Pro discontinued !!!!! AAAGGGHHH.....

[fre1102]

I never understood why people always come into this forum talking about qwerty sliders. There's tons of those with way better specs than the portrait qwertys, as we ALL know. However, most of us bought the Pro for it's main purpose: the form factor.

To me, slide-out keyboards are inconvenient and obnoxious to use. They are too wide (can't type with just one hand) and the keys are always too flat! Also they add way too much bulk to the phone and the hinges or sliding mechanism may become weak and break over time. They just don't feel right in the hand.

I couldn't agree more. The Droid, etc. (sliders) are no more useful to me than a virtual keyboard. Build me a Blackberry running Droid. That's what I want, period. I simply am not going to use anything but a portrait physical keyboard.

 

[hal83]

You're using the Admiral? is it CDMA-only, or can it go GSM? That's the only thing stopping me from dumping VZW and going to Sprint for the Admiral. I need the GSM when traveling.

Unfortunately it's only CDMA. Yeah I dumped Verizon (or Pageplus rather) for unlimited data It seems that world phones are becoming a lot more popular nowadays (new iPhone is a world phone; I think the Droid RAZR is too) so maybe that trend will continue. All-in-all, the Admiral is not a worthy upgrade anyway. If it's faster, it's not noticeable. Subpar photos and the camcorder looks horrible even in broad daylight. Same terrible UI. It has the same reboot issues (outrageous!!) as the Droid Pro.

CES 2012 show just kicked off and a whole slew of new android phones are coming out in the next few months with dual-core processors, amazing cameras, and the shiny, new Ice Cream Sandwich update. Unfortunately I haven't seen any yet with ANY type of physical keyboard (2012 must be the year of the death of keyboards).

 

[fre1102]

CES 2012 show just kicked off and a whole slew of new android phones are coming out in the next few months with dual-core processors, amazing cameras, and the shiny, new Ice Cream Sandwich update. Unfortunately I haven't seen any yet with ANY type of physical keyboard (2012 must be the year of the death of keyboards).

I'm counting on keyboards coming back when RIM finally goes belly-up. Right now, we're the weird ones--all the other portrait-keyboard-heads are using BlackBerrys. As RIM continues to crater (or at least the handset side of it), they'll migrate to something, and then there'll be more demand for the form factor.

I really don't understand why there's not more offered like the Pro--or why they're even discontinuing it. Its keyboard is horrible (at least compared to BlackBerrys) but the reason most of the BlackBerry users I know still have them is because either they (or whoever makes the phone-buying decisions) wants to keep the form factor. The BES went away as a good reason to keep RIM (at least according to the IT guys I talk to) a while ago, unless you've got some specific security concern. If someone offered the Admiral as a world phone, or the Droid Pro+ on VZW, they'd sell. Maybe not like the new Nexus, but the flip side is that you're buying multiples of phones at once, with the top-tier plans and insurance, and when it's time to replace them, there aren't contract concerns. They just pay retail.

If this keeps up too much longer, I'm actually going to have to switch to ATT for the Pro+.

 

[buckeyefan]

Motorola Announced Droid Pro successor back in August.. the Droid Pro+. Motorola announces Pro+, slightly upgraded Pro with Gingerbread - Rethink Wireless Available in Europe in Asia, I assume it will come to USA soon. I think the Pro i such a niche that they don't but a lot of advertising into it. It will just appear in stores one day.
As for keyboard phones at CES, Droid 4 got announced and I thought a few more new ones with physical keyboard. I heard on one podcast that physical keyboards will make a come back in the next couple years.

 

[hal83]

I'm counting on keyboards coming back when RIM finally goes belly-up. Right now, we're the weird ones--all the other portrait-keyboard-heads are using BlackBerrys. As RIM continues to crater (or at least the handset side of it), they'll migrate to something, and then there'll be more demand for the form factor.

I really don't understand why there's not more offered like the Pro--or why they're even discontinuing it. Its keyboard is horrible (at least compared to BlackBerrys) but the reason most of the BlackBerry users I know still have them is because either they (or whoever makes the phone-buying decisions) wants to keep the form factor. The BES went away as a good reason to keep RIM (at least according to the IT guys I talk to) a while ago, unless you've got some specific security concern. If someone offered the Admiral as a world phone, or the Droid Pro+ on VZW, they'd sell. Maybe not like the new Nexus, but the flip side is that you're buying multiples of phones at once, with the top-tier plans and insurance, and when it's time to replace them, there aren't contract concerns. They just pay retail.

If this keeps up too much longer, I'm actually going to have to switch to ATT for the Pro+.

The funny thing is I've never had a Blackberry in my life and I don't plan on it. To be honest I don't think RIM will be able to make a comeback (they haven't done much for the OS). Most BB users I know (none of them businesspeople) only use the phones specifically for BBM -- a lot of them would switch to all touchscreen devices in a heartbeat if they could (and many already have).

I completely understand why the Pro is unpopular. It's top heavy and one of the ugliest looking phones to a lot of people. It's mostly about aesthetics. It has a smaller, lower res touchscreen and in this day and age people want bigger screens. It's also thick and people want thin phones that slip into their pockets. People generally prefer a sleek slab of touchscreen -- no keyboards. Look at ICS, it seems Google's pushing for phones with NO buttons.

I've been looking for a decent Android portrait qwerty for over a full year. Motorola seems to be the only ones willing to make these phones. The only thing that repelled me from the HTC Status was the Facebook button and the ugly design and minimal specs. I think I'm honestly considering giving up and switching to a (small) slider with amazing specs after dealing with the many problems of my Admiral.

As for keyboard phones at CES, Droid 4 got announced and I thought a few more new ones with physical keyboard.

But everyone's KNOWN about the Droid 4 for months. The other phones were previously unheard of.

 

[fre1102]

Motorola Announced Droid Pro successor back in August.. the Droid Pro+. Motorola announces Pro+, slightly upgraded Pro with Gingerbread - Rethink Wireless Available in Europe in Asia, I assume it will come to USA soon. I think the Pro i such a niche that they don't but a lot of advertising into it. It will just appear in stores one day.
As for keyboard phones at CES, Droid 4 got announced and I thought a few more new ones with physical keyboard. I heard on one podcast that physical keyboards will make a come back in the next couple years.

I thought the Pro+ was GSM-only.

 

[fre1102]

The funny thing is I've never had a Blackberry in my life and I don't plan on it. To be honest I don't think RIM will be able to make a comeback (they haven't done much for the OS). Most BB users I know (none of them businesspeople) only use the phones specifically for BBM -- a lot of them would switch to all touchscreen devices in a heartbeat if they could (and many already have).

I completely understand why the Pro is unpopular. It's top heavy and one of the ugliest looking phones to a lot of people. It's mostly about aesthetics. It has a smaller, lower res touchscreen and in this day and age people want bigger screens. It's also thick and people want thin phones that slip into their pockets. People generally prefer a sleek slab of touchscreen -- no keyboards. Look at ICS, it seems Google's pushing for phones with NO buttons.

I think we're talking precisely about the difference between consumer and profesional users. The consumers all like the BBM (that's the biggest thing I miss about my BlackBerry), and want pretty, sleek, etc.

Business users may not ever even use BBM (at least professionally), and frequently don't pick the phone they're issued--the IT department does. And that decision is usually based on what the IT cheif (or his boss likes), which is where BlackBerry seems to have it's last remaining fans. For the longest time it was about being able to get your email on the handset, but now even iOS does that, so now it's just what you're familiar with, and in my experience, to those people, a Droid is what their kid uses, and once you lose that candybar shape and pysical keyboard, the phone's just a 'toy'.

Shoot, if BlackBerry had gotten on the stick with the PlayBook, I'd still have one--I just wanted a tablet, and I wanted the phone and the tablet to play nice together. I wasn't really a BlackBerry 'fan', but Droids are only just now approaching the ability to be business devices, and even this is because I have a lot more oversight with the IT at my new job than the old one. There's no way I could have moved the old firm from BlackBerrys and its BES server to Droid.

 

[hal83]

For the longest time it was about being able to get your email on the handset, but now even iOS does that, so now it's just what you're familiar with, and in my experience, to those people, a Droid is what their kid uses, and once you lose that candybar shape and pysical keyboard, the phone's just a 'toy'.

Shoot, if BlackBerry had gotten on the stick with the PlayBook, I'd still have one--I just wanted a tablet, and I wanted the phone and the tablet to play nice together. I wasn't really a BlackBerry 'fan', but Droids are only just now approaching the ability to be business devices, and even this is because I have a lot more oversight with the IT at my new job than the old one. There's no way I could have moved the old firm from BlackBerrys and its BES server to Droid.

Droids AND iPhones are considered toys. I think the idea of apps crowding a screen is just a very childish looking thing in general. A kid can figure out the entire device in a few minutes, lol. At least Windows Phone 7 dares to be innovative with their anti-app, tile layout. And I think Win7 looks more professional because of that (not that I'd switch over). As for non-candybar, keyboard devices, I disagree, I mean look at the BB Torch. I read that BB is going to mainly release non-keyboard, all-touch devices in the future to directly compete with Android and Apple.

As for tablets, I'd never ever get one. My netbook is all I need. Anyway as of late BB is definitely trying to expand their devices to meet the needs of average consumers but it doesn't seem like they're getting much right. Like I said before all the businesspeople I know use iPhones so I can't comment about that aspect.

 

[spydergirl]

Yeah I'm starting to lose hope that Verizon will even consider our needs and preferences for those of us who will ONLY use the candybar qwerty keyboard! My upgrade is due in April and I'm so frustrated that I'm nearly ready to go back to a BLACKBERRY, which I DON'T want to do!!! I haven't seen or heard ANY hope on the horizon of an update coming to VZW for the PRO. :-(

Sent from my DROID Pro using DroidForums

 

[tennvol]

Pro was doomed from the start. A corporate phone that couldn't sync with exchange and it also got lost in the constant flurry of phones moto constantly slings out.....seemingly a new phone every 2 months or so.

I used a Pro until my backlight stopped lighting up. Nothing I did fixed it and typing in the dark was impossible. I also needed the ability to have a high speed internet connection so I had to go to.a 4g phone with a mobile hotspot.

Im to the point where phones are getting too big to carry around. I put my Pro up against my Bionic and remember how perfect it felt to hold and carry....except for the slippery plastic back.

I would rather go to a touchscreen android then go to a Blackberry...that's just me.

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