Blackberry User Thinking about Android

[camperdown9]

Hi

I use my phone mostly for email and have just ordered a Blackberry Bold for Vodafone. They offer a 14 day returns policy and I am thinking about returning it and holding of for the HTC magic. I just sort of feel that every Blackberry is just a re package of the previous handset.

Anyway I have some questions.

1) Are there any ex Blackberry users on this forum, and if so do you have any views or advice?

2) Will an Android handset only work with a gmail email address or can you connect Yahoo mail etc?

3) Roaming. With my Blackberry I only get charged maybe £5 extra per week to send and receive my email when I am in France. However when I switch the data on my iPhone on it can cost me £30 just for a weekend. Whats roaming like on the G1?

4) What happens to data if there is no 3G. Can you still collect mail?

5) Anything else that I should know?

Many thanks

Alex

[mexicalidude85]

hey, i'm pretty new to the G1 myself, but i think i can answer at least partially your questions:

1) i was a DEVOUT BB user for 2 years. i loved my pearl. but in the week i've had my phone, i'm already a convert. interface is much smoother and faster. touchscreen is a definite plus. full qwerty-style board took some getting used to (read: an hour with the massive amount i text), but you've got more room than the pearl.

2) android works with my 2 yahoo accounts and my hotmail account pretty well, on top of the gmail account i already had.

3) i haven't roamed yet, so i can't help you there...

4) i get mail on the 3G and the edge networks, just like on BB.

5) applications are your friend. almost anything you want the phone to do that it doesn't already, you can get an app to do it, plus a TON more that you wouldn't even think about until you stumble across it. that being said, the only limitation i've come across so far is that the android won't connect to an exchange or OWA work email (which in my opinion is the main drawback of the phone), but it works with everything else.

hope that helps

[camperdown9]

mexicalidude85

Thanks for your reply.

[tcontento]

Adding to mexicalidude85

I loved BB too (my wife has the Pearl) and I am disappointed in the things that it cant do. I cant wait to switch her over to the G1 - because as you stated. BB just seems to reincarnate themselves with few improvements to the next phone addition.
The only thing you didnt state is, is your BB being used for a work account with network privileges? This may be the drawback of switching. If not - personally I think you should wait, because you will find the that the options available to you and the (mini computer like) functions worth the wait. not to mentions you'll drive your friends green with envy. =-)
good luck
T

[bizmark]

I will say my good friend has a bb storm and we have had many aruments over wich one is better but the general concesus that bbs os can not hold a candel to android now I've had this one for a good month I'm comming of of window phones like the wing and verizons pocket pc and I eould recomend. The htc dream ...or magic to any one

[bizmark]

If I have I true complaint it is that (in the dream atleast) the phone can not be used as a network card for a laptop or pc

[dallasfoto]

We had MotoQs for two years and much prefer the G1 now after four months of having them. I have been using Google docs, gmail, etc for a few years so for me the ease of moving over to the G1 was great. But I sure miss full video access. Apparently I'll have my wish this coming year.

[robf]

Originally Posted by bizmark

If I have I true complaint it is that (in the dream atleast) the phone can not be used as a network card for a laptop or pc

It can't be a full blown network device (yet) but maybe in the future. However it does work for web browsing (which is better than nothing, although I'd mainly use it for ssh and such, but until then, I'll just use the apps ssh)

using g1 as a web proxy: http://graha.ms/androidproxy/