Blackberry user switching to Droid: Couple of questions

[jmt9779]

I am...err, was...a die-hard Blackberry user but I'm gonna give the Droid a shot later this week,and I've been lurking around these forums for the last few days but I'd like to just get a couple of things confirmed before I take the leap...

1) I'm hearing and reading a lot about problems with yahoo email setup, even that some of the fixes/workarounds don't work. Anyone?

2) Does the Droid have true threaded text messaging?

3) What's the deal with notifications on the Droid? I really can't survive without my notifications (vibrations, sounds, blinking light) for missed calls/voicemails/emails/texts/calendar appts and I thought I read that the Droid doesn't really handle these very well...or at all.

4) This is a personal preference question but how are you guys dealing with the lack of physical send and end buttons?

TIA!

Yes, I've read the FAQ and tips threads (GREAT threads by the way!) but haven't found solid answers yet.

 

[Deleted User]

Guess I will give it a try.

1. I have tried to set up a yahoo account twice and deleted it twice. It worked for a time then just stopped pushing emails through.

2. Yes it does have true threaded text messaging.

3. There is an "app for that" search the Marked for a program called Missed Call.

4. They are on the touch screen, I have not had a problem making and ending a call.

Hope this helps.

 

[jimbubba3]

I just switched from a Blackberry to the Droid. Best phone upgrade I have ever made. I have also tried setting up my yahoo mail a few times with no luck. It works for a couple days and then just stops. I just use gmail now and have no problems. Droid is great. A friend of mine just returned his 32gig iphonde 3gs and got a droid after he saw my droid. He also realized that at&t has horrible service.

 

[jmt9779]

Thanks for the quick replies, guys!

The yahoo email thing really chaps my ass but if everything else on this phone is going to be linked to a single google account, then I may have no choice but to switch to gmail.

 

[jennyloca715]

my hubby owns a bbs and it freezes alot. I think he might get a droid soon.

 

[Consilia]

I lived my BB Pearl the past 2 years, but it doesn't hold a candle to my droid! As long as you recognize it's an entirely different operating system and devote a little time to learning it you won't ever look back!

 

[milrtime83]

Just wanted to comment on #3. The "Missed Call" app does it to an extent, but it doesn't quite do as much as the BB can. The light is also not as big/bright as the BB one so you have to specifically look at the phone to see it as oppose to the BB light that can grab your attention from across the room. Other than that, I've gotten used to it and don't miss the BB at all.

 

[Patmos]

Went from the BB Pearl, Curve, Storm, Tour and then the Droid.
No comparison. The Droid rocks. Don't even think about the BB anymore. The app gallery is awesome. Sooo much better than the BB. For my use, it was the best move ever on a phone.

 

[Bramsy]

im going to be coming from a storm.... eventually.

whats the deal with profiles or lack thereof??

 

[Redflea]

I am...err, was...a die-hard Blackberry user but I'm gonna give the Droid a shot later this week,and I've been lurking around these forums for the last few days but I'd like to just get a couple of things confirmed before I take the leap...

1) I'm hearing and reading a lot about problems with yahoo email setup, even that some of the fixes/workarounds don't work. Anyone?

I don't know if Yahoo supports this, but if it does, simply set up a gmail account that pulls the Yahoo mail via pop/imap, and then set your gmail account reply-to to match your yahoo account.

2) Does the Droid have true threaded text messaging?

Yes, and there are several excellent free SMS apps you try out to customize your experience further, the two I've used are Handcent and ChompSMS.

3) What's the deal with notifications on the Droid? I really can't survive without my notifications (vibrations, sounds, blinking light) for missed calls/voicemails/emails/texts/calendar appts and I thought I read that the Droid doesn't really handle these very well...or at all.

You're going to miss your BB notification options, but the Droid is pretty good. Missed Call and Missed Reminder are two apps that will help close the gap. You can set mixtures of vibrate, sounds, and lights, and apps like Handcent (and ChompSMS, I think) allow further notification customization.

4) This is a personal preference question but how are you guys dealing with the lack of physical send and end buttons?

I thought it would be a big issue, but it rarely is. There have been a few times when I've left the call screen to look at something, but you can get back quickly when you want to.

What I really missed were the Blackberry sounds! I found them, and am quite happy now. It's not a Blackberry, which is mostly very good in terms of stability, no need to restart multiple times a week or day, and so much flexibility/options in terms of applications and customizations lacking in BBs.

 

[Redflea]

im going to be coming from a storm.... eventually.

whats the deal with profiles or lack thereof??

Nothing as elegant as on the BB for profiles, but there are apps that will give you some of the BB profile features. There are some apps that allow you to set phone behavior based on location and/or time of day.

 

[saltysteve]

from the strom you will miss the following:

the light on bb is 10x brighter
*camera is 10x clearer
*no camcorder light on driod
*u have to hold the phone like a girl so it doesnt accidently push buttons
*texting sucks on it
*there is no real way to save a text for lets say forwards without it coming up the next time you text that person. so you cant save it as a separate text because its linked to that number (***)
*more of a pda than a phone. the actual phone functions arent as nice.
*just stupid things like that - i could go on but id say yeah i miss my storm but i dont miss it being so damn SLOW! or FREEZING!! the driod is fast and barely ever freezes. I have only had it freeze once a month so far. the typing on the driod though on the keyboard is pointless. yeah people say "oh i like it" , but really if you type fast with the storm the driod keyboard slows u down. the screen key board is also way to small (up and down)
so all in all id say get a driod just because its fast and better apps. or wait a little and get the new eris with the 2.0 - that would just be a better phone since this key board slide thing is dumb.

 

[Fadingstar03]

do it, I also had a bb and in fact I was checking something on it the other day and could not believe I actually used that junk, it seemed like a toy compared to my droid...glad I made the change im sure you'll feel the same way... p.s. my yahoo mail works just fine on my droid...

 

[jmt9779]

You guys are great!

To be honest, I was never much of a touchscreen guy and I hadn't heard much good about the Droid's physical keyboard so I was planning on getting the BB Tour2 when it comes out but then over the holidays a couple friends wouldn't shut up about wanting to get Droids (they're both current BB users too), so I looked into it a little more and decided I'd give it a try. (BB's same ol' OS and slightly updated hardware are reliable but don't really get me excited anymore. And since this is my personal phone, not work phone, I wanna try something fun and new.) Then I started this thread and spent a few hours really reading these forums (these forums are fantastic, and this is coming from a current/former Crackberry forum member), making lists of what apps and widgets I should check out, read a lot of the FAQ threads and stuff for Android and Droid noobs.

The end result was me just getting off the phone with VZW and asking them to move my NE2 date from 1/12 to tomorrow (They did.) I don't know how this is gonna play out, but I've 30 days to play with the Droid, so I'm giving myself 29 days to work through the learning curve and get comfortable with my phone "needs" and to start exploring all of the cool stuff that the BB just can't.

Again, I really appreciate all of your guys' replies here!

 

[jimbubba3]

Trust me, you will still have your Droid at the end of 30 days. Its just a great phone/gadget.

 

[Redflea]

Gotta agree...I thought I'd never leave BB, was going to get the Storm2 or Tour after my two years w/the Pearl, but I'm not looking back at BB at all since I got my Droid. Wasn't a touch-screen kinda guy, but have adapted really well to it, and the gorgeous screen on the Droid makes using it a pleasure.

 

[jimbubba3]

I had bb storm and that phone really made me question getting another touch screen phone. The storms screen is horrible. I always wanted a phone that could do pretty much anything and that's what the droid offers. I can't wait for the ability to play flash video. Should be pushed to handsets the first half of 2010. Fingers crossed. Also, blackberry appworld is nothing compared to the android market.

 

[damwa]

Your also going to have to get used to bringing the charger with you all the time because the battery life on the Droid sucks compared to a blackberry.lol. The Droid facebook app is annoying also because it does not notify.

 

[greg72]

Your also going to have to get used to bringing the charger with you all the time because the battery life on the Droid sucks compared to a blackberry.lol. The Droid facebook app is annoying also because it does not notify.

I agree, I miss my Blackberry Facebook App. Other then that Wouldn't go back to Blackberry if you paid me.

 

[OldHooky]

Coming from a Bold I've started to use K-9 Mail Beta, which offers Push and doesn't, like other alternatives, need anything loaded on the corporate server.

It's getting e-mails as fast as my desktop!

 

[skip]

I am trying to decide if I sould keep the droid eris or go back to my storm. All of your questions are very valid. I love the droid for its apps, size, weight and functionality. It does not have the notification options the BB has, but it does ok. The yahoo setup didn't work on my phone, and I am having trouble getting attachments to download.

I am thinking of giving the droid up because it does not manage ringtone profiles very well. With my storm I could set the phone to all quite, but 3 important contacts could still call me. One of them is my fire department page for alarms, so I may have to give it up just for that.

If you are not using you phone for mostly business, you will probly like the droid. I have untill the 22nd to find a fix for the email and ringer profiles, or I'm going back to my storm. The apps are awsome though, and mostly free.

 

[skip]

lack there of the only sucky thing

 

[jmt9779]

just wanted to come back and thank you guys for all your input. i picked up my droid at lunch time today and am REALLY happy with it so far.

Thanks a lot everyone!

 

[smokiedabong]

About the yahoo mail , mine works perfectly since day one . I have a couple yahoo addresses setup with this method Motorola Droid - Setting Up Yahoo Mail IMAP | Mobile Technology Deals and Help and never missed a mail yet .