1. Blacklatino's Avatar
    Hi all. I was wondering if others agree or if you find the UI beautiful?

    At the end of the day, what is "beautiful" and "plain" is entirely subjective of course. These are just my worries as I want people to be wowed or--at the very least--not immediately dismissive of BB10 phones when they see them sitting at their local mobile store. The last thing we want is for all the hard work put into BB10's functionality to be dismissed before people even try it because they think the UI looks plain.

    Cheers
    Aside from what we've seen thru videos, it's too soon for me to say one way or another. As far as worrying about others dismissing it for being plain- don't. Let RIM do the worrying. However, I doubt you're the only one having that same thought. 2013 is the beginning wave of BB10 "1st generation" devices. Maybe next year with the updates. LOL. @ looks 2005ish.
    01-10-13 10:55 PM
  2. greatwiseone's Avatar
    Functional's more important than "pretty". HTC Sense looks really nice and flashy, but its performance is such a drain on my phone (RAM + battery) that I got rid of it within a week after getting a HTC phone.
    imz and peter9477 like this.
    01-11-13 12:20 AM
  3. sam_d's Avatar
    I strongly believe that RIM will show completely new high resolution and vibrant icons and background wallpaper in the final product. If they can make such an amazing product, it does not really that huge effort or money to get good looking icons.
    They should have put minimalistic icons on dev alpha devices or even all under test/ openly seen devices with a different icon scheme to keep the final thing hidden for launch date..
    magutwit likes this.
    01-11-13 12:49 AM
  4. FlashFlare11's Avatar
    I don't find it ugly at all. We haven't yet seen the final product as I'm sure Cascades has been implemented across the entire OS in the final builds before release.

    Just to say, but I found Windows Phone 8 to be less attractive than WP7 (especially on the 8X). This was my impression from videos, screenshots, and pictures. I just played with an 8X a couple days ago and the quality of both the device and OS was miles better than what I had seen before. BB10 photos, screenshots, and videos don't do the OS or device justice. I'm certain we'll all be more than pleasantly surprised by what we see on 30 January and even more surprised when we actually hold the device in my hands.

    Just as an aside, I was thinking that maybe a device with a 4.3" screen would be a bit large (a former 8230 and current 9810 user here) but after playing with the 8X (also 4.3" screen), I feel that the Z10 device will be the perfect size!
    01-11-13 01:20 AM
  5. magutwit's Avatar
    Functional's more important than "pretty". HTC Sense looks really nice and flashy, but its performance is such a drain on my phone (RAM + battery) that I got rid of it within a week after getting a HTC phone.
    "Pretty" is important to launch the new OS and to to relaunch the firm which is said to disappear in 2013.
    01-11-13 05:46 AM
  6. magutwit's Avatar
    I don't find it ugly at all, I don't find it very appealing neither, I'd say it's neutral. I like what seems to be the functionality (and finally that'll be the reason I'll get one), but it doesn't screem : "I'm cool, I'm new, I'm innovative".
    It'll be ok with me and time will show if it is good enough to attract (many) new clients.
    01-11-13 05:53 AM
  7. magutwit's Avatar
    I strongly believe that RIM will show completely new high resolution and vibrant icons and background wallpaper in the final product. If they can make such an amazing product, it does not really that huge effort or money to get good looking icons.
    That's all the problem about RIM. They are strong enough to conceive an amazing product, but they just can't get 100% finished, it becomes crazy. I wrote about it in another thread yesterday : they do find time, money and imagination to think about the simultaneous multilanguage input (which seems to be better than that provided with Galaxy S3) and apparently they are very proud of it, because they show it off quite often, but they launch the phone with 33 supported languages while Apple, Samsung, Nokia (and I suppose all others) provide from 55 to 65. Incredible. They basically do something to attract a very cosmopolite public of globe-trotters, decision-makers and worldwide markets as well, but still don't have the required minimum basis to do it.
    That's what they did with the PB (which had everything to be a hit if it wasn't half-baked), that's what they did previously on other phones...

    We'll see what they do, I'd like to think as you do. I'm a rational person and I believe that they are all very intelligent and well-paid to understand it themselves (like if you launch a new cool OS, cool icons are just a minimum)...
    01-11-13 06:10 AM
  8. dynot's Avatar
    Just as an aside, I was thinking that maybe a device with a 4.3" screen would be a bit large (a former 8230 and current 9810 user here) but after playing with the 8X (also 4.3" screen), I feel that the Z10 device will be the perfect size!
    I also held the HTC 8X in my hands to get a feel for it and thought it was a good size: not too big and not too small. Actually, the Z10 is slightly smaller in dimension: 130mm X 65 X 9 versus HTC's 132.4 X 66.2 X10.1 but both have the same display size. My fear was that it would be somewhere in the vicinty of the size of an SG3 and that (for me anyway) is way too bulky.

    I think RIM hit the sweet spot as far as the size of the device in concerned. Now for those icons...
    01-11-13 08:14 AM
  9. Admorris's Avatar
    I'm sorry, but most of you have your head in the sand. I am one of those guys that Blackberry is trying to attract. I've owned every tip shelf Android based phone since the original Droid, but I am STARVING to get away from it and move in to a new ecosystem. I have strayed several times (Pearl 8830, iPhone 4, 4s, blackberry 9930, Playbook, Lumia 900) out of sheer boredom from Android, but I always find something missing that brings me back. I was REALLY looking forward to the new bb10 and have been keeping a close eye on development and news releases/leaks. From everything I have seen up to today, I have to say I am deflated to the point that I doubt I'll even give it a hands on (unless they make HUGE changes to the final product). The UI is just horrid...gigantic static icons with those ugly shadows behind them that serve absolutely no purpose but to take up screen real estate. From what I have seen so far, the hub is just a rehash of what Android has had for years...just a different way of getting to it (less inituative to me). I can view all of my notifications without leaving my app now just by sliding my screen down from the top. On top of that, I don't have to make any gestures to see ongoing notifications, as they are displayed on the status bar for me to view. The active icons are ridiculous...they serve no purpose. It would have made more sense to make them smaller to have more shown on one page, vs 4 gigantic icons that look like something from 2006. To start out in 2013 with a new platform and not include widgets is a huge mistake and will probably be the biggest single turn off for first time blackberry window shoppers. When they walk up and see an Android screen with a weather widget, a giant calendar widget and messaging widget...and then look over and see a page of icons that don't even update like a windows phone, that will spell doom for this phone.

    You can flame me or berate me, but I'm telling you this from a standpoint of a guy who loves technology, who will spend whatever it is to get a good device and has used all available platforms. I want to like blackberry...heck, I am debating on getting another Playbook to try since all of the recent updates seem to have made big improvements, but from what I've seen so far, this will be the nail in BB's coffin. There just isn't enough WOW in bb10 to pull people like myself away from Android...at this point anyway. There is nothing that phone can do (that I've seen so far anyway) that Android can't do quicker and with less steps. And Android has plenty it can do that the BB can't.


    If I'm wrong in anything, please point it out as I would love to know so I can try to get excited again. Please be respectful, as I am not trying to be mean...only honest in my opinion from what I've seen so far.

    Sent from my SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
    01-11-13 08:47 AM
  10. matt4pack's Avatar
    Well I have android installed on my touchpad and honestly I can't stand it mainly because of the UI. The design just doesn't appeal to me and the UI from a functionality standpoint is a complete mess. The UI is almost perfect on BB10 from just a functionality standpoint and the only thing they need to fix are some of the aesthetics.

    Also I'm not finding anything close to the hub, balance, flow, or the keyboard on my version of android. Are they hidden somewhere?
    Last edited by matt4pack; 01-11-13 at 09:21 AM.
    01-11-13 09:06 AM
  11. kuffkuff's Avatar
    My only sticking point was the icon backdrop, but honestly after using the dev alpha for a while, i don't even notice it anymore

    Is BB10's UI ugly?-img_00000141.jpg
    EsJayDee likes this.
    01-11-13 09:08 AM
  12. amjass12's Avatar
    No.. it is not
    01-11-13 09:09 AM
  13. omniusovermind's Avatar
    The UI is the best thing I've seen in years. But we all know this phone is going to live or die on the battlefield of apps. Whether you like that or not it's how public perception just is.
    01-11-13 09:12 AM
  14. kuffkuff's Avatar
    The active icons are ridiculous...they serve no purpose. It would have made more sense to make them smaller to have more shown on one page, vs 4 gigantic icons that look like something from 2006. To start out in 2013 with a new platform and not include widgets is a huge mistake and will probably be the biggest single turn off for first time blackberry window shoppers. When they walk up and see an Android screen with a weather widget, a giant calendar widget and messaging widget...and then look over and see a page of icons that don't even update like a windows phone, that will spell doom for this phone.
    I would only point out the the Active Frames do update dynamically if the developer choses to make them do so....just like windows phone live tiles. the difference is that live tiles are shortcuts to the actuall app, Active Frames are the app themselves just minimized. And if you want weather to always be there, just leave the app minimized or i'm actually pretty sure a dev can integrate weather notifications into the BB HUb.
    Vorkosigan and peter9477 like this.
    01-11-13 09:13 AM
  15. knowledge_6's Avatar
    all stock OS' look boring.. i will admit iOS does put a little more effort in their settings app.. but other then that it's boring..

    but i guess that's why the option of theming is so big.. mycolorscreen.com is a prime example of why android does so well.. people love to be creative and make their phone look the way they want it.. the smartphone/device whatever has become an extension of who we are and the ability to customize that is big!

    i think this is another reason why people might not jump onto BB10.. the lack of customization is not there... maybe in the future who knows.. but as of right now there will be no theme studio..

    but as time goes on.. customizing .. i just don't have time for it anymore..my nexus 4 home screen is my Dock. the weather and my fave apps... wallpaper is just the live Nexus 4 wallpaper.. so that's why i don't really care.. but others might..

    but to answer the OP's question.. no i think the BB10 UI is probably the best one out of them all..
    01-11-13 09:16 AM
  16. dynot's Avatar
    The UI is just horrid...gigantic static icons with those ugly shadows behind them that serve absolutely no purpose but to take up screen real estate.
    While I agree with a lot of what you said I wouldn't call the UI "horrid"...just not pretty and too old-school. Leave that look to the iPhone, who's UI hasn't changed much over the past few years.

    To start out in 2013 with a new platform and not include widgets is a huge mistake and will probably be the biggest single turn off for first time blackberry window shoppers. When they walk up and see an Android screen with a weather widget, a giant calendar widget and messaging widget...and then look over and see a page of icons that don't even update like a windows phone, that will spell doom for this phone.
    I'll leave it to those with better knowledge than I but as I understand it, these active frames are better than widgets as they are the actual app running in (and adapting to) a smaller window.

    On top of that, I don't have to make any gestures to see ongoing notifications, as they are displayed on the status bar for me to view.
    I also thought this was counter-intuitive at first. Right now, with OS6 I see my notifications just by glancing at the screen. With BB10 it seemed you would have to swipe up and to the right to see these which I found was a step backwards. Then I realized that even with my current OS I still have to swipe it anyway to turn on the screen after it times out.
    01-11-13 09:22 AM
  17. I am JT's Avatar
    As noted in the posts above "ugly" is subjective but I think I'll reserve judgement until I have it in my hand and can actually see it on the device. The UI can be tweaked to make it more asthetically pleasing to the masses if it meets with poor reviews on that point. As I recall, RIM was able to tweek the PlayBook UI to address some of the shortcomings fairly quickly. The bottom line is that while "Pretty" may draw onlookers, functionality is going to keep users.
    peter9477 likes this.
    01-11-13 09:26 AM
  18. BBThemes's Avatar
    i think this is another reason why people might not jump onto BB10.. the lack of customization is not there... maybe in the future who knows.. but as of right now
    i wouldnt really say thats true, as iOS and WP7/8 dont really have any customisation and they both do sell. i do agree customisation would be great, and sure it wont do it for everyone, but i dont think its the dealbreaker for most people.

    personally i think the look of the icons are very bland. the way the UI works and the in app UI i quite like, but the homescreen looks (not functionality) is a little below what i would have liked.
    That being said, its just a grid of apps, and the backing rectangle does grow on ya (or you start not to notice it lol) so how much can be done other than the icons themselves is i guess a valid point.

    woulda loved it to be like the Else OS though if im honest, thats one handed coolness right there lol
    01-11-13 09:28 AM
  19. Qaxl's Avatar
    Its not "ugly", but its also not overly attractive.

    -The Active Frames look Bland, atleast give them rounded corners or something
    -The Icons are much improved but they could just make the translucent backdrop stretch to the whole screen, instead of each individual icon much like the Playbook
    -Default wallpapers need to be better ( was is too much to ask for live wallpapers ? )
    -Themes

    I suppose like android needed "Project Butter", BB10 will have to come up with a "Project Eye-Candy" im already rooting for BB10.1
    01-11-13 09:29 AM
  20. Admorris's Avatar
    i wouldnt really say thats true, as iOS and WP7/8 dont really have any customisation and they both do sell. i do agree customisation would be great, and sure it wont do it for everyone, but i dont think its the dealbreaker for most people.
    iOS is a fluke (hear me out). Apple absolutely created something great 5 years ago, and they sucked a ton of people in with their marketing. However, if iOS came out today it would fail miserably...that's how strong their marketing is.


    Sent from my SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
    01-11-13 09:51 AM
  21. shingi_70's Avatar
    Project butter was only for the smoothness of the is. The UI parts had already been put there with Ice cream sandwich.

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
    01-11-13 09:56 AM
  22. Qaxl's Avatar
    Project butter was only for the smoothness of the is. The UI parts had already been put there with Ice cream sandwich.

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
    I am aware of that, what I meant was, that like Google did Project Butter which focused on making the their OS smooth, RIM might have to come up with a Project Eye-Candy to make the UI prettier.
    EsJayDee likes this.
    01-11-13 10:02 AM
  23. Admorris's Avatar
    I am aware of that, what I meant was, that like Google did Project Butter which focused on making the their OS smooth, RIM might have to come up with a Project Eye-Candy to make the UI prettier.
    The fact that the group of people most likely to buy the phone are already talking about ways to make it better is not a very good sign.

    Sent from my SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
    01-11-13 10:07 AM
  24. theegoldenone's Avatar
    What's the stock IU look like on OS7??? I don't even remember what it even looks like. I honestly didn't care what it looked like because I wanted to change it on day one so my screen would be different from the next persons blackberry screen.
    01-11-13 10:22 AM
  25. Rub3n5's Avatar
    I love everything but the icon grid. I think there are 2 things that make it ugly to certain people (myself included). The blue background and the gray grid around the icons. I think if the gray grid around the icons goes, it will be just fine. I think RIM could also do a much better job of the icon design themselves too. As much as I love everything BB10, the icon grid is ugly compared to Android and especially iOS.
    01-11-13 10:33 AM
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