Decision made to switch to Droid

Motorola Droid (via Mashable.com)
On Nov. 9 I expressed by frustration with my BlackBerry Pearl.

At that time I had been considering switch phones for awhile, but I enjoyed having my smartphone too much to give it up easily, especially because I really do like the BlackBerry Operating System a great deal.

However, Thursday night was kind of the final straw.

My BlackBerry’s scroll ball wouldn’t move upward, rendering my phone as just a phone. I couldn’t text, update Twitter, check e-mail or stay up-to-date with Facebook.

Then I got a message in the mail from Verizon saying that since Alltel was out and Verizon was my new carrier I could upgrade my phone early with a contract renewal.

This got me thinking, and I decided to take a closer look at the Motorola Droid, which greatly intrigued me because it is powered by Google. I’m a big fan of Google and all it has to offer, so this seems like the perfect transition. After all, I think the reason I really like BlackBerry is because it can do so much more than just call and text. If the Droid can get e-mail and allow me to post Twitter updates while I write blog posts, why wouldn’t I be just as happy with a different kind of smartphone?

So I searched for a comparison between the Droid and the BlackBerry Storm 2. I found this video:

The Droid has a crazy-fast browser that displays the full Web site, which has been one of my bigger complaints with my BlackBerry.

And the Droid can be customized in whatever fashion I want. That means I can have different home screens that have the applications I like to use group by use, such as my Twitter and blog on the same one and different news Web sites on another. I see it as a way to make me more productive.

The only way the reviewer in the video said the BlackBerry Storm 2 beat the Droid is in the e-mail race, but as long as I can send and receive e-mails, I will be fine with it I’m sure.

My only worry is that I won’t be able to easily transfer my contacts and calendar to the Droid. That could honestly be the deal breaker, but I have basically made up my mind to switch.

I plan to go and talk to a Verizon dealer this evening in an attempt to quell any of my fears. If things go well, I could have a Droid by tonight. At the very least, I will know if I want to switch to a Droid or a BlackBerry Storm 2.

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About toddvogts 833 Articles
Todd R. Vogts, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of media at Sterling College in Kansas. Previously, he taught yearbook, newspaper, newsmagazine, and online journalism in various Kansas high schools, and he ran a weekly newspaper in rural Kansas. He continues to freelance as a professional journalist from time to time. Also, Vogts is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the Journalism Education Association (JEA), and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), among others. He earned his Master Journalism Educator (MJE) certification from JEA in 2022. When he’s not teaching or writing, he runs his mobile disk jockey service and takes part in other entrepreneurial ventures. He can be reached at twitter.com/toddvogts or via his website at www.toddvogts.com.

2 Comments

  1. Todd I can solve the contact problem. Google believe it or not has a back up manager. Just sync everything to your gmail account then upload it to your droid. Google “google sync” I use it on my HTC but a friend showed it to me using his BB. It’s real easy just make sure your contacs are in order on gmail or it will sync unwanted email addresses. Let me know if you need help/ and how well droid works. -Dustin

  2. I bought the Droid last week. It has taken me a little to get used to it. I had a HTC Touch. The droid is a awesome phone. You will be happy to throw away your pearl and not look back. Watch out on the new phone plan they will want to put you on. Alltell had much better plan for me anyway. At first it was a Droid doesn’t now It is a Droid does. Good luck.

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