Switching from Blackberry to Android. Suggestions?

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

That is why I started this thread. If going to Android is going to be a pain in the ass becasue of the lack of support I may have to reconsider. However, I upgrade annually. So as long as I get the current version of Android (ICS) on my device. I should be good to go for the following year.

Red is bullsh*ting, there is no lack of support if you get yourself something decent and not something low end. If you upgrade annually you won't have an issue, even if it's every two years. It's in the third year that support starts getting fuzzy for the high end phones. My phone (Galaxy S) I've had for almost two years now and it the gingerbread upgrade a few months back.

Just a note though ICS just got announced last week and the first phone that's coming out with it won't be out until early next month, upgrades on existing phones probably won't happen until Q1 next year.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

Just a note though ICS just got announced last week and the first phone that's coming out with it won't be out until early next month, upgrades on existing phones probably won't happen until Q1 next year.

I will definately be getting a high end phone. Right now, as far as I can tell, the high end Android phones with Telus are only like $99 for a three year contract (I get to upgrade every year at the three year contract price). Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze seem appealing at the moment. By the time I upgrade in six weeks, there could be something even better (newer) out there.

[Red]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

Red is bullsh*ting, there is no lack of support if you get yourself something decent and not something low end. If you upgrade annually you won't have an issue, even if it's every two years. It's in the third year that support starts getting fuzzy for the high end phones. My phone (Galaxy S) I've had for almost two years now and it the gingerbread upgrade a few months back.

Just a note though ICS just got announced last week and the first phone that's coming out with it won't be out until early next month, upgrades on existing phones probably won't happen until Q1 next year.

That is a very convincing argument.

[Superflyer]

I just switched from a BB bold to a Galaxy S2 and I love it. The screen is great on it, it is very fast my only concern is the battery life, I can get a little over a day on it, much less if I play angry birds or something.
My wife has a iPhone and I liked that and almost got one myself but wanted to try the Android side for myself. I am glad that I did, very impressed. It is very thin and light but still feels like it can take a little beating.

[MrMastodonFarm]

I'm in an interesting position to comment here, as I've now had a Blackberry, iPhone and now an Android phone all within the span of a month.

I qucikly grew tired of the iphone when I switched to it last month. The outdated interface, the battery life drain was jbrutal. I don't like the industrial design of the 4 and 4s. I decided to go withh a Nexus S and I love it. Its getting ICS soon and will only make the phone that much more enjoyable.

I love having a phonne that I can make mine. Android is on the cutting edge in terms of features. When Apple does face unlocking in two years and calls it magical android users can laugh.

The Nexus S isn't the best droid phone on the market (a year old now) but its a great phone. It apparently had some issues previously but my experiance has been great.

Love this phone.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

I recently switched from a BB9700 (Telus) to a Samsung Infuse (Rogers), I like it. Large screen, fast internet.

I have an OtterBox case, and it makes it look like I'm carrying a tablet around. I don't mind the size as I use a BT headset all the time anyway. I like to use the Torque app (I use a BT OBDII dongle to monitor the stats of my car, real-time) and Sleep-As-Android app (I have been tracking my sleep patterns). I like Swype too.

I am in the process of learning how to root this phone.

[burn_baby_burn]

I have heard plenty of people talking about how the battery life on an Android will not be as good as a Blackberry. However, a year ago I had a Tour. It worked well until I upgraded the OS. Then I couldn't get through a business day without recharging. My Torch is better, still on a busy day when its getting lots of use, I need to recharge some time during the day. I unplugged it at 5am this morning and as of right now, it is at 51%. I'm constantly checking for running applications and closing any that are running so that obviously isn't the problem.

Even if Android's battery is not quite as good as my Torch. I'm pretty prepared with chargers all around me. That is another reason I want an Android over an iPhone. I won't have to spend $100 on new chargers.

[Red]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

I'm in an interesting position to comment here, as I've now had a Blackberry, iPhone and now an Android phone all within the span of a month.

I qucikly grew tired of the iphone when I switched to it last month. The outdated interface, the battery life drain was jbrutal. I don't like the industrial design of the 4 and 4s. I decided to go withh a Nexus S and I love it. Its getting ICS soon and will only make the phone that much more enjoyable.

I love having a phonne that I can make mine. Android is on the cutting edge in terms of features. When Apple does face unlocking in two years and calls it magical android users can laugh.

The Nexus S isn't the best droid phone on the market (a year old now) but its a great phone. It apparently had some issues previously but my experiance has been great.

Love this phone.

Hopefully google will have its version working by then. A lot of red faces at the launch when it did not work :-)
BTW, that feature was already available on iphones (RecognizeMe) before google added it. Just sayin...

Agree with Nexus. You get it all, modern hardware, support from Google and Android without bloatware.

Moto Razor may challange that too now.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Red

Hopefully google will have its version working by then. A lot of red faces at the launch when it did not work :-)
BTW, that feature was already available on iphones (RecognizeMe) before google added it. Just sayin...

Face recognition seems like a gimmick to me. Sure it sounds cool. However wont the novelty wear off when you have to hold your phone up to your face everytime you want to unlock it? Seems like it would get old pretty quick.

[Red]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Face recognition seems like a gimmick to me. Sure it sounds cool. However wont the novelty wear off when you have to hold your phone up to your face everytime you want to unlock it? Seems like it would get old pretty quick.

Agree, especially when you have to do it in the dark. Carry a flashlight?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Face recognition seems like a gimmick to me. Sure it sounds cool. However wont the novelty wear off when you have to hold your phone up to your face everytime you want to unlock it? Seems like it would get old pretty quick.

I agree totally, was just putting it out there. I wouldn't use something like that, like I don't use voice commands. I would much rather just actually txt. I txt people, because I don't want to call them. I don't want to talk to a txt message.

[psicodude]

I think the biggest difference you will notice is the massive amount of personalization you can do with the Android phones. Even if you don't go down the custom rom route, apps like beautiful Widgets and the "go" suite of skins let you do some really cool stuff. This ability to change the phone to your liking really reduces the annoyances that nearly every device comes with. For example, I primarily use my new Telus S2 for business purposes and I keep a really tight schedule. No problem. I have a calendar widget that lays my entire day out for me in a format that I find intuitive and easy to read. The point is, that while all devices come with a calendar app, the Android lets me customize things to my hearts desire, make it as large or small as I want, and then lets me stick it anywhere on the UI that I want.

I also thought I would mention that I have had really good luck with "Juice Defender" to manage my battery life. I have seen a solid 25% gain while on the balanced setting. My phone is on a solid 17 hours a day and is usually around 30% left when i charge it over night. As with anything, your mileage may vary though.