[Mrjinglesusa]

I've had it with AT&T. Dropped calls, phone not ringing with full bar 3G reception, slow 3G, not being notified of new voicemail until 1-2 hours after it arrives, etc.

We use Verizon for our residential TV (FIOS), internet (FIOS), and phone. So, I'm switching my wireless carrier to Verizon (Quad Package discount) and getting a Blackberry Storm 9550.

My questions:

1)Anything special I need to know about syncing my new Blackberry with my Mac? It appears that Blackberry has a Desktop Mac Syncing client. Anyone with a Mac and Blackberry use this? Does it work well? Is there a better alternative for syncing iCal, Contacts, Mail, Bookmarks, etc.?

2) Any "must have" Blackberry apps I should get? It looks like there are Blackberry versions of almost every app I use regularly on my iPhone: Shazam, Urbanspoon, Pandora, Google Maps, Fandango, Amazon, etc. I plan to download Opera Mini IMMEDIATELY because it appears to be much better than the stock browser.

Thanks for any input. This is my first Blackberry so I am completely new to the system.

[mduell]

1) It's good. There's room for improvement in the calendar sync with large calendars. It's better than the 3rd party alternatives. It does calendar/contacts/notes/tasks and media (from iTunes playlists) but not bookmarks or email. Email you'll have to set up in your carrier's BIS interface.

2) OpenTable, Gmail, TiVo. I prefer the current 5.x series browser to Opera Mini.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by mduell 

1) It's good. There's room for improvement in the calendar sync with large calendars. It's better than the 3rd party alternatives. It does calendar/contacts/notes/tasks and media (from iTunes playlists) but not bookmarks or email. Email you'll have to set up in your carrier's BIS interface.

2) OpenTable, Gmail, TiVo. I prefer the current 5.x series browser to Opera Mini.

Thanks for the input. I'll stick with the Blackberry Mac Desktop client rather than paying for a 3rd party alternative. Calendar, contacts, notes, tasks, and iTunes are all I care about syncing to be honest.

I guess I will have to compare browsers for myself because it seems some people like the default browser and others swear by Opera Mini.

Some other apps I am looking to get that were recommended on several Top X Blackberry Lists I read:

BeeTag
Beyond 411
Evernote
Viigo
WeatherEye
Buzzd
Poynt

[angelmb]

[Mrjinglesusa]

Meh. Had this Blackberry Storm2 for a month. Hate it. Just can't get used to the Blackberry OS after using an iPhone for the last 3 years. I used to use iPhone apps throughout the day. Now, I keep looking for something to do with my Blackberry and can't find anything.

Ordered an HTC Droid Incredible - nothing but glowing, positive reviews on this thing all around. Appears to offer a much closer "iPhone-like" user experience than Blackberry.

Damn, I'm addicted to technology....

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa 

Meh. Had this Blackberry Storm2 for a month. Hate it. Just can't get used to the Blackberry OS after using an iPhone for the last 3 years. I used to use iPhone apps throughout the day. Now, I keep looking for something to do with my Blackberry and can't find anything.

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you.

However, I can't say I'm surprised. A colleague here at work went through a similar process. He switched from an iPhone 3G to a BB. After he got it I played around with it for a while. Compared to the seamless iPhone OS experience it felt like a hack IMHO. Browsing was an insult to anybody who's ever seen Mobile Safari. And the tiny high-res screen was unusable for most mail/browsing/calendar activity. I told him he'd be back to the iPhone within a few months. As it turned out he switched back to the iPhone after three weeks by buying a new 3GS.

I hope Android works out better for you than the BB.

[tightsocks]

Are there BB apps that come with a Mac desktop version (like the old PalmOS sync via conduit concept)?

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by Simon 

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you.

However, I can't say I'm surprised. A colleague here at work went through a similar process. He switched from an iPhone 3G to a BB. After he got it I played around with it for a while. Compared to the seamless iPhone OS experience it felt like a hack IMHO. Browsing was an insult to anybody who's ever seen Mobile Safari. And the tiny high-res screen was unusable for most mail/browsing/calendar activity. I told him he'd be back to the iPhone within a few months. As it turned out he switched back to the iPhone after three weeks by buying a new 3GS.

I hope Android works out better for you than the BB.

Well, got my HTC Incredible yesterday and it's, well, incredible. WOW. Very "iPhone-like" user experience, but doesn't have some of the downsides of the iPhone. MUCH more customizable for example. Very fast user interface, lots of good apps, very intuitive. I love the different profiles you can set up.

So far, I'm very impressed with the Android platform.