic 4G has the #1 physical Qwerty keyboard of all smartphones, but more moving parts usually spell easier to break.

The screen is bigger and has better resolution but iit is not brighter. I found that the brighter screen on the Torch actually compensated for the lack of resolution compared to the Captivate...maybe it was just my eyes.

The processor is faster but the implementation of the OS6 doesn't create any lag so I'm not sure why a faster CPU would be better other than a faster processor helps to kill the battery quicker. Additionally, the Torch doesn't need a lagfix like the Captivate to stop any lag because there isn't any on the Torch.

Where are the stats for the Epic having the #1 KB? I haven't seen the Epic so I can't comment but my guess is it would be hard to beat the 9700 KB.

The only detraction from the Torch that I can really understand is the resolution. I would say that if you're into playing a lot of games or watching a lot of movies then go for the Captivate. Otherwise the Torch seems to have more versatility e.g. virtual, physical, trackpad etc.

 

[falconeight]

The BB is a great business phone. But the torch is no blackberry it is crap and will annoy you to death. Its cheaply made, the physical keyboard is hard to use and the touch screen is sub-par. If you want a BB get a bold.

 

[mhw100]

The BB is a great business phone. But the torch is no blackberry it is crap and will annoy you to death. Its cheaply made, the physical keyboard is hard to use and the touch screen is sub-par. If you want a BB get a bold.

I would agree that the resolution is sub par compared to the Captivate and I would also agree that the Bold is bullet proof (I loved mine). I would not agree that it is cheaply made. Indeed there was a build issue initially with the "wiggle" in the slider but they seem to have flushed those units out now. I had to return my first one because of it. It was unacceptable for RIM to release those and you would question the QC but so far so good with the ones we have at work.

What exactly do you mean it annoyed you to death?