[deadcowboy]

So I just spent a leisurely hour+ with the new Priv and have some first impressions to share. I've got one of these coming in next week, but am on the fence. Don't like Android, but there are some improvements over analogous BB10 features.

1. The hardware is really quite nice. Not as solid-feeling as other devices, but that makes it feel lighter--I prefer this. It feels super well built and satisfying (and not a brick despite its weight). Don't be alarmed by build quality threads. Plastic build, but that's not a bad thing. It's two-tone grey and black. The sliding mechanism is as satisfying and solid as you've heard: super duper.

1a. Size. Really doesn't feel too big next to a Passport. Much more manageable. Thin too. I'm impressed and prefer a candybar shape to my unwieldy Passport.

2. The keyboard is mushy. Simple as that. Because it's a slider, the key travel is shallow in comparison to BB10 keyboards. I'd need time to gauge how efficiently I can type, but it felt fine otherwise. Better than VKBs but not as good as BB10 PKBs.

2a. Capacitive scrolling is far better than on the Passport, however; this is a killer feature and it feels natural to navigate with the slider open even if you're just browsing around the OS: good balance, not awkward in the least. Swiping to delete words has improved: it is instantaneous now.

2b. No T or B shortcuts to jump to the top or bottom of a page. But we do get home screen shortcuts with the keyboard. And auto search launch on keystroke.

3. The software keyboard is great. Haptic feedback on keypress, large keys, very satisfying for a VKB. Best VKB I've used.

4. Hub is very easy to launch. Looks good, didn't populate it with accounts. A very worthy alternative to BB10's L-gesture. Swipe up from the 'square' to go straight into the hub (all three navigation buttons work, not just the circle, which requires a diagonal up and right to launch the hub).

5. Typing on the PKB from the home screen automatically launches BlackBerry Search. You can choose if you want typing to launch google search or BlackBerry search. But you can set a default that will work like BB10 but better and faster. I'd say this is a major improvement over BB10 due to speed and reliability (and really amazing results that populate quickly and in different categories, including device or youtube videos, etc).

6. Screen is awesome. There isn't really much of a curve to the display under the glass. But the curved edges feel really nice when navigating or activating BlackBerry's new info tab. I did notice that every Samsung device at the ATT store had horrible burn-in.

7. Brightness. It gets dimmer than any BB10 device (dim enough to use in bed at night without retina damage, unlike every BB10 phone I've used). It gets brighter than my Passport. Huge improvement.

8. Camera. The front facing camera was better than any BB10 phone I've used (or maybe I just looked a bit handsomer today than usual). But then I don't take selfies. The rear camera offered better detail, features, and flash white balance than my Passport. It's an obvious improvement, but I'd need to compare photos on a computer to make any real judgements. White balance was notably better to my eyes, but again, different screens.

9. No file browser. Darn. But the notes app and task app are better. D-Tek is kind of neat. I couldn't find a dedicated Activity monitor. BlackBerry search is improved. Hub couldn't really be tested, but easy and quick to launch from almost anywhere.

10. Speaker is indeed nothing special, but it's fine.

11. Multi-tasking. Press square, brought to the recent apps screen which has variously-sized windows that can be closed by swiping them to the right, off screen or hitting the X. Better than iOS or TouchWiz. Not as good as BB10, but as good as I've seen on Android. I wish I could swipe BB10 active frames up to close them.

12. Android vs BB10. Android is an ugly operating system. Cluttered, confusing, ugly animations, etc. BlackBerry did a good job with it, however. I had to change the wallpaper, though. BB10 is honestly a work of art in comparison, and I cherish the BB10 UI more than I did yesterday. I feel anxious using Android, even though I got pretty good about navigating it as quickly or quicker than BB10.

13. Ask me questions. I kicked the tires pretty thoroughly, comparing features to my Passport and other BB10 devices. I think I have some insights that won't be touched upon in official reviews.

Posted via CB10

[prathap4139]

So I just spent a leisurely hour+ with the new Priv and have some first impressions to share. I've got one of these coming in next week, but am on the fence. Don't like Android, but there are some improvements over analogous BB10 features.

1. The hardware is really quite nice. Not as solid-feeling as other devices, but that makes it feel lighter--I prefer this. It feels super well built and satisfying (and not a brick despite its weight). Don't be alarmed by build quality threads. Plastic build, but that's not a bad thing. It's two-tone grey and black. The sliding mechanism is as satisfying and solid as you've heard: super duper.

1a. Size. Really doesn't feel too big next to a Passport. Much more manageable. Thin too. I'm impressed and prefer a candybar shape to my unwieldy Passport.

2. The keyboard is mushy. Simple as that. Because it's a slider, the key travel is shallow in comparison to BB10 keyboards. I'd need time to gauge how efficiently I can type, but it felt fine otherwise. Better than VKBs but not as good as BB10 PKBs.

2a. Capacitive scrolling is far better than on the Passport, however; this is a killer feature and it feels natural to navigate with the slider open even if you're just browsing around the OS: good balance, not awkward in the least. Swiping to delete words has improved: it is instantaneous now.

2b. No T or B shortcuts to jump to the top or bottom of a page. But we do get home screen shortcuts with the keyboard. And auto search launch on keystroke.

3. The software keyboard is great. Haptic feedback on keypress, large keys, very satisfying for a VKB. Best VKB I've used.

4. Hub is very easy to launch. Looks good, didn't populate it with accounts. A very worthy alternative to BB10's L-gesture. Swipe up from the 'square' to go straight into the hub (all three navigation buttons work, not just the circle, which requires a diagonal up and right to launch the hub).

5. Typing on the PKB from the home screen automatically launches BlackBerry Search. You can choose if you want typing to launch google search or BlackBerry search. But you can set a default that will work like BB10 but better and faster. I'd say this is a major improvement over BB10 due to speed and reliability (and really amazing results that populate quickly and in different categories, including device or youtube videos, etc).

6. Screen is awesome. There isn't really much of a curve to the display under the glass. But the curved edges feel really nice when navigating or activating BlackBerry's new info tab. I did notice that every Samsung device at the ATT store had horrible burn-in.

7. Brightness. It gets dimmer than any BB10 device (dim enough to use in bed at night without retina damage, unlike every BB10 phone I've used). It gets brighter than my Passport. Huge improvement.

8. Camera. The front facing camera was better than any BB10 phone I've used (or maybe I just looked a bit handsomer today than usual). But then I don't take selfies. The rear camera offered better detail, features, and flash white balance than my Passport. It's an obvious improvement, but I'd need to compare photos on a computer to make any real judgements. White balance was notably better to my eyes, but again, different screens.

9. No file browser. Darn. But the notes app and task app are better. D-Tek is kind of neat. I couldn't find a dedicated Activity monitor. BlackBerry search is improved. Hub couldn't really be tested, but easy and quick to launch from almost anywhere.

10. Speaker is indeed nothing special, but it's fine.

11. Multi-tasking. Press square, brought to the recent apps screen which has variously-sized windows that can be closed by swiping them to the right, off screen or hitting the X. Better than iOS or TouchWiz. Not as good as BB10, but as good as I've seen on Android. I wish I could swipe BB10 active frames up to close them.

12. Android vs BB10. Android is an ugly operating system. Cluttered, confusing, ugly animations, etc. BlackBerry did a good job with it, however. I had to change the wallpaper, though. BB10 is honestly a work of art in comparison, and I cherish the BB10 UI more than I did yesterday. I feel anxious using Android, even though I got pretty good about navigating it as quickly or quicker than BB10.

13. Ask me questions. I kicked the tires pretty thoroughly, comparing features to my Passport and other BB10 devices. I think I have some insights that won't be touched upon in official reviews.

Posted via CB10

Posted via CB10