[gebco]

TL;DR: I�m keeping the Priv, it�s a great phone, it�s not BB10 which is both good and bad.

I�ve been running the Priv for a couple of weeks now. I came from the Z30; love that phone.
After unboxing and updating to Marshmallow I began looking for apps that would meet my needs. And this is where things got interesting. Apps are a blessing and frustration. Although I knew I wouldn�t get the BB10 experience, I wanted the same or better functionality. Should be easy, right? Not so much. So, much, choice. Who is the developer? Do they datamine? Can the they be trusted? Does the app do what I want? In short, whereas BB10 works well and is integrated right out of the box, it took me a couple of days to find apps I liked for the Priv.

My Priv has never really gotten hot like I hear from others, with the exception of when I updated to Marshmallow. I use the Hub and have 6 email accounts in it, as well as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, BBM and text messages. The Hub has been good for me. No lag. The phone is well built. The pkb is fairly clicky. The screen is gorgeous. I have the wireless charging model using the BlackBerry flip case and I have no squishy back. The screen does seem a bit loose on the bottom when extended and you tap it, but nothing that worries me. Battery life has been fine. Gets me through the day into the evening. I rarely charge the phone after unplugging when I get up. But my use is probably different than your use.

Gestures is still a bit of a challenge. I still find myself swiping when I should be tapping. But that�s only because of motor memory. That being said, sometimes it feels like it is a bit quicker to do things on BB10, but we're talking a second here and there.

Notifications is a bit of a challenge. I still haven�t found a way to assign a sound to my daughter�s bbm messages that is different from other bbms, but I�m sure there�s an app for that (see above regarding apps). I do like the notification drawer at the top. It is a quick way to see what�s new.

Despite apps being a frustration, it is nice having apps that work fully and quickly. No sideloading, no removing gps and nice to have updated features. For example, I typed this in Word for Android; I really like the features in this app. And I like that you control permissions.
I�ve been a vkb aficionado but I�m liking this pkb more and more. It definitely takes some getting used to. I keep missing the spacebar for example. I really like the scrolling feature.
I bought the Priv because of BlackBerry�s hardening of Android (I wasn�t really prepared to look at other Androids) and because of the apps. Apps that have updated features. Apps that work. But the Android OS does not flow as nicely as BB10 and it is missing some of the very useful useful BB10 features. BlackBerry really built a nice OS. My ideal would be BB10 with the fully functioning app ecosystem of Android but that will never happen. In the end, I can do with my Priv what could do with my Z30, but in a different way. And I have the apps. I think this is a good direction for BlackBerry.

Cross posting to AC.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[FF22]

Well said and good review.

[fanisk]

Thanks for the review , absolutely I share same opinion and experiences with you!

Posted via my BlackBerry Priv

[vianar]

Thank you for the review, you have addressed many questions I had about the Priv. I am not sure what other computers you use but I come from an all Mac ecosystem at home but I am increasingly interested in the Priv but I have some questions that maybe you can answer. We are all Mac mainly because the calendar is unified between my wife and I, an entry made on any device is pushed to all of the devices. Is that possible, seamlessly with Android or BB calendar? I don't want to switch to a google calendar, what I want is one that will work with the native Mac calendar.

I am sorry for the lame question. I used BB years ago (BB5 or 6 era with my Storm, first gen, so I think you will understand my caution with a transition back) and the integration never existed.

Thanks

[gebco]

@vianar we don't use any iProducts in our household. That being said, we have a family email account and the calendar is calDAV which we have on my phone and my wife's BlackBerry. We both have the calendar events and both get the reminders. In addition, my Hotmail accounts are still on my Z30 and I see calendar entries there too. And of course Exchange Activesync should work across all devices as well as it does on mine. Here is the calendar setup:

Edit: found this link

http://www.androidauthority.com/how-...ndroid-340386/

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[vianar]

Thank you for the reply.