Why I went from Windows Phone 8 Lumia 520 to BlackBerry 8350 with BBOS 5

Going back to a flip phone isn't that uncommon. Many people find flip phones adequate : 99% of the apps are useless, cell phone cameras are ok, but don't expect to make big printouts of a 5MP sensor. The GPS feature is nice, but SAT navigation is overrated if the maps are not up to date.

Before getting into the details of why I switched phones, let me expose my insensible nature with regard to the consumption of technology. Over the past couple years, I have owned and used :

1. Sony CMB1207CNT0 - Phone and not much else. Instead of getting a land line. (1998)
2. Motorola V505 - Excellent but the speaker died (2006)
3. Motorola VE538 - Very durable, a few bugs, but I will keep it as a GSM backup (2009)
4. LG Chocolate KG800 - good design, but the touch controls leave somewhat to desire. I needed Internet on my phone, but it had to be a branded phone from the provider- I got it used for $15 (2010)
5. Huawei u8350 - Unlimited internet with the provider made me get another phone ! (2011-2012)
6. LG LG230 - Good flip phone - basics. I got used for $25 as my area did not have a GSM network (2012)
7. Nokia Lumia 520 - The LG230 was locked with CDMA to a carrier that made in country roaming prohibitively expensive : 50¢ a minute. The Lumia was the second cheapest on the list of phones, and I have to admit that I like Microsoft produts. (mid-2013)
8. BlackBerry 8530 - The Lumia 520 did not work in a CDMA only zone.  (Late 2013 -  present  )

From point #7 the most obvious reason is connectivity :  travel in regions that only have CDMA coverage.

The next reason the certainty of the keyboard. Although you do not type much faster on a BlackBerry than on touch screen which has predictive text, it is far more pleasurable. When using a friend's iPhone, I would have to type and retype words to get them to be typed correctly. Autocorrect wasn't that straight forward either. As I am still getting used to the BlackBerry, it is takes more time than I would like it to, but it is still more accurate than using the Windows Phone.
 

I could not find any reason to play games on my phone. I tried car racing, RPGs, shooters etc. but none were any fun. Apps don't make or break a phone.


What the BlackBerry Curve and other feature phones do have right are dedicated buttons. I see people taking out the iPhones, Android phones etc to change track on whatever they are listening to. I like the feature of pressing a button to pause, play, back, forward etc... The same goes for the camera. Simple buttons do most of the work.

Another thing that I realised that the BlackBerry got right was the keyboard shortcuts. Anything from deleting a message to page down, my thumb knows where to go without having to move the screen.

The BlackBerry is also very well behaved : I can control the notifications for the accounts, the hours that I get notifications and it is discreet with the light to remind me of a missed call or message.


What does the Lumia do better?

There are some things on the Windows phone that are far better : document opening and navigation, a big screen and of course integration with Windows tools such as Lync, Office and Skype.

Well it being about 3 years newer, the browser is faster, so is the connection  ( 4G vs CDMA is not a big surprise).
Surprisingly, the WIFI reception on the BlackBerry is better than the Lumia.

The screen size is a compromise. I think a small screen is fine. I glance at the emails, see what I need to see and it is done. I have read some articles, but it takes a lot of patience to read anything on a screen. That being said, I am sure that no one in the right mind will printout anything from this blog!



When and if this Blackberry Curve 8530 dies, I hope to be able to replace it with something similar which includes a trackpad, keyboard and dedicated media buttons.

I regret getting a Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone 8 : I really should have gotten an Blackberry with a QWERTY keyboard

Getting a new phone is more of a hassle than anything else. I didn't mind the flip phone that I had, which was replacing my old Huawei u8350 Boulder (QWERTY with Android 2.3.4 - Icy Tiramisu custom ROM) which did not support CDMA, but now I was roaming all the time so I had to change carrier.

Koodo Mobile is the only one that made sense given I am travelling in Canada. Phones are not exciting, nor are they objects of prestige. They are consumer devices with which we use to communicate with others, or use as forms of entertainment. Spending anywhere from 200$ to 700$ on a mobile phone is not for me, so getting an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S4, was out of the question.
My choices were limited to the Blackberry 9320, the Nokia Lumia 520 and the Samsung Galaxy Ace.

Given my main operating system is Windows, I thought it would make sense to get the Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone. Unfortunately, I wish I could have my old u8350 back, or should I say that I should have gotten the Blackberry.


Windows Phone is very slick and smooth, but when it comes to typing a message, word suggestions just can't match a physical QWERTY keyboard. Furthermore, it is tiring to browse through pages with finger swipes. Why not just a page down or a side button? What annoys me the most of the touch screen phone is the fact that the screen is huge, but whenever you have to type something, ie. a text message, an e-mail or a web-search, you have to touch the are where you will write, and then half of the screen is lost to the keyboard.


Touchscreen are a good concept, but for day to day input, they are more trouble than they are worth. Were I not in a remote location, I would exchange this phone right away and get myself a Blackberry or an Android with QWERTY keyboard.

A few other gripes I have about WP8 (Windows Phone 8) is the access to the files via Windows, which was very easy with Android, inability to customize the notification sounds and lastly the non persistent status bar. 

What I do like of the Nokia Lumia 520? The dedicated camera button is excellent, the Nokia apps are just fine and the sound is stellar.

I would now consider spending the extra money and getting a Blackberry Q5. We'll see how often I have to use the phone. Hopefully not that often.

Lenovo is looking into acquiring smartphone companies: Apple and other small fry

In order to keep on developing new products and stay at the cutting edge of technology, companies need to expand by increasing in-house R&D, contract out product development, form partnerships or make acquisitions.  The Beijing based technology company, Lenovo, has bucked the trend of most computer manufacturers and has seen growth since 2011. It has also increase its market share of mobile devices.

The iconic ThinkPad trademark became part of Lenovo's product line in 2005 and the the team's innovations continue to shine. There are high hopes for the potential new acquisition. A recent report suggests that Lenovo is making acquisitions of smartphone manufacturers. Blackberry may be too troublesome, albeit its great array of patents, but the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC may also be in Lenovo's sights. The acquisition of a HTC by Chinese company will not only stir up the technology industry, but also fire up the nationalist debate around the China-Taiwan ongoing cultural, political and economic integration.

With the regard to the purchase of Apple, Lenovo may not have to wait long. As Apple is losing market share in smartphones as well as tablet computers, the obstacles remain cost and politics. Even falling to near half of its peak value in 2012, Apple (APPL) is overvalued and investors, like consumers, are being shown less reasons to jump on the bandwagon. As for the political aspect that may make the acquisition doubtful, there are security issues: American lawmakers have proved to be reluctant to the presence of Chinese. companies such as Huawei, in the domestic market. The acquisition of Apple by  Lenovo may also be dissonant with one brand's perception which reflects vanity, entitlement and a lack of responsibility, to the other image of traditional values such as hard work, frugality and modesty.