----- Original Message ----
> From: Robert P. J. Day <rpjday [ at ] crashcourse [ dot ] ca>
> To: Paul B. <red [ dot ] line [ at ] rogers [ dot ] com>
> Cc: linux [ at ] lists [ dot ] oclug [ dot ] on [ dot ] ca
> Sent: Thu, May 5, 2011 7:51:08 AM
> Subject: Re: [OCLUG-Tech] anyone out there experienced at cyanogenmod'ing their
>phone?
... snip ...
> technical issues aside, what is the experience of people who have
> made this switch that you know of? folks used to the physical
> blackberry keyboard may find it really tough to adjust (unless, of
> course, the android phone comes with an actual keyboard).
>
> so while i would normally recommend an android phone without
> reservation, i understand that, in the end, it's the user experience
> that matters, and if people with a blackberry history end up unhappy
> with something else, i don't want to recommend switching.
Before you decide that you need an Android phone with a physical keyboard, you
owe it to yourself (and to the other user :-) ) to try out the Swype on-screen
keyboard. My view is that Swype is the most original and "game-changing"
software of the Android environment. It allows the user to enter words by
dragging a finger through the spelling of the word without lifting off your
finger until the end of the word. It is easier to experience than to describe in
words. My personal experience is that I am all clumsy thumbs with an on-screen
keyboard and vastly preferred a physical keyboard. Since accepting the expense
and bulk of a physical keyboard (HTC G2 / Desire Z from expansys.ca), I have
barely used the physical keyboard and use Swype >95% of the time.
My previous favourite phone had been a Nokia E-62 from 2007; it combined Finnish
build quality with Blackberry software and an excellent physical keyboard.
As always with personal experience, you experience may vary.
--
Bruce Miller, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
bruce [ at ] brmiller [ dot ] ca; (613) 745-1151
In archaeology you uncover the unknown. In diplomacy you cover the known.
attributed to Thomas Pickering, retired US diplomat, born 1931