Well this past week I finally updated my phone from a Blackberry Curve 3330 on Sprint to a HTC EVO Shift 4G still on Sprint.
When I first got the Blackberry I installed Email, Calendar and all of the other programs that would be needed to operate efficiently. After about two weeks I deleted the Email install because the Blackberry device was very Email unfriendly and clunky. I uninstalled the Calendar and instead loaded an alternative calendar that would sync to a Google Calendar. I loaded Thunderbird with Lighting (a calendar expansion for Thunderbird) and everything for the Calendar and reminders was good. I downloaded some other small apps and whenever I traveled used the GPS and mapping features. Basically, I was very, very disappointed in the Blackberry. It was too clunky and unfriendly overall, a really big turn off.
Anyway, I finally updated to the HTC EVO Shift 4G which is of course Android based. And in this past week have used my phone 10x more than I ever used my Blackberry. Texting is quick and easy. Email shows nicely on the screen and it is so easy to type a response with the larger keyboard. I use 1password on my Work and Home PC and now have it on my phone. I use Dropbox and can access files that I need to wherever I am. I downloaded Network WIFI signal analyzers, Kindle and several other apps and have used them left and right.
I went ahead and rooted my phone and downloaded a WIFI Tether program and can Tether either my Net-book or Tablet without problems. So nice to have Internet wherever I am. I am looking forward to traveling knowing that I will not have to pay the ridiculous hotel WIFI charges.
I can not believe how much more useful my phone is now that I have one that actually does things simply and straightforward and “Ohhhh” so quickly. Believe me I read all the Crackberry Forums that I could to try and make the device my device and get all I could out of it, but in the end, I found it just so frustrating to get anything done. The EVO Shift is a completely different story.
Downloaded the Kindle application for the Cruz Tablet and like it much more than the Borders E-Book Library Portal application. It actually downloads and saves the DRM copyrighted material to the Tablet and is always available to read. The only thing I would like to see is a Day/Night mode where the text is White on a Black background. When I read for several hours before bed the Black Text on White Background bleaches out my retinas. So when I go to bed and close my eyes I see a large White Square. I have learned that I must stop reading about 30 minutes to 1 hour before I plan to go to bed in order to not be kept awake by the annoying “Floating White Tablet” phenomenon.
Between my phone and Tablet I am ready to take on boring travel once again. Will provide an update after my first road trip in a few weeks. Will not have any major travel (flights, long-term hotel stays) for several months, probably early September, maybe late November. Will update then, maybe before.