My Stupid BlackBerry and Advice Sought on Android Phones!

[Pat Anderson]

My stupid BlackBerry Storm died on the Lake Powell trip. I plugged it in to the charger, and after FOUR DAYS, it came back to life. But it was creepy, like the pets and people buried in Stephen King's Pet Cemetery. Then it came back a little more - I thought it was working. Now it has started spontaneously shutting down and/or rebooting! Enough already!

I want to buy a used Verizon Android phone on Craigslist - not the least bit interested in extending our Verizon contract ANOTHER two years, what we really want is iPhones, but we have another year to go on the Verizon contract, and the penalty for early termination is just too big to move to iPhones now. Of course a Verizon iPhone would be nice, but I am not holding my breath for that one!

But there are a LOT of models of Verizon Android phones! I have no idea which one I should spring for...advice? The best ones? The ones to avoid? Thanks!

 

[Jazzmanic]

Pat, do what I did. Bite the bullet on your early termination fee and buy the iPhone. Caryn and I did and it was money well spent. We both lover our iPhones! :thup

 

[Captains Cat]

Pat, have you tried a "hard" reboot? That is, take off the back and remove the battery all the way for a period of time (several minutes).

Charlie

 

[Wefings]

They sell refurbished droids at verizon [stick with the Motorola] .But first call and see if they will send another blackberry [or if you have the insurance drop it accidentally] in the water somwhere deep . Keep the battery . If you are out of warranty they will sell a refurb with no contract extension . It is a little less of a hit than a new one and then you can have fun rooting it and hotrodding the rom on the droid .
Not that I endorse anything like that .
Marc

 

[Mike...]

Pat, do what I did. Bite the bullet on your early termination fee and buy the iPhone. Caryn and I did and it was money well spent. We both lover our iPhones!

No offense, Peter (and Caryn), but I had an iPhone, and while I liked it a lot, the ATT network is a pile of poo!

I recently picked up a Droid X and I love it - and I really like Verizon's coverage -- which so far has been everywhere.
---
mike

 

[20dauntless]

I wonder if BlackBerry quality is slipping. I still use an 8300 that's got to be 3 or 4 years old when traveling internationally and it works fine. I much prefer my iPhone but it's not easy to swap SIM cards to another carrier when abroad, unfortunately.

I can't help you much with the Droid decision. I did use a friends original Motorola Droid a bit and wasn't impressed. It seemed slow, not at all snappy like the iPhone. But I don't have much time with one so I'll defer to those who do. I'm sure Jim will chime in soon, he seems to love his Droid.

 

[Mike...]

...not the least bit interested in extending our Verizon contract ANOTHER two years...

Pat, you might try calling Verizon and telling them you are going to move to ATT because you want a iPhone and see if they will work with you to get a Droid.

But as you saw in my previous post, you don't actually want to switch to stinky, smelly ATT. :thdown
---
mike

 

[Pat Anderson]

Oh yes, I am the master of the BlackBerry battery pull - Patty and I both do it multiple time per week...

Pat, have you tried a "hard" reboot? That is, take off the back and remove the battery all the way for a period of time (several minutes).

Charlie

 

[Pat Anderson]

Yes, am out of warranty (did it even have one?). Have not checked on refurbs, but the BB is $425 and the Droid is $530 without a contract extension at Verizon - would rather pay the termination penalty than buy a phone from Verizon!

They sell refurbished droids at verizon [stick with the Motorola] .But first call and see if they will send another blackberry [or if you have the insurance drop it accidentally] in the water somwhere deep . Keep the battery . If you are out of warranty they will sell a refurb with no contract extension . It is a little less of a hit than a new one and then you can have fun rooting it and hotrodding the rom on the droid .
Not that I endorse anything like that .
Marc

 

[Papillon]

Pat, you might just want to choke it down and wait it out...according to this news story.

SAN FRANCISCO — Facing intense competition from phone makers wedded to Google’s Android software, Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, plans to bring the iPhone to Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

After more than three years of using only AT&T cellphone networks, Apple is making a version of the iPhone 4 for Verizon’s network, according to a person who is in direct contact with Apple. Apple and Verizon will begin selling the phone early next year, the person said, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because the plans were supposed to be confidential and he did not want to alienate his contacts at Apple.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Well, since you asked... :roll:

Seems to me that everyone has their favorite or the villain. I like the Droid. Our daughter just got one (Droid2), and she said, " This is the first phone that I LOVE." Yes, I know there are folks out there who adore AT&T, but everywhere we go, people bitch about their AT&T coverage. And these are people who travel like we do.

To me, the carrier is the key. Read through any iPhone forum and see what people have to say about their carrier. Do a search on iPhone vs Droid. It's not overwhelming one over the other... both phones do a fine job.

And now, the admonition: don't cheap out, get what you want. But if you haven't spent some time with either, how do you decide? See above: both phones do a fine job.

What carrier are the people you call most on?

There are WAY tougher decisions to be made... like: Honda or Suzuki, Wallas or butane/propane, work or retire??

:twisted:

Good luck with your decisions.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[Jazzmanic]

No offense taken Mike, I was mainly talking about the functionality of the iPhone. As for the service, I personally don't have any complaints. There are some areas we had no service but oh well. I guess there have been dropped call issues but I had those issues with T-Mobile. I'm not a big phone user but Caryn is. Honestly, I can't address any issues about Verizon as I've never had their service and I've never used a Droid. However, I've had my iPhone for nearly a year and still love it.

Pat & Patty, good luck on your decision.

Peter

 

[Doryman]

Oh yes, I am the master of the BlackBerry battery pull - Patty and I both do it multiple time per week...

Bummer -- I have had no, none, zilch problems with my Storm 2 <knock on wood>. I lost my Storm 1 and the sales guy I work with at the Verizon store took pity on me and got me into a Storm 2 for about $100. I bought insurance on the new Storm 2!

When my contract is up in January I'll be looking at Droids so am interested in what people have to say here. Jim, I think Pat (and I) want to know how to choose between the various Droid models.

Warren

 

[RJD Wannabe]

I absolutely hate my iPhone/ATT combo. Endless dropped calls, can't stand the keyboard. I am about to jump to Verizon and Droid II. Even though I am a total Mac user. The GPS on my 3GS is a complete joke.

Part of the problem was when I first got the iPhone 3GS, had to be replaced under warranty, I think they gave me a refurbished pos. Now the battery doesn't last long, calls constantly dropped. I'm so done. Beware of refurbished, not sure the battery is new.

Part of why I want the Droid II is a real physical keyboard. My fingers need the actual keys to hit, not just part of the touch screen.

 

[colobear]

Posting this from our droid 2. Thus far it is great. The only drawback is the battery needs constant attention. We use it as a hot spot for the PC and it makes wireless life much
Easier.

 

[Captains Cat]

Like my Droid X. I think the difference twixt that and the "2" is that I have no physical keyboard. Makes phone a lot thinner and the virtual one is big and easy to use. Never had a dropped call...

Charlie

 

[JamesTXSD]

Oh yes, I am the master of the BlackBerry battery pull - Patty and I both do it multiple time per week...

Bummer -- I have had no, none, zilch problems with my Storm 2 <knock on wood>. I lost my Storm 1 and the sales guy I work with at the Verizon store took pity on me and got me into a Storm 2 for about $100. I bought insurance on the new Storm 2!

When my contract is up in January I'll be looking at Droids so am interested in what people have to say here. Jim, I think Pat (and I) want to know how to choose between the various Droid models.

Warren

Hi Warren,

I am not a Droid expert. I did buy the Droid (Motorola) on the first day it was available, but I have no hands-on experience with the other Android phones. Mine is the first generation of the Motorola Droid; the newest version of that is the Droid2. I bought mine because it had a big screen and received outstanding pre-release reviews. As it turns out, it has completely quelled my iPhone envy. It has been a good unit from day one and does all I hoped for and more. Early on, I lusted after the Navionics app that the iPhone had and Droid didn't; Navionics now has apps for the Android and I have that on my phone. I did use it a few times while in the Tetons this summer... cute app that is very inexpensive compared to buying a chartplotter card, but it won't replace the big screen equivalence.

I have no urge to update my Droid with the newer (faster processor) Droid2 or the X. Mine works... or as the ads used to say: Droid does. When the time comes for a free upgrade (or a greatly reduced price... I got my Droid for $100), I'll do some research to see what's available.

I have no doubt that Apple and Verizon WILL come to an agreement. iPhone market share has dropped due to the advance of the Android phones and they can mine a whole new market with Verizon customers and iPhone customers who will jump ship from AT&T. We'll see what the Verizon iPhone offers, and see what the impact of all those new smart phone users on Verizon's network does.

Between our phones, the data plan, and the Mifi, we give Verizon a good chuck of change each month. I feel I get my money's worth, though, because we do get good coverage almost everyplace we travel. Even though the carriers try to "force" loyalty with their "escape charges" and inducements for phones with another 2 year contract, I'm in it for what it does for US. If the service slips, I would have no problem shopping carriers. Verizon works, Droid works. The Mifi works.

I have to chuckle at my iPad once in a while. It continues to remind me that I haven't signed up for AT&T yet... there is no button to press for "when pigs fly." The iPad works so well, that I may not have felt the need for a smart phone if I had had it at the time. Interesting how quickly we become attached to what each device can do.

The phone coverage at Colter Bay Village this summer was pretty dismal. With the Wilson Sleek, we had good coverage at our 5th wheel, but walking around the Village, it was pretty lousy. Once out on the lake, there was good coverage again. As a result, I didn't use the Droid in my normal way... it became my radar device while out on the water, my GPS/chartplotter when driving the rescue boat (no GPS on that boat), and my phone when in the Wilson cradle at home. I didn't carry it on my hip, it lived in my boat bag or in the cradle. Now that we're back in civilization, it's back on my hip.

Probably WAY more than you wanted to know, with no "here's the Droid to buy" advice. Hey, it works. For me. Your mileage and coverage may vary. :wink:

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[jennykatz]

We have sprint and I would like to know how the new HTC and newer smart phones work blackberry's etc. We get a good corporate discount so I would like to stay with them

I want to be able to tether to a toshiba netbook any thoughts

Pat maybe you can get a used phone at verizon or ask one of your friends for an extra phone that they are not using or buy from them ?

 

[C-Roamer]

I have an iPhone on AT&T. The coverage is marginal in Alaska and it wouldn't work at all in Elfin Cove. Anyhow I have decided to go with a Verizon phone and the two top choices are either the iPhone 5 when it is available sometime after the 1st of the year or the HTC Desire HD, Verizon version (also available soon).

 

[TyBoo]

Can't help you with the BlackBerry. I traded in my iPhone 3Gs to give the new Torch a try. It was junk in my opinion. Traded back after less than two weeks. BB's quality took a dive on that one. My guess is RIM realizes they have lost the edge in the consumer market and went for one last hurrah with the Torch, but their heart wasn't in it. It's kind of sad, really, because I liked my first two BlackBerrys so much I was hoping they would win me back with this one.

Verizon and AT&T are equal down here where I live, so I have no desire or need to change carriers. The kids say AT&T rules, and we all know kids know more about this stuff than we will ever know. We are grandfathered with the unlimited data plan (until they decide they have humored us long enough, I suppose).

Now I have the iPhone 4, and despite my earlier griping about Apple, the thing is flawless. And guess what? I have never once done a battery pull on an iPhone. Even if it could be done, I have never seen a reason. I don't think I have even turned the iPhone 4 off. With the BlackBerrys I did a pull at least once a day whether it needed it or not, and more often if it did. The girls rarely did, and they had lots of little annoying troubles. They have very little trouble with the iPhones

I did notice that the iPhone 4 runs iOS much snappier than the 3Gs. The 3Gs started showing a few quirks when we upgraded to the new OS. The iPhone 4 battery life is better, too, and that's a big one for me. The only thing the girls are jealous about with me having the newer one is the camera. The iPhone 4 has a great camera.

So, Pat - How much is the early termination fee? It seems I checked once a few years ago with AT&T and they told me it was $175 for me at that particular time. If you are fixing to buy some used phones to go a year, aren't you just stretching out the waste of money? AT&T charges a fee to activate a phone, and I would imagine Verizon does too. So unless you can swap the SIM cards yourself and just go on about your way, you will be paying something to change anyhow. BlackBerry data service is not the same as others, so it is likely you're not going to be able to do it yourself.

I have limited experience with the various Droid phones because the first few I considered didn't seem to be what I wanted. I do know they have advanced quickly, and because it is really an operating system that runs on several different phones they are always going to be changing more frequently than the traditional yearly update. That might be good, I guess, but to keep up will cost lots of money. And even their ads make it sound like they are still trying to be as good as the iPhone. The Droid users are certainly enthused about the things and very happy with them, so they must be good. Best is always a matter of opinion, so who really knows.

One big selling point with you for the Droid might be the ones that will act as a WiFi hotspot. I seem to recall you going through a great many contortions in the past getting your phone to act as a modem, going all the way back to the Palm. Huh? Huh?? If the phone can do it easily and for free, that might be your answer right there.

Or, I have a BB Bold 9000 I'll sell you for fifty bucks that will get you through your remaining time with Verizon so you can get the phone the kid in you wants.