To BB or not to BB?

S

Speedz

Adept
Clichéd Title I know, but really in a fix.

Looking for a phone around 20k, almost locked in on the Bold 2 or 3 provided I could stretch, but then I am at college right now, and as of now my phone bills are in the sub 200 range, but the BIS plans start at freaking 299, plus the Phone and Text bills.

Main reason why I was looking for the BB was mail access and the BBM obviously, plus the fact that I am still kinda stuck with real keys than touch screen.

Now I am really in a fix, is the recurring expense of the BB worth it? Also, any other alternatives in the same price range with a nice full QWERTY keypad?

Thanks...
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
egobrain.exe said:
Im glad i could help!

Yeah, Storm was a bad choice to start with. Blackberry were not that good with the Touch phone at that time. But they have come with a good one in the form of the Torch 9800. Which is a great phone.

And, also to mention. Android is just a platform/OS. Is not a phone. Different android phone have different specs and may vary accordingly. Blackberry is a phone all in all with its own OS. There are also phone with android which are crap(example- X10 and many other SE phones which came with Android). Why not criticise them too while defending Android?
Click to expand...

That's the point of Android, broader options of Handsets at much lower price & reasonable ones, unlike BB. As for BB Torch 9800 costs 28k, SE Xperia Arc costs 26k which is a dual-core device that is 200% (or more) better than Torch 9800. The kind of things you get on Torch 9800 can be had with Galaxy SL for 19k, rather you get a lot more with it. What do you have to say on that? Lack of Physical keyboards? It's gonna vanish soon; wait & watch.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Guys some people want Good physical keyboard and battery life. For them multimedia might be secondary. For some multimedia is more important.

For each his own. Leave it at that. Don't make this a Android vs BB slug fight thread! Rather try to help the OP with his choice according to his needs rather than going on and on to prove your points.

Agreed Android OS is better touch based OS and has a better ecosystem. The OS can do everything in this world but some people need good physical keyboard and BBM service. THey might not care what else their phone can do. Choose for yourself and dont do it for others!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I have been BB user for over a year, I have BB 9700 and i am a happy user. I have upgraded it to OS 6. With this OS its fast, slick and does give much better user interface,battery and camera options. I get about 6-7 hours of talk time easily.

Its a business phone primarily, basically for mails and little bit of social networking and of course the BBM. ITS NOT A MULTIMEDIA PHONE and it doesnt try to be.

This whole fight about android and BB is baseless,since there are of expertise is different.

My suggestion to OP will be Buy BB only if you want instant mail and dont mind paying extra for data services which are steep in comparison to normal data plans out in the market.

If you are not keen on instant mails and high on multimedia, then dont buy BB. Its better to buy something else and get a data plan and be happy. Whatsapp is an alternative to BBM, plus nowadays all messengers have phone apps too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I just read through the entire post. Couple of points,

1. just because ur friends have BB doesn't justify itself as a reason for getting one. BB sucks if not for the integrated office email system. This i assume is of no use to u as u r still in college. Any nokia E series/ Andorid phone can give u email access with notification on home screen infact nokia e5 is cheap and will give u all that u need, for android look at Motorola Backflip or Samasung Galaxy pro or even SE xperia mini pro

2. Some one rightly said tht with BB OS 7.0 due to come in and the fact tht it is not backward compatible, tells us that if u go for a BB now, it will not be a future proof buy. i'd buy a symbain or and android for now and save the rest for the newer devices :)

3. Plus and minuses of BB:

Minuses:

battery life sucks

very few apps

pathetic plans from all operators

screen is very small

Pluses:

great Email and Social Networking integration

great qwerty integration

solid feel to Bold 2 and 3

Pluses of Symbain:

E series has the best battery life across any platform. (i have motorola backflip, Nokia E5, LG Optimux 2X, BB Torch, BB Bold3)

Lot of free apps

very stable platform

same features at a much lesser price

Minuses:

No future to symbain

dont know abt firmware upgrades and future of apps

Pluses Android:

great stable OS

Made for touch phones

great social media integration

great browser

lot of free apps

Minuses:

Battery life really really sucks

lot of malware and viruses

ads in apps

difficult to import data from old handset into android

Also someone rightly suggested get Whatsapp and chat with people running any phone (catch here is that everyone u want to chat with will have to install Whatsapp)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
BlackBerry is an Industry Standard for Corporates and for Organizational/Operational activities BB is essential. There's no denying that. But BB is targeting the General consumers for growth as the Market of Corporates segment has saturated to a level where the future seems deemed. The cost-benefit factor will take its toll if they can't capture large market share in the General Consumer segment.

In the end, my suggestion to OP ... There are BlackBerry haters, Nokia haters, iPhone haters & Android haters all around, so asking them would most likely fetch you biased opinions. You have to use your own understanding. Don't go for a device just because others are going for it or suggesting you something. Clearly scan & evaluate your other needs (besides physical keyboard & mail support, which you've already decided that you need). There are a lot of options from Nokia & brands producing Android devices. I cannot vouch for a particular device unless I've used it but Motorola MILESTONE seems like the device that is going to satisfy you; it costs 19k after discount coupon from 'Lets Buy'.

Buy Motorola Milestone at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews
Motorola MILESTONE - Full phone specifications
Milestone Android - Phone Without Compromise - Features - Motorola Mobility, Inc. India
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
rite said:
I prefer Swype on Android to BB's qwerty. Even Gingerbread's on screen keyboard kills BB's qwerty. I prefer Android for messaging, any day. Provided it is a fast high end Android of course.

Have you ever even typed on an Android keyboard?
Click to expand...

How did I miss it?

No fast high end android onscreen keyboard can match blackberry`s qwerty.I do not like blackberry much but just adore the keyboard and I do write a lot everyday(of course hate it!!)

Can`t even imagine using swype for all those.May be I am yet to come across a high end droid like techboy:(or techboy is yet to see a "high end" blackberry;)(which is highly unlikely considering his diesels,where I am still stuck with those dirty ol`501s)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yeah,, No comparison on The keyboard front ,I am not sure about the torch(never used it) But the Bold and the curve series have fantastic keyboards,perhaps the best in the market. Nokia qwerty phones don't even come close(I am referring to e71/72 here,not the side sliders)

Yes,agreed .some people on touch screen Keyboards may be faster in terms of words per minute esp when using apps like swiftkey and swype, But still hardware qwerty is just a bit slower and far more satisfying under the fingers. BB bold phones keys feel like they have some sort of lubricated mechanism under they keys and many people press them just for the heck for it. ;)

another Plus many have not mentioned is that both bold and torch come with perhaps the best looking and usable cases on the market. Not like samsung who use some cheap perforated leather sleeve as an excuse for case , ;;;;
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
aercy said:
That's the point of Android, broader options of Handsets at much lower price & reasonable ones, unlike BB. As for BB Torch 9800 costs 28k, SE Xperia Arc costs 26k which is a dual-core device that is 200% (or more) better than Torch 9800. The kind of things you get on Torch 9800 can be had with Galaxy SL for 19k, rather you get a lot more with it. What do you have to say on that? Lack of Physical keyboards? It's gonna vanish soon; wait & watch.
Click to expand...
i for one will always want a physical keypad!! also xperia arc is a single core device with a gpu not a dual core like optimus 2x or SGSII. also you can get a BB torch for 23 on ebay. and if you are into typing emails then try a keypad and trust me if you try a good keypad just once, you will never look back again!! :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
^^ exactly. I am constantly on the touch on several fronts each day - email, bbm, whatsapp, fb, twitter et al, and for my requirements i would never look beyond a qwerty bb. super duper amoled screen wala androids are fantastic devices, but personally i can't choose an android's technical gratification over the ease and pleasure my bb brings to me. as many said here, to each his own.

there is a certain thing about the blackberry and its unified messaging that grows on you and at least for me will be a very difficult habit to get out of. Then there are the girls. My gal pals use blackberries, it just works for them (as it works for me) and the android is too confusing for their taste (maybe that makes the blackberry a girly phone? maybe..). So I get to stay in touch with old contacts, and also make new gap pals (at work, at twitter e.g.) mostly because of the power of the bb. Its a great conversation starter to begin with, and many such conversations end up as bbm barcode conquests. ;-)

My wife though, uses an android (san fran) which I had bought but hard sold to her by raving about its multimedia capabilities ;-). She was searching for a japanese language android app the other day and muttered something in disgust as her search results brought in too many japanese wild s*x, hot girls type of apps. i wouldn't know though - i dont android.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
paddydevil said:
get a bb. cuz all girls are on it! the only reason to have a bb.

if u can attract anyways, forget bb, cuz ppl who want to b in touch with you will be anyways. bb or not.
Click to expand...

^ Thats true, mostly because BBM is quite newbie friendly and easy to use,unlike something which they have to download,install,create,etc...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
BB is obsolete now...plus waste of money every month
You can opt for an Andriod, with a GPRS plan starting Rs.100/200 & get going with gtalk for IM, Push Mails, facebook & what all u need from a smartphone nowadays
I've been using BB's past 3 years.. but won't recommend now...
They limit facebook & other apps to work on BIS only..not Wifi so you are forced for a minimum of Rs.500(i think) plan. Plus Blackberry works good only on Post Paid(I guess)

I can't plain justify the cost we pay for BB.... I guess this'll help u decide..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If BBM Is the main Goal, then go for a good Android phone and install WhatsAPP... Thats it..

BB is not for Multimedia Dude... Android is much better at it..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
red dragon said:
Nope!Except Galaxy S all droids have crappy s.q and battery life is pathetic..for a good mulimedia phone,these are important.
Click to expand...
as far as my experience with blackberry from last 7 years nothing to proud on blackberry for battery its just okay nothing great and if you have too much mails and chats along with high number of calls means u need to keep charger along with u
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Back
Top