From BB Torch to Droid Pro

[kwilkins]

A few months ago I switched from an iPhone 4 to the BB Torch. I made the switch because I was communicating via email and text a lot more than I used to and it was just too difficult on the iPhone. The Torch is an amazing device for communications and we have a BES at work so I’m always fully synced with Outlook, which I use a lot.

The things I miss the most about the iPhone are all the cool apps, HD video recording, the awesome screen, and the tight integration with my Mac at home. With the Torch if I’m not using it to communicate it stays in my pocket, there is nothing “fun” to do with it and the apps all pale in comparison to the iPhone.

When the Droid Pro was announced I thought I might be a good candidate for it because of my business needs and desire to have great apps and widgets, so I ordered one yesterday. I’ve never used an Android device and have been researching the OS. I don’t think anyone has the Droid Pro yet, but I have a few questions that Android users may be able to answer for me anyway.

With the release of Froyo is it possible to get a days worth of moderate/medium use out of the phone without having to recharge the battery?

Is there any reason to expect the Droid Pro will have better battery life than other Android phones?

Is it true that if you run widgets you’re battery will drain very fast? If so, doesn’t this make widgets less useful?

It doesn’t look like there is a trackball or trackpad on the Droid Pro, do you see this as a downside to the phone?

Will I be able to sync Tasks with Outlook and will they be “pushed” both ways, or will it require a manual or timed sync?

Do you think the Droid Pro screen will be better or the same as the BB Torch?

Does Android have shortcut keys similar to the BB? For example, on an email message I can hit “I” on the keyboard and immediately file a message, the OS even predicts what folder I want to file the message in and pre-selects it. Does Android have similar features?

I use the “auto-expand” feature a lot with my BB. So I set up the text “tt” to automatically type “tomorrow” does Android have this feature?

Is the spell check in Android universal, so that it checks spelling no matter what app you are typing in?

Does the voice-to-text feature in Android work in all apps and any field you can type text into?


Thanks to all who can provides answers to a soon-to-be Android owner.

Ken

 

[mikeyman67]

I will try to answer your questions one by one. I have a Droid Incredible which I love. I came from a Blackberry Storm2, so I know what you mean about its email prowess.

Your questions:


Is there any reason to expect the Droid Pro will have better battery life than other Android phones?

According to their Literature they claim 390 Minutes usage time. Somehow I would take this with a grain of salt. You WILL be charging the device daily.

Is it true that if you run widgets you’re battery will drain very fast? If so, doesn’t this make widgets less useful?

Widgets (IMHO) are pretty but essentially leaches on the battery. I only use the clock and weather.

It doesn’t look like there is a trackball or trackpad on the Droid Pro, do you see this as a downside to the phone?

I have a Droid Incredible and it has the optical joystick. That said, most of the time I use the touchscreen. The MotoBlur software has some built in features that help in this regards.

Will I be able to sync Tasks with Outlook and will they be “pushed” both ways, or will it require a manual or timed sync?

Active Sync is a two way street. All good.


Do you think the Droid Pro screen will be better or the same as the BB Torch?

Everything I have seen its a toss up. Torch 480x360 MotoPro 480x320.



Does Android have shortcut keys similar to the BB? For example, on an email message I can hit “I” on the keyboard and immediately file a message, the OS even predicts what folder I want to file the message in and pre-selects it. Does Android have similar features?

Sorry...not really sure.


I use the “auto-expand” feature a lot with my BB. So I set up the text “tt” to automatically type “tomorrow” does Android have this feature?

See previous. I have a predictive text softkeyboard (Switfkey) that does a really snappy job of predicting what I word I am typing, minus typos, plus what words may make sense next.

Is the spell check in Android universal, so that it checks spelling no matter what app you are typing in?

So far as I can tell it is.

Does the voice-to-text feature in Android work in all apps and any field you can type text into?

Its a keyboard function. Works everywhere you would type.

There are many other features like free Sat-NAV, a REAL browser, thousands of apps, many free that are worth running, Flash in browser etc. The only down side has been battery life, but as you cram faster processors and bigger screens into a smart-phone, the battery life issue is bound to come up. As you have mentioned the Torch, Blackberry is publishing similar talk time figures for it as the Droid Pro. The reason older blackberries were so good on batteries, was that their CPU power was meager at best.

I would suggest you lurk around on the many forums like this one for battery life tips. Google droid battery life and its universally the biggest gripe (to be fair its a problem for all advanced smartphones). The phones themselves have gotten faster and bigger but battery technology is much the same as it was 3 years ago.

Buy some extra chargers and enjoy the new found power.