Droid vs. Blackberry

[Hermes]

I came from a BB Storm. Web browsing is 2-3 times faster on the Droid. The Storm locked up frequently, had memory leaks and required frequent battery pulls. For now, I just wish the Droid could forward email attachments...

 

[welterbf123]

I was a long time BB man. I came from BB Storm. The Blackberry and the Droid are not even in the same ballpark. The Droid is way ahead of the Blackberry! For my money, it's Droid all the way!

 

[bennyj]

I also came from the bb storm. When I first got my Droid I felt a little sad about putting my storm into the drawer.......for about a day! Have not even pulled it out since.

 

[claustin]

I came from the Storm1, and before that, an iPhone, and BB is a distant 3rd to both in my opinion, in every facet. Now this is from a consumer standpoint, and I know BB has it's pluses with security and business, but from a consumer standpoint I can't see how anybody can say it is the king of email, or even communication in general anymore.

The BB won't sync with outlook outside of BES, and don't even start with that owa crap. My iPhone and my BB both sync with my company's outlook server without having to pay for any extra services or sync apps. And that includes my contacts and calendars. Viewing emails on the Storm was horrible. Even if I had it set to automatically download images, it never did. I actually think that the iPhone wins in email experience (with the exception of currently not having a unified inbox), with Android OS a close second (have to manually show images also. It should be a setting to automatically download them imo), and BB a distant third.

I'm not getting into hardware vs. software keyboard because it is a totally subjective preference, but I felt the Storm's clickscreen was atrocious for typing, although it was nice at preventing accidental clicks. RIM needs an option to not use it for typing.

I think the only reason the BB has better battery life is because you simply don't do anything on it for any extended period of time, because it's so agonizing to use. I think iPhone wins at user experience of its OS, Android draws even due to multitasking and openness and takes the lead on carrier coverage and reliability, and they both leave BB in the dust until RIM completely revamps their OS. I think RIM has become complacent, just sitting back living off of their entrenched position in the corporate world. The BB OS is so archaic that it's an absolute pain to use. Sure it's capable, but the user experience is abysmal.

 

[jsh1120]

I think one's experience with BB devices depends to some extent on the support provided by a corporate IT department. I certainly prefer my Droid, but if I were someone who needs instantaneous notification of email, messages, and calendaring in a corporate environment itself is tied to the RIM infrastructure, I'd have a different experience.

Yes, one can approximate the BlackBerry experience if one's IT department is willing to cooperate, but the overall proprietary design of the RIM infrastructure, its lighter footprint in terms of moving information, and built-in security features are the reasons that that BlackBerries still rank as the #1 brand of smartphones.

The Droid is a far better platform for a multi-functional device but it has a long long way to go to be a realistic competitor in a large corporate environment.

 

[slinky]

I moved from a Blackberry Tour to the Droid, which I like very much. What do other former BB users think about the Droid?

The OP has a TOUR NOT a Storm. The Storm is, without any question, a mediocre implementation of the Blackberry OS and doesn't take advantage of the best BB has to offer.

For those of you claiming how the Droid blows away the BB or the Storm, few of you explain more than the basics, which are web browsing, cheaper and larger number of apps.

The BB syncs wonderfully with Outlook. It also syncs everything to the desktop and backs up your phone entirely. In this regard, the Droid looks pathetic because Motorola really dropped the ball on this.

In other regards, it all depends upon your usage. In no way is the Android OS and apps even close to as stable as the BB. I have had the Droid crash numerous times, especially flaky with voice recording apps and with incoming calls when other apps are being used. The BB OS handles these with far, far, far more safety and reliability.

Unfortunately the OP hasn't explained what is highest priority. I tried to give him a list of significant differences between the two that assist in evaluation.

 

[takeshi]

I moved from a Blackberry Tour to the Droid, which I like very much. What do other former BB users think about the Droid?

Aside from not really having a direct equivalent to profiles on the BB, I definitely prefer the Droid. Keep in mind that not all former BB users are identical though. I'm sure there are some that would still prefer the BB.

Oh, and the keyboard on the 8310 was definitely much better though I'm not missing it much these days now that I'm using Swype.

From an IT standpoint though, the BB is preferable since it has better centralized device management out of the box (with BES).

This is your opinion....My Droid trumps any BB I owned...

Didn't the OP ask for opinions? Care to elaborate on yours? It would benefit the OP to know why you think it trumps the BB.

The BB syncs wonderfully with Outlook. It also syncs everything to the desktop and backs up your phone entirely. In this regard, the Droid looks pathetic because Motorola really dropped the ball on this.

You do need a 3rd party solution to sync the Droid with Outlook. I wouldn't blame Motorola though, as the Droid was intended to be a Google experience phone, meaning that it's basically unmodified Android. Android really isn't intended for wired desktop sync if you look at it closely. It's not just Outlook -- it's not designed to sync with anything on a desktop PC out of the box. That said, though, there is Motorola's media sync app...

I do agree that it's a con for those that are Outlook-centric (without Exchange in the mix) but there are options out there.

On the other hand, though, Exchange with ActiveSync works great on the Droid (particularly with Touchdown).

 

[bmore]

Had a Storm for a year, replaced by VZW twice, lots of issues. Droid blows BB away IMO.

 

[Darkseider]

Would love to know what kind of instability you are having? I have had the Droid for nearly one month now and haven't experienced a single hiccup at all. Granted mine is rooted and running BB .7 (ESE53) w/ Adamz's LV kernel but that if anything should make it MORE unstable. Plenty of friends went with the G1 and more recently N1 and dropped their BBs. None of them have had any complaints. As a matter of fact it has been nothing but praise.

 

[Sweettooth]

Some interesting comments. I honestly didn't even think there was any comparison. I configured a number of 8830 Curves here at work for our technicians and used to have a company supplied World Edition which had a nice keyboard. Other than that, the Droid, in my opinion, makes a BlackBerry look like a paperweight. BB's are primitive looking and have primitive functionality. I've had my Droid since early December and have NEVER had to pull the battery, and I can't even remember the last time anything even F/C'd on me.

Visually, BB's don't hold a candle to any Android device or the IPhone, and touchscreen is the wave of the future; personally I can't stand the tacky look of the BB UI's and trackballs are worthless reminders of the old ball mice we all used to frequently use...and clean. I don't know why phones still use them. BTW yes I've used the Storm a little as well but I wasn't very impressed and from the sound of things, no one else was either.

From a functional standpoint I'd say they both get the job done, but the bugginess and the lack of a task killing app on the BB destroys the chance of a head to head standoff. Apps on the BB eat up memory, freeze often, and with no apparent way to view and kill those applications, the device just grinds to a pathetic halt, like a robot mindlessly walking into water. Who would build such a popular device that requires the battery to be pulled so often? I've had to do it countless times on dozens of BB's. I'd feel ashamed being tech support and giving such an instruction; that's the most technologically advanced advice you can give me for solving my problem? Pull the battery? LOL

Again, this is all my opinion; there may be some fortunate soul out there who has yet to experience these problems, and if it were a matter of choosing between any BB and the Droid then I'd say there was room for question given the Droid may be a little pricey for some. However with the price of the Droid coming down and the fact there are other quality Android devices available, it just seems like a foolish idea to go with anything else. Hell I'd go with the iPhone first, as it also eclipses Blackberrys if you ask me...

 

[moparharn]

I went from Bold 9000 to Droid and back to Bold 9000

The Droid is not a reliable business phone if you must count on delivery of email, snyching of calendar, and forwarding of all attachments. I do not have an enterprice server for work. POP3 mail retrieved through outlook or squirrel mail offsite. Verizon told me that the Droid will not forward attachemnts such as the IMG,PDF, TIF, EXC, and Word files I needed to send along. Handbrake?, Touchdown, and other email sysems did not work for me. Once these bugs are worked out I will go back to Android. I loved the phone but I must have the flawless email functionality that Blackberry provides. The cooperation between Google, Yahoo, AOL, and others is not what it should be. I think they initially tried to screw up goggles efforts to send my mail to me. Who knows. FWIW I am not sure that Apple or Win mobile would be any better. Blackberry seems to have a real advantage in the email department.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

I look at it this way. Blackberry is a great work phone because of the email pushing and Outlook syncing. In that respect, my Storm was flawless. If I needed a work phone it would still be the Blackberry. The Droid is a much better personal/fun phone with its better apps, better browsing,etc. For my purpose, the Droid is the one for me but if I needed work connections I would have to use the Blackberry. They both have their place.

 

[Sweettooth]

The Droid is not a reliable business phone if you must count on delivery of email, snyching of calendar, and forwarding of all attachments. I do not have an enterprice server for work. POP3 mail retrieved through outlook or squirrel mail offsite. Verizon told me that the Droid will not forward attachemnts such as the IMG,PDF, TIF, EXC, and Word files I needed to send along. Handbrake?, Touchdown, and other email sysems did not work for me. Once these bugs are worked out I will go back to Android. I loved the phone but I must have the flawless email functionality that Blackberry provides. The cooperation between Google, Yahoo, AOL, and others is not what it should be. I think they initially tried to screw up goggles efforts to send my mail to me. Who knows. FWIW I am not sure that Apple or Win mobile would be any better. Blackberry seems to have a real advantage in the email department.

I have not yet dealt with forwarding attachments and email gets pushed to the device automatically so no problem there. The only problem I and many others ran into with the Droid was the calender not synching. Not sure if the solution is widely known but like the IPhone, when you're setting up your email, you have to leave off "/exchange" if that's normally present. It's weird because I typed in /exchange and it omitted it anyway. However when I blew away the account on the phone and set it up again, leaving the last part out initially, BAM! Synchage.

 

[emlan]

Unless I missed it when reading through the posts, I'm surprised no one compared call quality. I was a long time BB user who is currently digging my Droid, but I personally felt the call quality on the BB was much better than the Droid. I also miss having the complete handsfree dialing via bluetooth that the Droid is still lacking (although I'm hoping is fixed in the near future).

I know that everyone is having different difficulties (or none at all) with Droid/Exchange and I personally ended up having to spend a little extra cash on TouchDown in order to accept Calendar appointments, view my tasks, and use a signature file (I couldn't seem to do any of these on the Droid natively). I certainly didn't break the bank with purchasing the application, but BB did seem to take care of these issues without the need for spending extra cash.

All this being said, I absolutely DO NOT miss the constant battery pulls, inferior software, disappointing web browsing, etc... All and all, I'll take the Droid over BB anytime of the day.

 

[slinky]

I rarely had battery pulls with the blackberry and it could be reset without it. And it's useless comparing the STorm to the Tour. The Storm is a ridiculous piece of equipment that doesn't come close to optimizing what BB does best.

Quite frankly, receiving email, replying, entering calendar, etc. is all MUCH more efficient on the BB. Say what you want about the browser but as a business/emailing too, it's very good. With a touchscreen, as it is getting, it will be very good. What's sad about the Droid is that the outlook/business part isn't up to par but that's expected. But being beaten badly by the Blackberry when it comes to audio/video is a major embarrassment.