BlackBerry No More
Since 2005 I have been a devoted and loyal BlackBerry user. No phone could part me from my beloved BlackBerry devices. That is, until now. Over the last year I have witnessed people use their mobile device to surf the web quickly and easily, playback smooth video, and enjoy large high resolution displays. My BlackBerry started to make me feel left behind. Where BlackBerry excels at messaging, it falls flat on its face when it comes to a rich media experience. Strong messaging capabilities are exactly what many people are after, especially the business types. To that I say great! Continue to use your BlackBerry! I, however, want more. This lead me to researching new phones and platforms. Where I landed is Android. Yesterday (6/4/2010) I picked up the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint! So far this new device is everything I want. It integrates tightly with all of the Google services and includes push Gmail support! My Google contacts sync effortlessly over-the-air with my Evo. The UI is fast and responsive and video playback is smooth. The Android Market has thousands of applications which I have only thus far scratched the surface of. My initial impression of this device is that it is simply amazing.
The one feature that only BlackBerry offers which I will truly miss is BlackBerry Messenger. It really is the best at what it does. There is no replacement. BBM alone though is not enough to keep me with BlackBerry. I believe that if RIM does not step their game up, BlackBerry will be left behind. I understand that they are a secure, corporate devices but consumers want a rich media experience. That is a fact RIM cannot ignore.
I’ll post additional thoughts after I have more time to become acquainted with my new device.