1. duude88's Avatar
    Hey guys!

    I'm a 3+ year Android user who's considering switching over to the Q10. I'm sick and tired of virtual keyboards and need some buttons in my life Also, the more I read about BB10 the more I like it.

    The biggest problem I see coming into the new OS is my dependency on Google. I use GMail, Calendar, Maps, Talk and few other services. My contacts and SMS messages are always in the cloud, accessible from GMail at any time - and I like it that way.

    What can I expect in case I decide to jump ship to BB10. Can I still have everything synced up as before?

    Thanks!
    08-17-13 02:49 AM
  2. pbeasley's Avatar
    I am having very good success with calendar, mail, and contacts on my Z10. Have not even looked for Google talk so can't speak to that.
    Maps you have to use the mobile browser version which lacks some functionality. I have been comparing BB10 native maps app against the Google mobile over the past couple weeks. In most cases I have preferred the native app. Search is still better with Google though.

    Hope that is helpful.

    Posted via CB10
    duude88 likes this.
    08-17-13 03:01 AM
  3. Javid Gozalov's Avatar
    Google talk works just fine for me, so nothing there.

    Posted via CB10
    08-17-13 03:03 AM
  4. magsasaka's Avatar
    There's BeMaps 10 that uses Google Map and integrate BlackBerry Map app so I think you are covered in terms of Map service

    Posted via CB10
    08-17-13 03:26 AM
  5. guygardner73's Avatar
    There's BeMaps 10 that uses Google Map and integrate BlackBerry Map app so I think you are covered in terms of Map service

    Posted via CB10
    I second this, BeMaps is good. Also, I'll reiterate the others, sync for contacts, mail and calendar is fine. I believe Talk is good too but don't have personal experience there. Give it a month or two and everyone will be on BBM anyway.

    Z10STL100-2/10.1.0.4633 O2 Uk
    08-17-13 03:36 AM
  6. duude88's Avatar
    Thanks for the replies guys!

    Can you explain how does contact syncing work? Do you just enter your Google Account and it pulls the contacts into the phone, or?
    08-17-13 03:49 AM
  7. guygardner73's Avatar
    Thanks for the replies guys!

    Can you explain how does contact syncing work? Do you just enter your Google Account and it pulls the contacts into the phone, or?
    Yep, just register your Google account and it should all take care of itself. Same for Hotmail etc. When you first add your account, tap advanced at the bottom of the screen then tap Gmail then enter username, password etc then at the bottom of the screen it'll say either 'initial sync period ' or sync time frame. Either way, set it to maximum which is either 90 days or forever. There, job done.

    Z10STL100-2/10.1.0.4633 O2 Uk
    duude88 likes this.
    08-17-13 04:16 AM
  8. duude88's Avatar
    Woah, that's awesome!

    Good news is that is seems like Q10 will work for me. The bad news...I have no idea where to buy one at a reasonable price. Right now it's over $1000 (unlocked) where I live.
    08-17-13 04:31 AM
  9. guygardner73's Avatar
    Woah, that's awesome!

    Good news is that is seems like Q10 will work for me. The bad news...I have no idea where to buy one at a reasonable price. Right now it's over $1000 (unlocked) where I live.
    I can't help there, I'm afraid. I'm in the UK and for smartphones we mostly go for the plan that gives a ton of Data, unlimited calls and texts and a free phone. in my opinion, it's worth getting one on eBay (from a reputable seller of course) brand new they're going for around $500 over here unlocked and sim free. Some stores offer warranty as well.

    Z10STL100-2/10.1.0.4633 O2 Uk
    duude88 likes this.
    08-17-13 05:06 AM
  10. duude88's Avatar
    Hehe, I know, it's ok

    Prices start at about �350 on ebay.co.uk. I'll see if I can get it used here in Croatia. If no, eBay it is.
    08-17-13 05:21 AM
  11. Chanlion's Avatar
    For Google Drive there's plenty of third party apps.
    08-17-13 08:57 AM
  12. Sergeant_Im's Avatar
    Hehe, I know, it's ok

    Prices start at about �350 on ebay.co.uk. I'll see if I can get it used here in Croatia. If no, eBay it is.
    Just make sure that you buy an unlocked Q10 and the one that supports the same radio wave as your local carrier.
    08-19-13 03:03 AM
  13. Saiga's Avatar
    Just make sure that you buy an unlocked Q10 and the one that supports the same radio wave as your local carrier.
    Also, the person needs to make sure that their carrier actually sales the Q10 or at least allows it on their network.

    There is no such thing as a truly unlocked BlackBerry 10 device. The SIM you install into the phone dictates whether or not you're allowed to edit the APN. I have two unlocked BlackBerry 10 phones, but neither of them will work on my carrier because I can't edit the APN.

    Typed on my Dev Alpha C, Posted Via CB10
    duude88 likes this.
    08-19-13 07:34 AM
  14. duude88's Avatar
    Also, the person needs to make sure that their carrier actually sales the Q10 or at least allows it on their network.

    There is no such thing as a truly unlocked BlackBerry 10 device. The SIM you install into the phone dictates whether or not you're allowed to edit the APN. I have two unlocked BlackBerry 10 phones, but neither of them will work on my carrier because I can't edit the APN.

    Typed on my Dev Alpha C, Posted Via CB10
    Woah, thank you so much for that comment. I had no idea this limitation existed. In my country the Q10 is currently exclusive to one carrier. There is a good possibility it won't work on mine.
    Saiga likes this.
    08-19-13 08:22 AM
  15. Saiga's Avatar
    Woah, thank you so much for that comment. I had no idea this limitation existed. In my country the Q10 is currently exclusive to one carrier. There is a good possibility it won't work on mine.
    You're welcome!

    Now keep in mind, just because it doesn't work with my SIM don't mean it won't work with the SIM for your carrier. It is a strange situation. My carrier uses AT&T's towers and when the SIM is inserted into a BB10 device, the phone becomes a AT&T phone, complete with AT&T's branding, apps, and APN settings. Even though my carrier isn't AT&T. The settings cannot be edited on BB10 like they can on my other unlocked phones. So whenever that SIM goes into a BB10 phone, it automatiaclly uses the supplied APN, which is not the correct APN for my carrier or SIM.

    My Nexus 4, which is also unlocked automatically defaults to the wrong APN setting as well, but with Android, I can delete, add, modify and save APN settings as I please. Because the Nexus 4 is actually an unlocked smartphone. Unlocked BB10 phones are only unlocked if the carrier for your SIM allows it to be on their network as an unlocked smartphone. Some people here claim to have SIM cards that allow them to edit APN settings, but I can't recall which country they were in or who their carrier was.

    Basically, BlackBerry gave the carriers a bunch of control over their new devices for some odd reason.

    If it was me, I'd call the carrier you're planning on using and see what they say. Me personally, I don't mind the issue that much. My Nexus 4 has free mobile hot spot and the BB10 devices work amazingly well as Wi-Fi devices.
    08-19-13 12:23 PM
  16. duude88's Avatar
    If it was me, I'd call the carrier you're planning on using and see what they say. Me personally, I don't mind the issue that much. My Nexus 4 has free mobile hot spot and the BB10 devices work amazingly well as Wi-Fi devices.
    Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely try that. The problem is... my carrier probably won't know what to answer since the Q10 is still exclusive in my country and it's a wildly unpopular phone.

    I know the phone works fine over WiFi (would be sad if it didn't) but that's something I won't find acceptable. Nexus 4 is a huge phone...I don't plan on carrying it around all that often after purchasing the Q10 (if I purchase it).

    Thanks again!
    08-19-13 01:27 PM
  17. magsasaka's Avatar
    You can Google the frequency of radio signals your carrier are working under. Or you can ask them, (I asked my carrier before)

    Then by that, I looked for the right Z10 model variations. In your case a Q10

    Posted via CB10
    08-19-13 09:34 PM
  18. sidd1011's Avatar
    Contacts sync work fine with Gmail. Mail now has forever sync period. Side load Google maps(on 10.2) if looking for a free app, though can't login.

    Posted via CB10
    08-19-13 10:04 PM
  19. jsivash's Avatar
    Posted via CB10
    08-21-13 10:26 AM
  20. duude88's Avatar
    Just wanted to update the thread and say that I finally got the Q10. The biggest problem at the moment is the lack of aliases for email. I have 5 aliases in my GMail account so this situation is somewhat troublesome. Good news is that i managed to find some tips that allow you to add those accounts and disable notifications. Far from perfect, but managable.

    Other than the email thing I'm genuinely surprised at just how bad most of the apps are for BlackBerry 10. Native apps are ok, but most apps in AppWorld arent native...

    Posted via CB10
    10-04-13 12:20 PM

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