I have used a Blackberry for nearly three years. I have enjoyed the Blackberry despite the occasional system collapse somewhere at some operating hub that throws my emails into a delayed state. I think this has happened less than a handful of times in three years. One time it was for at least a day. Mostly it occurs for a few hours. Fortunately I move to the computer and access emails on the web, not much wasted or lost time.
I started with a Tour - happy I was, but the rolling ball was a problem at times. The grease and oil our skin naturally secretes would get in the way of the ball moving perfectly. There were a few times when it sort of ... didn't move. I would stare at it, imagining I was seeing something that just was not possible, and in a short bit, the ball was back to working fine.
I don't like scraped or scratched or dirty phones. I remember the first cell phone I had - a Motorola flip phone. It was thin and shiny and oh so thin and shiny and so perfect in shape and look. I would set it on the podium and stare at it. Then it got old and dirty and scratched and tarnished and ... I wanted a new phone. Not because it didn't work, but because it was not the perfectly functioning phone I wanted.
I went in to Best Buy (where I bought the Tour) and traded it in (after 5-6 months) for another (I have a protection plan where I pay $10 a month and have some sort of insurance) Tour. I had that second Tour until October 2010 - about 20 months. I dropped it (perhaps subconsciously) from my desk chair to the floor (a distance of 13 inches or so) and the screen / glass cracked inside and there was no image. I went back to Best Buy and wanted a newer BB ... they had a pitiful collection of phones to choose from. I went with a Motorola Droid. I actually liked it - the look, the screens, the maneuvering between screens and applications. I did not like the fact that if I wanted email instantly I needed a google email account. I use other emails NOT google. The email receive was set at the quickest time of 15 minutes. If it was a google email it would arrive in seconds. I would have to get a google email, forward all my email from my 3-4 email accounts to the google, in order to get emails quickly (assuming all the forwarding went well). Not gonna happen. This rules out the android systems.
: ( and to think the phone I have lusted after Xperia uses the Android system. If I was a phone, I would want to marry the Xperia. I have lusted after it since the original Xperia came out and was not available to US customers.
Back to phones - so if I won't use GOOGLE and ANDROID, I have few options left. Blackberry has some newer phones - Torch and Storm. Torch is not carried by my carrier and I really do not like AT&T (for a half dozen reasons or more). That leaves me with the best BB my carrier has - Storm2. Seems like I am settling for, rather than eagerly embracing. I do like the BB. The communications - email, text, BB Messenger ... brilliant. But there are some downsides -
- the keys are really small - this is in part, part of the BB experience, I understand, BUT ... as the population ages, do you think 40-70 year olds will want such tiny keys that require lights and glasses to see the buttons? I don't think so ... not at all.
- the screen is really small (yes you can enlarge the font but that is tedious when you must use the trackball thing to get to the end of the line or skip lines or ...)
Solve those two and I am forever.
Well, the touchscreen does that, sort of.
The buttons are bigger (screen size now) and the screen is bigger. I am not sure about the sizing - whether you can make the image larger using your fingers a la Droid / iphone.
This is where I am stuck and I didn't get the Verizon guy to argue in BB's favor when I spoke to him today. He seemed to sigh and quietly agreed that there were no BB's that could compete with the iphone and ... maybe I should try it.
I watched a video of the iphone - it reminded me of my first cell phone. Thin, sleek, shiny.
February 3, 2011 - Verizon customers can go to the Verizon webpage and pre-order the iphone for either $199 or $299. The phone will be sent out on February 10 - at the time it will go into stores. I will get the phone 2-3 days after it is in stores (if it is even available in a given store).
So what to do. If I leave BB it is not like I can ever go back, I don't do 'going back' ... leaving is a permanent thing for me, I never look back once I make the decision. Just part of my dysfunctional personality. Besides - the time. Oh my good golly - I spent at least 30 hours getting the Android phone up to par - with all my stuff in it, rings, pictures and to a point where I understood it. When the Tour broke and I had to accept a Curve ... it took easily 4-5 hours over a day or two, to get it all sorted out, maybe longer. I don't have 20 hours to spend just getting ready to use something. So I really have to decide and when I jump in, I can't turn around - I can't waste time and then turn around and throw all that wasted time out again.
I am aware that Blackberry is about to come out with a thing, I am at a loss, to compete with the ipad. The ipad is great - email, internet. But no phone. Much too big for a pocket or carrying around ... I'd lose it. I'd set it down and forget. It is an interesting idea, and here is another idea ...
- why not make it a phone also, and have a bluetooth that pops out (like those pens for the laptop screens to write on). The bluetooth charges when it is in the spot, insert into ear, make the call, surf the web, check email, texts ... it might work.
What do I want in a phone. Small - say no bigger than the iphone in width, length or weight. Give or take a few grams or a 1/4 inch in length or width. I would accept the Droid size or less, the Torch or Storm size.
Screen resolution - All the smart phones seem to be 480 x 360 up to 800. So increase the resolution a little. It doesn't have to be 960 x 640, but more than 480 x 320.
Camera - I think 5 MP is fine.
Better battery - the iphone apparently has a bigger battery for longer life. So make your batteries for a longer life period. Do something and make it so.
OS - NO Android. I don't like google. Google search and google news - great tools. Google Android - NO. Google email - no. Instead, let's go with the Blackberry OS or Windows OS or iOS ... one of those 3 systems would be fine.
Large screen - the Droid is a great size - 4.3 inches.
Email - superior service, immediate delivery for whatever - email / texting / SMS/MMS. In fact, if it isn't Blackberry, whoever makes this phone should create an IM type service that would work with other products (same service provider). That the emails are seamless - everything from Bob is listed under Bob and subject matter listed under same subject or you can order it by 'received' (as it is possible now with Outlook or webmail). That instead of making a folder invisible - that all emails appear in one email box and when you reply - you are replying from whatever email service you received it from.
Phone - whatever - able to call and hear - not much to ask
Bigger buttons and or touchscreen. I know issues exist with touchscreens. So, either compartmentalize the entire screen so when one thing goes it doesn't require the whole phone to be tossed or fix the issues.
Screen / images - able to pinch and expand images/text.
Is there such a phone? I want it if there is, and if there isn't, I think the BB market would be willing to give up whatever BB they have for such a phone because it combines the best of all phones, in a new better phone.
The other thing - don't charge $599 for a phone we know costs MUCH less. The phone company gives a discount (except iphones) of 200 if you sign up for 2 years, and then the mfg throws in a 50 rebate and if you are eligible they knock off 50% ... but you pay tax on the original amount - nearly $60. Whereas if we sold the phone for what it cost plus 100% profit, the phone would be MUCH MUCH less and the TAX would be MUCH MUCH less. I know this, almost seems like the cell phone companies and the government got together to come up with a way to get as much money out of us ....
Anyway.
So what to do???
I have 8 days to decide.
cell phones
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