Anyone genuinely missing BlackBerry?

[fatclue_98]

Personally, BlackBerry is the major OS I have yet to use. I'm considering picking up an OS 7 Bold or Curve and toying with it. If I can afford one that is

I would advise you to try OS10 instead of a legacy device like a Bold or Curve. Very similar to webOS as far as multi-tasking and contact integration.

 

[BBMINI]

I know this is an aging thread, but I just came across it and had to chime in that, while I'm liking my 928 OK, I'm definitely, undeniably, genuinely missing BlackBerry. Quite a lot, actually.

It seems that mainly what I'm missing are lots of details, customization options, features, settings, and logic/workflow decisions that BB did absolutely right (and which seem to be missing from WP8). Maybe it's just that I happened to use a lot of BB features and details that others didn't know about or never needed to use, or that BB functionality happened to line up exactly the same way that my brain works, but those little things made a big difference in my user experience. It always seemed to me that BB spent a LOT of time working with their devices (handhelds, anyway, but not the PlayBook, unfortunately) and saying to themselves "if I were doing this (whatever function or process it might be), what would I logically WANT or NEED to do from here and what would be a way to make it easier/faster/logical/more helpful to do it?". Then they would add features and shortcuts and workflow options that always made a hellofalotta sense. I find that with WP8 I'm often missing those things and/or wondering "how is it that there's not a (whatever feature/function) on this phone?".

I understand that WP is still an evolving mobile platform and I'm not at all trying to bash it, but WP (and Win Mo) has some real history behind it now and MS is no newbie to designing user workflow and logical user steps, so it just seems to me that maybe folks at MS don't use their own devices that often or else they'd have an enormous, high priority To Do list for WP if they really want to be a serious competitor in mobile (especially after buying Nokia -- jeesh!).

For me at this point, anyway, I'm sticking with WP and my 928 mainly because it works with so many other MS products I use (Office 365, Outlook.com, Exchange, Skype (although Skype is a total disaster on WP and was waaaay better on BB) OneDrive, OneNote, Internet Explorer, etc.). If OneNote and OneDrive worked on BB, I might be tempted to switch back.

Thanks for starting this post, by the way, so some of us can vent about missing days gone by (and platforms gone by, I guess :wink.

 

[Laura Knotek]

The only thing I miss about BlackBerry is BBM, and we're getting that. I don't miss anything else about it.

 

[fatclue_98]

The only thing I miss about BlackBerry is BBM, and we're getting that. I don't miss anything else about it.

Did you hear about the new Q3 coming later this year? BB keyboard, a 3.5" screen AND the physical buttons AND a trackpad.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Did you hear about the new Q3 coming later this year? BB keyboard, a 3.5" screen AND the physical buttons AND a trackpad.

I have zero interest in physical keypads at this time. I want bigger screens (and Netflix).

 

[wyrdfool]

@BBMINI
Re: OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive comes to BlackBerry 10 | CrackBerry.com

Not news for OneNote though

 

[BitPusher2600]

I know this is an aging thread, but I just came across it and had to chime in that, while I'm liking my 928 OK, I'm definitely, undeniably, genuinely missing BlackBerry. Quite a lot, actually.

It seems that mainly what I'm missing are lots of details, customization options, features, settings, and logic/workflow decisions that BB did absolutely right (and which seem to be missing from WP8). Maybe it's just that I happened to use a lot of BB features and details that others didn't know about or never needed to use, or that BB functionality happened to line up exactly the same way that my brain works, but those little things made a big difference in my user experience. It always seemed to me that BB spent a LOT of time working with their devices (handhelds, anyway, but not the PlayBook, unfortunately) and saying to themselves "if I were doing this (whatever function or process it might be), what would I logically WANT or NEED to do from here and what would be a way to make it easier/faster/logical/more helpful to do it?". Then they would add features and shortcuts and workflow options that always made a hellofalotta sense. I find that with WP8 I'm often missing those things and/or wondering "how is it that there's not a (whatever feature/function) on this phone?".

I understand that WP is still an evolving mobile platform and I'm not at all trying to bash it, but WP (and Win Mo) has some real history behind it now and MS is no newbie to designing user workflow and logical user steps, so it just seems to me that maybe folks at MS don't use their own devices that often or else they'd have an enormous, high priority To Do list for WP if they really want to be a serious competitor in mobile (especially after buying Nokia -- jeesh!).

For me at this point, anyway, I'm sticking with WP and my 928 mainly because it works with so many other MS products I use (Office 365, Outlook.com, Exchange, Skype (although Skype is a total disaster on WP and was waaaay better on BB) OneDrive, OneNote, Internet Explorer, etc.). If OneNote and OneDrive worked on BB, I might be tempted to switch back.

Thanks for starting this post, by the way, so some of us can vent about missing days gone by (and platforms gone by, I guess :wink.

I had switched only because for a short time BlackBerry was to be sold off and I felt I didn't have a choice. I have many years behind BlackBerry and have been a very faithful loyalist. As of yesterday, once I learned how to encrypt Windows Phone, I just switched back. Can't believe at all I did it voluntarily, but Windows Phone and Windows 8 in general has won me over. I love Metro and all of its subtle aesthetics and experience. I will always love BlackBerry (the platform and company) and I won't say its impossible for me to return to it someday, but if I feel I can secure my data as I have, I think that time to move on may have come for me, and as you pointed, I thoroughly love the native integration of Microsoft's services onboard. Is the grass greener, I don't know but for now, we'll see.

Perhaps that experience planted a seed that I didn't recognize at first but now I look at what I just did (switching to a WP) and realize what might've actually happened there. Odd twist of fate

 

[Jsd1968]

I was with Blackberry for pretty much all of my smartphone days. Apple never interested me in the least, and I tried a Samsung Galaxy for a bit, it reminded me of putting nice audio speakers in a cardboard box for a speaker box...lol. Not to get too far off topic anyway, I still love Blackberry and miss the qwerty sometimes, but I love so much more about my 920 than I miss about BBerry.. Stylish, attractive, made like it's meant to be around for a while..and runs smooth like butta!
It's absolutely my favorite phone that I've ever had. Perfect? No. But darn close to that for me. It's impossible to make the perfect phone because we don't all want or expect the same things out of our phones.

 

[BBMINI]

@BBMINI
Re: OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive comes to BlackBerry 10 | CrackBerry.com
Not news for OneNote though

Yep, thanks for the post. I saw that announcement and was excited about it, but probably until OneNote is available on BB (roughly never) I won't be able to switch back. I just do too much with OneNote these days that I couldn't go back to BB Memos or switch to Evernote.

 

[officially_juju]

I feel your pain; I just switched to a Lumia 925 and sold off my Q10 and Z10. I do miss many things with my BB but the WP8 experience is really growing on me and after updating to 8.1 today it's getting even better!
I hate seeing a company slowly dying in the way BlackBerry is. I frequent CrackBerry daily to read the latest news and while there is some optimism I think it would now take an act of God for the company to succeed... numbers don't lie. I know Windows Phone is not in the top two but I see a gradual climb whereas I see BlackBerry in stagnant water that's slowly evaporating from heat and time. :unhappy:

 

[munozja91]

Just switched over from Blackberry Z10, it was a great phone IMO, just overdue specs. Ibwas due for a Upgrade and came up with the Lumia Icon.

Blackberry 10 has great potential, has enough innovation. There virtual keyboard is the best in the mobile world.

The lack of apps just kills them.

Im happy with my Lumia Icon, and Lumia 2520.

The WP8 OS is very nice and fluent. I love it, the UI is the best of all OS's.

Will i go back to Blackberry? No way!!

I traded in my WHITE Z10 for a JBL Flip 2 Bluetooth speaker, and Micro.

Not bad!

 

[SteveNoza]

I was a BlackBerry guy exclusively for a decade+, I love the new BB10 Operating system and their new devices, but the thing that killed my love for BlackBerry was the whole double typing fiasco with the Q10. BlackBerry hasn't even acknowledged there is a problem, much less fix it in some way, I just can't support a company that operates like that. BitPusher2600, be glad you didn't get a Q10. I have to admit it was tough making the decision to dump my BlackBerry, as it is a device I used pretty much every day of my life. So far being a few weeks into my Nokia Icon, I'm happy with my choice to move on.