Sanjay Jha, “34 percent of BlackBerry users are ready to switch to Android”

Oct 06 AT 12:54 PM Taylor Wimberly 32 Comments

Sanjay Jha, “34 percent of BlackBerry users are ready to switch to Android”

Sanjay Jha and Motorola think the Droid Pro is THE device that will finally convince the BlackBerry crowd to switch to Android. Do you agree? Check out the video of the Droid Pro unveiling after the jump and let us know if you think it will be a success.

If we have any BlackBerry readers out there, are you really ready to switch to Android? If so, what type of device are you looking for? Do you want a BlackBerry styled device like the Droid Pro or something completely different like the Droid X (with its 4.3 inch display)?

32 Comments Join the discussion!

MekoGuest 10/06/10 1:21 PM

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While I think the % may be accurate, I believe it’s the businesses which have been preventing a mass exodus from the BB line. Simple stated, if Android is not a supported device within an organization, ‘users are ready to switch’ doesn’t mean much in the way of sales.

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- xwatchmanxGuest 10/20/10 2:26 PM
  
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  i’m no blackberry user, and i dont really care for the style, but this phone is WICKED AWESOME! i prefer the slider qwerty keyboard found on the Samsung Moment and Epic, but this is still really cool. a friend of mine has a blackberry and is getting an android when his upgrade comes next month… too bad he has sprint and not verizon to get this. he would love it. but then again, i’m thinking the swype keyboard on newer androids might win him over anyway.
  
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GwemGuest 10/06/10 2:01 PM

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I’m a S1 user and I’m ready to switch to an android device (any style), I’m waiting for the holidays to see what phones come out by then, there’s a lot to pick from though. I like the droid pro more for the parents.

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johnny bGuest 10/06/10 2:04 PM

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I think its a great leap for android! Getting into a business minded android phone would be phenomenal for the folks that are caught between business and pleasure.

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joeskieGuest 10/06/10 2:27 PM

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well im actualy not a android user but i hate blackberries too. im using a n900 right now. i came to this device from a n1. i found that android is only so interesting untill you reach a certain point (rooted). dont get me wrong, i love android enough to have it dual booted on my n900 but the platform is stail. without a full version of lenux, android will only be so capable. i have no doubts that they will get there but then theres another issue. companies are cramming a new, super-high end device down our throats every fucking month, this reality struck me deeply. i dreaded even thinking about getting into another device for fear that something better was right around the corner. this is why no matter how un-innovative blackberry decides to be they will always have a foothold in this market. the people who cant afford another 2 year contract and pay 275 for a new device, people who dont want a new phone every month. wich brings to light another huge issue: my fellow americans. i love you all i really do but if we are going to get serious about phones we have to get away from carrier-subsidized handsets and start realizing that a phone now a days is a personal extention and expresion of you and that if you want a device with monsterous specs and limetless capability you will have to pay 500-600 dollars straight out. thats why the rest of the world is lightyears ahead of the us in tech. when i hear someone complain about a 200 dollar fee they had to pay for the phone they have i just want to punch them in the neck.with people paying a real peice of change for a phone that might inspire them to actually take care of they’re phones and keep them for a longer time. this would also make manufacturers develop phones that are upgradable and are perfected before release, versus the system we have now where we give the public a work in progress and tell them to wait for an ota that will never come (motorola, samsung). to conclude my little tiatribe, android will take over the world soon enough and when that happens mediocracy will follow, ill let you imagine why.

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- Mast3rShakeGuest 10/06/10 3:27 PM
  
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  If you think your phone is an extension of who you are you should buy an iPhone. I don’t need my phone to describe me, I have a personality for that. I need it to be fast online, entertain me, and allow me to communicate.
  
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- Brian from TexasGuest 10/07/10 6:59 AM
  
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  The phrase is “…punch them in the throat.”
  
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DavidGuest 10/06/10 2:31 PM

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I have been saying that no one has addressed the Blackberry faithful. We love our keyboards! I tried (and loved) a Nexus One but after time, the virtual keyboard drove me nuts. So…back in black(berry). But this phone satisfies my every want and need. Just add dedicated send/end keys.

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ChrisGuest 10/06/10 3:04 PM

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What a coincidence, 34 % of all statistics are made up on the spot, 34 % of all Americans know that. I wonder where that number came from, I know several people with blackberrys and as far as I know they were never asked if they were willing to switch to Android.

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- KatGuest 10/06/10 5:01 PM
  
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  They must all be my friend because my friends who are BB users hate their BB’s and want Android. In fact, my cousin who’s company uses BB for business, is just waiting for Android to come out with.. Ahh, the name of it has escaped me… but it’s some kind of server? thing her business uses. The app is in development for Android and once it comes out her whole company is making the jump. I suspect her whole company won’t be the only one.
  With my experience and speaking with people I know, I would say this percentage is correct.
  
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- katGuest 10/06/10 5:02 PM
  
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  Oh, sorry Chris I read your comment wrong. I see what you are saying now.
  
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LjNj_RC51Guest 10/06/10 5:02 PM

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HATED IT!!!

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VirtueGuest 10/06/10 5:22 PM

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I’m currently the owner of a Blackberry and let me tell you, there is not a moment in my phone’s lifetime where I wanted to snap it in half. Now I’m at the end of my contract and I can’t WAIT to get a Desire HD if it comes out or the HTC Glacier. I mean the Droid Pro is nice and all, but I think I’m ready for some phone real estate.

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- VirtueGuest 10/06/10 5:23 PM
  
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  Whoops. I mean “where I DIDN’T want to snap it in half.” Sorry for the double post btw…
  
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DraperGuest 10/06/10 8:49 PM

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I am a longtime blackberry user and I am ABSOLUTELY READY to switch to Android. I need a QWERTY keyboard so I’m quite tempted by the G2, but I keep reading stories about a crush of new phones coming out for the holiday season, so I’ve decided to wait a couple months and give myself Android as a X-mas present. Which phone will depend on whichever is the best for my needs: keyboard, fast up and download, decent camera, solid build. I don’t understand code or XDA / rooting, so whether or not the phone has a reset chip or whatever is not an issue for me.

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- xwatchmanxGuest 10/20/10 2:35 PM
  
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  i don’t know what carrier you have, but the Samsung Epic on Sprint is a really nice phone that, to my knowledge, has eliminated just about all the issues w/ the Moment, the ‘beta’ version of that phone (which i own and, despite its issues, love). There’s also a ‘midrange’ version coming out called the Samsung Transform which, to my knowledge, is a moment-sized version of the epic, w/ only 800 ghz and no 4G, but just about as well performing and a bit cheaper. Also, HTC is coming out w/ an unnamed phone (currently believed to be called the “lexikon” or the “merge”) that is basically like the Droid 2, but better. these are all slide-out qwerty phones. also, believe it or not, the “swype” touch keyboard on newer androids actually works very VERY well, much more than i expected to. I just got swype on my rooted Moment and, in less than a wk of practice, i can now type MUCH faster than w/ my qwerty, w/ 90% as much accuracy. hope this helps!
  
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RambojamboGuest 10/06/10 9:25 PM

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I have to say I love my BB. I had the Pearl, than Curve, now the Tour. I’m w/VZ and love the service. I thought I would want to try a touch screen, tried the Storm, hated it, for many reasons. Back to my Curve. My daughter has the Incredible. I am in my 30day trial with the Fascinate, and though the colors is beautiful, droid apps feel like the apps from my ipad, it’s not the same. I love BBM and how it’s strictly BB’s, you can make groups, have conference chats and the smileys come out smileys, not keyboard smileys. I can personalize my sms, mms, and BBM’s to any ringtone as well as my call ringtone. On the Fascinate I have to download an app to do that. Why should I have to download an app to help me personalize my phone? The phone should be able to do that from the get go. I can make a call with just 1 touch on my keyboard, whereas I have to touch the screen, go to phone, than make the call. I can go on and on, so I will again return a droid phone to go back to my old faithful Tour. Untill I can find a droid touchscreen that allows me to personalize from the beginning, and have a nice keyboard that is soooo easy to use.
Aloha

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- d4audioGuest 10/11/10 5:15 AM
  
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  I think you miss the point of apps……….they allow YOU to customise your phone the way YOU want…… not everybody wants that functionality, so for those how do …there is an app for that…..
  baking everything in can over complicate what should be a simple user experience
  
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- xwatchmanxGuest 10/20/10 2:44 PM
  
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  i never owned a blackberry, but i can understand where you’re coming from as far as disliking having to search and download and/or pay for features that were built in to your last phone. however, i disagree about the part how it’s like ipad/iphone apps. unlike the apple marketplace (or whatever it’s called), the vast majority of good apps on android are free. there are quite a few apps (both free and/or cheap) that fulfill all the wishes you just mentioned. buy hey, as long as you still have your android, you might as well try to work it out until the day you return it. i’m more than happy to help and give you recommendations if you want. just email me. xwatchmanx@gmail.com
  
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PhazoniGuest 10/06/10 9:58 PM

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Hey Sanjay, where’s my promised Cliq update?!?!

BUYER BEWARE

Motorola has let the Cliq owners rot on the vine with NONE of the promised updates. If you buy this phone be wary that Motorola could just as easily leave you hanging when it comes to updates to the Android OS.

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Keenan StephensGuest 10/07/10 7:04 AM

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I Was a BlackBerry user with Tmobile for ever. I went from the 7100t, to the 8700g then the Curve 8900. After reading all the Android sites and seeign all the cool touch screen phones that were coming out I eventualy took the bait and got the My Touch Slide 3G on Fathers Day when it was free. I some times miss my BlackBerry, then I go to the Android Market and see all of the apps and see how far ahead Android is from the BB OS. I think I’m gonna be Android for LIFE!!

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seal5kGuest 10/07/10 7:20 AM

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bb customers who like software stability wont. if they do will go and return back

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DarkseiderGuest 10/07/10 8:19 AM

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Even if half of the 34% stated make the switch that would be a HUGE amount of new users.

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MrNateGuest 10/07/10 12:35 PM

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I’m a BlackBerry user and I’m holding off to see what HTC and Samsung has to offer.

The Moto Droid Pro is a lame attempt to lure BB users over, but falls on it’s face, IMO, They should have made the keyboard slider style with that screen size. They also screwed with the numbers and they aren’t in traditional phone format, which I find to be annoying. Yes, I love the BB keyboard and that’s one big reason I’m holding out. However, BB OS6 doesn’t look to be all that spectacular and my Tour won’t be upgraded, so once again, I’m out of luck with their upgrade path.

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DroiGuest 10/07/10 1:03 PM

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with all do respect, they will need more then that to take BB users over.

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EddyGuest 10/07/10 3:32 PM

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I finally made the switch this past September from Tmobile Blackberry Curve to a Samsung Vibrant and I haven’t looked back, so very happy with my Android phone. I’ve been a Blackberry fan and user for years and considered jumping ship when AT&T introduced the iPhone but it’s AT&T. Blackberry’s core audience is corporate and their frills, bells and whistles on Blackberries was so slow coming, I gave up. I don’t hate Blackberry, think they’re still very useful in the corporate world but happy to be an Android now!! ;-)

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ChrisGuest 10/07/10 9:32 PM

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Long time BB user on T-Mobile. I have owner the Evo and the Vibrant as well as 3 Blackberries. They all offer great value and benefits. I myself like the Android OS as open source is a huge avenue for developers. The BB OS is locked down by RIM and developers are limited with the depth their apps can integrate with the phones. Android has many benefits. Everything comes down to what works best for the person who owns the phone.

That said, I have traded my 9700 in for a G2 until the myTouch HD is released.

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doodadGuest 10/08/10 12:24 AM

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Droid pro is the biggest threat bb has had since the original iphone came out and “changed everything”. 4 years later though, and no one has made any inroads into bb territory – bb still owns business and enterprise. BB on the other hand is about a year away from matching ios and android on the consumer front. BB is on solid ground imo, but this droid pro is looking pretty good… Am I part of the 37%? Not sure, but gonna definitely check it out!

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0 tazmoly 10/10/10 5:54 AM

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I understand Motorola may want to come up with a BB lookalike to attract BB users, but, as a Droid fan, if I wanted to have something that looked like a BB, I would have bought one. When will they come up with a Droid that works worldwide, (including SIM card), and looks and feels like a Droid ?

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HaggieGuest 10/11/10 4:20 PM

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100% of the statements made by a CEO of any publicly traded company are either inaccurate, misleading, or bald-faced lies.

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- poiboyGuest 10/12/10 11:02 PM
  
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  I think this may be a bit misleading as well. Almost all of the BB users I have run into have TWO phones; a BB that is just dedicated to business (bought for them by their company, no doubt) and, regrettably, an iPhone, which they use as their personal phone. I love android as much as anybody else here, but it seems crazy-unlikely to me that more than a THIRD of BB users are gonna jump ship on a phone their company makes them have.
  
  Now, if what Sanjay means is that BB business users are ready to use Android as their PERSONAL phones over whatever they’ve already got, I think I could believe that.
  
  Otherwise there are about to be a whole lot more android users who are unemployed.
  
  “Hey, boss. I’m sick of these blackberries we have to use at work. What can I have, instead?”
  
  “A severance package.”
  
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MichaelGuest 10/13/10 6:45 AM

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I have had a BB for a number of years, my next phone will be a HTC Desire HD, reason for this is the Apps on BB are poor. for work i will still use a BB as this is the compant standard and this is more to do with security and encryption than the actual OS/Device.

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Sanjay Jha, “34 percent of BlackBerry users are ready to switch to Android”