BlackBerry User Thinking of Upgrading...

[Morty2264]

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Hello, everyone!

I've crossed the threshold between CrackBerry and WP Central! Hello! I feel like a very happy foreigner.

Just to give you all some background, I am a very passionate smartphone enthusiast. I love looking at new phones, and thinking about future phone choices. That being said, I purchased a BlackBerry Q10 (amazing phone) in May 2013 and will not switch for at least six more months; but, as many of you must understand, that itch to upgrade early and experience a new device is never far behind, no matter how much you love your current device!

The only daunting thing is that I have no idea what I would upgrade to if I switched platforms from BlackBerry to something else. I've only ever had two BlackBerry devices (9780 and Q10) as far as smartphones go. I'm pretty sure I will not buy an iPhone (but nothing against them - if you like them, that's cool! ), but I'd be stuck between choosing an Android or Windows phone. As much as I've always wanted a Nokia Lumia 900/920/923, they are now pretty much dying out now that the 1020 has arrived; and I do not like the enormous camera and do not see myself needing such a device. But I am still interested in Windows 8 in general.

If anyone can please help a very scared BlackBerry user who is thinking about her next upgrading choice if she were to go the Windows route, that would be great! I have some quick questions:

- I am a very avid BBM user. BBM has come cross-platform for iOS and Android. Does anyone know if BBM will be available for Windows phones? If this app will not come to Windows, it is unfortunately a dealbreaker for me, which is very disappointing.

Okay. Now I need help with features (and yes, I will be researching these myself, but it would help if actual Windows phone users could weigh in on these, too!):

- I love a phone that has an LED light. Does any WP device have this feature; or is there an app that I can download to make this a feature I won't be missing if I cross over from BlackBerry?
- Is there any device/app that will enable me to select different ringtones for different contacts? BlackBerry did this very well and my Q10 has an excellent app for it, so if this feature wasn't out there, I'd be disappointed.
- What is word prediction like on WP devices - specifically, the Nokia Lumia series? I don't know a lot about the Windows 8 phone (whichever one that looks a lot like the Nokia Lumia 900) - but I'd be interested in knowing what texting would be like for such a device.
- How durable are these phones? I'd just grab a hard case for mine regardless, but still, if you drop it from a few feet, does it usually stay damage-free? Unfortunately, I don't think any of my in-town friends have Windows devices, so I really have no history of stuff falling or screens getting cracked to ask about.
- Six-12 months from now, of course there will be new phones out; but since I am on a budget, I will be looking at the phones that are available right now.

Lastly, has anyone here crossed over from BB OS7/BB 10 to a Windows device? Please tell me what your experience has been like. I am a very happy BB user, so if I can find a Windows device that can give me an easy-ish transition (I know it will be difficult, but you know what I mean ), that would be great. I just love phones in general, but being so used to one platform, I really have no clue where to start looking. I'm sorry this thread is so long! If anyone can give me any advice or suggestions on which phone to look at, I'd very much appreciate it!​

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[gabrelov]

Simple reply, almost all apps on ios and android are on wp. Even games are already almost all there maybe its just a matter of weeks or a month before a
Other apps comes in.

Sent from my Lumia 925 using Tapatalk

 

[freestaterocker]

BBM is presently not available for Windows Phone. I've heard rumors it's coming, but nothing concrete. If you're referring to an led notification light, it sadly doesn't exist on any current WP devices. If you're referring to using the led flash as a flashlight there are several apps in the store that will fill this need. If you are looking at a Nokia Lumia device, they are built to be very durable, though no smartphone is indestructible. I came to Windows Phone 7 from a phone with a qwerty keyboard and the virtual keyboard was excellent for me. On Windows Phone 8 it's even better. You should have little issue adjusting. Nokia are still making devices with the 9xx designation (see the upcoming Verizon exclusive Lumia 929) for those who don't need a "monster camera" but still want a flagship phone. The 929 is slated the be equipped with I believe a snapdragon 800 quadcore processor and a 5 inch 1080p screen, and will certainly be a great device. As well, I'm certain there will be variants of this design available for other carriers throughout the world in short order. In addition, the Lumia 920 is still a great device, and should be found for very reasonable prices new and used on the internet. I just checked amazon.ca and they are selling it factory unlocked and new-in-box for $329 CAD. Considering this was a$700 phone on release, that is a great deal.

 

[JaiMento]

-As of right now, BBM is not available on Windows Phone 8. Talk is, that it is in the works. However, I do not believe there is any sort of confirmed timetable for this.

-If you are referring to a flashlight app, then yes, there are plenty available on the Windows Phone Store. Most are free or have free options.

-All Windows Phone 8 devices will allow you to set custom ringtones on a per contact basis, without the need of any extra apps.

-Can't really comment on texting in general, as I am not a heavy texter(?). It works well enough for me. As for predictive text, it works pretty well, though I do not usually use it.

-The phones are pretty durable, but I am very careful with my devices and haven't really dropped them too much. I have dropped my old Nokia Lumia 920 a couple of times from about 3-4 feet off the ground to a wooden floor and after all was said and done, it looked like it hadn't been dropped at all. I did have it in a TPU case with an Invisible Shield, though.

-Windows Phone 8 devices are actually rather cheap (in price, not in build quality), in comparison to similar devices from other platforms. The latest flagship Nokia phone (Lumia 1520) just launched in the US about a month ago and at launch, could have been purchased for as low as $99 on contract or $549 without. This is an extremely great price compared to flagship devices of its kind from other platforms (Android, really). You might not want to exclude the latest flagship Windows Phone 8 device from your considerations when you are ready to purchase.

Wish I could help you on the whole "experience switching from Blackberry to WP8" thing, but I haven't had a Blackberry device since the old Blackberry Curve. However, if you do have any other specific questions, I could do my best to try to provide you with an answer.

Cheers and good luck...

 

[Blacklac]

Your def not going to get the customization of notifications you can get with Blackberry. Also, Lumia's do not have notification LED's. I actually don't miss that as much as I thought though.

 

[Jas00555]

First off, Welcome to the light side! You'll enjoy it here in WP land.

Secondly, I think some clarification is required. The 3 phones you listed aren't all obsolete. Really only one of them is. The Lumia 900 is a Windows Phone 7 (pro tip: the number comes after the word "phone") and is not in the same class as the other two. Think of it as OS7 and WP8 as BB10. The Lumia 920 and 925 (not 923 (; ) are two of the best Windows Phones that you can buy. Sadly, there are no QWERTY Windows Phone 8 phones, so if that's important, it could be a deal breaker.

Now you call these two phones obsolete, but they are far from it. In fact, I had a 920 and upgraded to a 1520 (the numbers can be confusing for a new user) so I have some experience with it. If you're not a spec person like I am, then I think you could argue that the 920 is the best Windows Phone ever made with its built in 32gb storage, built in wireless charging, and amazing camera (not the best since the 925, 1020 and 1520). It came out around the same time as the iPhone 5 and for the average person, I hardly think they would call the iPhone 5 obsolete just because the 5S is out, but if you would call the iPhone 5 obsolete, then yes, the 920 could be but IMHO, its not.

Now on to the 925. Think of this as basically the 920 without the wireless charging built in (case optional), half the storage, a much thinner and cleaner and really more amazing design in terms of looks. If storage and wireless charging aren't a big deal (and coming from a BB, I suspect not) then you would probably love the 925.

Now onto your other questions (I'll keep these short lol)

BBM- its rumored that BBM is coming to WP soon, but we don't know when. There was some BB Facebook account that said its coming, but I don't remember

Notification light- yes and no. There's no light as you know it on a BB, but Nokia has kinda confirmed that this is coming, but through the capacitive buttons.

Ringtone for contacts - go to the contact and hit "edit". Its native to the experience

Word prediction -best I've ever used. Ever.

Durability - come on, its a Nokia but honestly, its very sturdy in my experience

Hope I answered all of your questions

 

[Kebero]

Ringtone and SMS sounds for contacts is already available.

 

[Blacklac]

The last official word I read, from Blackberry, was when BBM came out for iOS and Android. Either that day, or the next, they said it would come for WP in the coming weeks or something. Typical Blackberry, its been weeks. Lol

 

[Morty2264]

WOW!

Thank you all for your amazing responses! It is such a relief that I can customize SMS messages at least, which would make the not-having-an-LED experience less upsetting. (Sorry if I wasn't clear earlier: I meant LED as in having a notification for mesages; not a flashlight).

I didn't mean to say that the 920/925 (I must've misread the "923" somewhere, mistook a "5" for a "3"? Don't ask!) was obselete... It's just that Rogers isn't selling them anymore. They had one left right now, and I'm definitely not in a position to upgrade this minute (And I guess I can't ask them to hang onto it for seven months... LOL). I am so tempted to grab the 925, even off ebay... The one thing that is holding me back is the lack of BBM; but I am certainly glad that you all are hearing that it is eventually coming to WP8!

Thank you for also being patient with me! I am very much out of my league with other platforms (though I try hard to educate myself). I've dabbled in research for WP8 HTC (whatever that device is called, sorry, long night!) and that also looks good. I enjoy how you can manipulate the tiles, etc. I will miss the customization experience I have with BlackBerry but I've always been attracted to the 900 Lumia series... It was like some weird love affair. Again, buying one unlocked is just so tempting...

I'm not really a fan of a ton of storage - that's not super important to me. I take lots of photos but I do delete them as well, and I'm not a huge app downloader. My BlackBerry only has about five apps I use often. Does anyone have any experience buying used phones from ebay? I'd hesitate to buy a phone not from the store; but again, super tempting...