RIM is getting left behind and they knew it. It acquired QNX, an operating system company for handheld device.
The Blackberry OS is showing its age. Does anyone moving from BB to an Android device comment on the email system and keyboard? I think those are the two areas where BB made its name and reasons why I was drawn to it.
I have not owned a BB as such but have tried almost all of their devices except the new BB torch. Most of my friends have a BB.
Now I am using an android phone.
The thing is that
1) The email works just as fine on android as on a BB OS
2) Keyboard - Now thats a different situation all together. I kind of did a survey on this in India. The conclusion of the survey was.
Most of the people below the age of 30 years preferred a touch screen keyboard and said that after a day or two, or by downloading a 3rd party keyboard, they did not have any concerns about the android keyboard and found it very convenient.
30-40 year old guys had mixed opinions about android and BB.
40 year olds and above heavily preferred the BB physical keyboard. They say that a physical keyboard gives them more of a feel and control while typing where as they made a lot of typos while using an android keyboard.
However, most of the regular users of BB unanimously say they would not shift to any other brand because of only one reason.
The presence of BBM in the BB phones and its absence in other devices.
Their reasoning is that they use it as their prime mode of communication and gossip with family and friends. BB owners feel that If they shift brands then they will lose out on socializing with friends and family.