My New BlackBerry Z10 SmartPhone Review – I Like It


I recently just received my new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone and being a Canadian I would have to stand by and support Blackberry formerly know as Research In Motion. Research In Motion has been beaten up badly over the past 3 years…Ouch.

Although I was really disappointed with most of the previous Blackberry models like the Torch 9800 which I had for over 2 years, after spending a week with the new BlackBerry Z10, I would have to say that I am impressed by the new OS 10 and the form factor.

Compared to some Android Smartphones out there, the BlackBerry Z10’s hardware specifications might as strong. The Blackberry Z10 has a dual core 1.5 Ghz processor while the top Android’s have quad core CPU. However, the Blackberry Z10 has 2GB of RAM which is one of the most RAM amongst today’s smartphones. So, if you prefer a strong processor then you may wanna look
elsewhere for a quad core.

Because my new BlackBerry Z10 is a company phone, security and integration with company e-mail and calendar is a big concern. This area is where BlackBerry shines…it is one of the most secure enterprise level smartphones around integrating with MS Exchange / Outlook with ease and security. It’s no wonder that some company in China just ordered 2 million of the new Blackberry phone.

The QNX Unix like operating system is not like Android and has been enhanced and hardened by BlackBerry to be very secure.

For me personally, this is a big reason why I continue to choose BlackBerry.

Pros (What I like about the new BlackBerry Z10):

In order of likability – Number 1 being “Really Like”

1. The new 4.2 inch screen form factor is great. I place an iPhone 5 on top of my Z10 and realized that the screen on the new iPhone 5 is small and after using the BB Z10 for a week there is no way I can go to a small screen like the iPhone. The 0.2 inch makes a difference. As well, the Blackberry Z10 display is sharp / clear and touch gestures are accurate and responsive.

2. It has one of the most accurate virtual smartphone keyboards around (many reviewers have said so). I especially love the flick predictative text feature. You can just flick the word up, it speeds up texting a message half the time. I come from a physical QWERTY keyboard and thought I was going to have a hard time, but the Z10 virtual keyboard is accurate and responsive.

3. The new Webkit web browser, is quick and stable. All the websites I went to displayed correctly and the best part is that it supports FLASH video by default. No need to install any plug-ins.

4. The HUB features is almost. It allows the Z10 user to seperate “Personal” messaging from “Work” messaging. A great feature, things like personal e-mail, Twitter and Facebook can all be in the personal area of the HUB when you use the “Personal” desktop.

5. Great battery life. Blackberry’s have always been know for its long lasting batteries and the Z10 is no exception. One charge last me up to 8 hrs on heavy use and 13 hours on standby. Another plus, is that the battery is removable, unlike the built in battery in iPhones.

5. The camera on the new BlackBerry is pretty good as well. Rear Camera is 8 megapixel and front is 2 megapixel. Although not as great the Samsung Galaxy, it still takes really good quality pictures. The video camera is also good taking really sharp videos and is on par with the iPhone.

6.Very light and quality build. The sides are made of strong aluminum, the back plate is hard plastic, holding it in my hand it feels light and sturdy. However, I am not taking a chance, I am still going to get a nice hard/rubbery case for this.

Cons: (What I don’t like about the BlackBerry Z10):

1. Not as many apps as Android or iPhone. However, there is a quick way to get around this as the new BlackBerry Operating system OS10 can run Android apps using a special program to load converted Android apps. I was a little disappointed about the fact that Bloomberg and IMDB, which I had on my Asus Transformer (Android) tablet was not available on BlackBerry World for OS 10, but I quickly found these apps were converted from Android to work on BB10 OS and the new Z10 and Q10. So, I was able to install Bloomberg and IMDB app on my new BlackBerry Z10.

To learn how to load converted Android apps to your Blackberry Z10 or Q10, follow the instructions below:

1. Download “ddpb.msi” and install it on your Windows XP, 7, 8 PC. http://apps.goodereader.com/playbook/playbook-android-apps/?did=177

2. Go and download the apps you want, these are Android apps that have been converted to work on BlackBerry OS 10 (Z10 or Q10) and they have .bar file extension. http://apps.goodereader.com/playbook/playbook-android-apps/

3. Put the Z10 or Q10 into Development mode (watch the video to learn how), then watch this video load the apps onto your Z10 or Q10.

And give a big thanks to the guys at GoodeReader.com that have converted about 900 Android apps to BlackBerry OS 10 and the number is growing, they also have a tutorial for Apple Mac computers too.

2. Not easy to make your own picture taken from other camera, that you copy onto the Blackberry Z10 to show up as the wallpaper/background. Easy way to get around this though is pay for a $2 app called “Z Theme” from BlackBerry World, once I purchased this app it allowed me use any photo from any source and make it as my wallpaper/background and bonus it also allow me to customize the whole theme of the phone. I highly recommend this app.

Conclusion:

So, as you can see above my likes outweigh my dislikes of the new BlackBerry Z10 phone. The Z10 is certainly not going to blow your socks off like the Samsung Galaxy, but for me it is for work and as a work smartphone / personal smartphone it will more than do the job. It has great security, fast web browsing and it supports Android converted apps. After a week playing around and working with the BlackBerry Z10 and am quite happy with it.

At my company, the new Blackberry Z10 has been accepted well. The company has over 3000 employees and about 75% of the company has upgraded their Blackberrys to the new Z10 or waiting for the new Q10 to be release.

I recommend you do some thorough research and comparisons before you decide if the Z10 is for you.

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