1. yeahman's Avatar
    I haven't posted here since I switched to Android 4 or 5 years ago so that's where I'm coming from. I've been waiting for the Priv reviews to decide whether it's time to go back to Blackberry. The reviews are mixed but I've noticed a lot of commonalities. They all say the back camera, screen, battery life, and stock-ish Android are great. They all say the front camera is wanting, the price is too high, and that it's disappointing that it doesn't come with Marshmallow. Most don't seem to be too interested in the security features and say that the phone is relatively slow for a 2015 but not too bad.

    I see a lot here talking about Blackberry Hub. Apparently, Blackberry users love it. It wasn't around when I was on Blackberry. But it doesn't work with most existing Android apps so it isn't a compelling feature for Android users.

    That brings us finally to the keyboard. Android Police's review may have hit on why these reviews are so mixed. "I did not have a BlackBerry. Most kids did not have BlackBerries." There's an insurmountable cultural gap here. Most people have never used a physical smartphone keyboard before. It takes a while to get used to. For anyone not used to it, it's a useless throwback rendering the whole smartphone inferior to other smartphones. Hell, I don't know if I will be able to acclimate to it again.

    My take is that for current Blackberry users, the Priv is a no-brainer. For former Blackberry users, it's an attractive option. For first-timers (most people), the initial appeal won't be there.
    JeepBB likes this.
    11-06-15 12:42 AM
  2. LiterallyLogan's Avatar
    I don't know if most people haven't used cellular physical keyboards..., I'm twenty and I remember the late years of the Sidekick (owning one here and there when their fame had passed), the Palms, of course the BlackBerry fame (I did not own one as mentioned, haha), and all of the candybar phones with full keyboards. Whenever I was around eleven, twelve years old, full keyboards were the thing! Although, I would have to say, I have more years spent on virtual keyboards than on physical keyboards...

    I preordered my Priv (luckily first batch), and I have never owned a BlackBerry before; I wanted to jump and scream for the BlackBerry Storm and the Curve, not to forget that I was uber jealous of my parents whenever they received their BlackBerry Pearls—and I'm pretty sure the first two packages of them were stolen off of our porch. And most recently, I wanted to hop on the Passport, but T-Mobile never offered it. All in all, my last QWERTY phone was a Sidekick 4G, and ever since then I found myself going to Google every six months to see if I had missed any hot releases down my alley.

    So, I would say that they have used QWERTY keyboards, but haven't had the experiences with them that others have, and perhaps never had the love of the full keyboards that others have. It took me years to like VKBs, and up until WP8, I hated them! Now I'm on the HTC One M8, and I'm ready for my Priv!
    Last edited by LiterallyLogan; 11-06-15 at 01:05 AM. Reason: there their they're
    11-06-15 12:56 AM
  3. zocster's Avatar
    I'm happy that the Priv is generally well received. Good job BlackBerry.
    11-06-15 01:00 AM
  4. thecurryman's Avatar
    Im 22 and I remember using a blackberry with a side scroll wheel. First keyboard phone was a moto Q back in 9-10th grade in high school. If I am old enough to have used a blackberry, and multiple models by that, then I think your average 20 something will remember it. The thing you have to remember is the priv is the ONLY modern smartphone with a keyboard. I had a iPhone 6s + and note 5 that I both returned. I really miss the keyboard as its almost a must have feature for me. The sole reason someone would buy the priv is for the keyboard. There really is no compelling reason otherwise (if you dont count software enhancements). I think those that used to have a BB or had android phones w/ pkb (g1/2) will really consider this as their next device. But if you started using smartphones with a virtual keyboard, you probably won't want to switch.

    Whats funny is the argument that PKb is done. If it was really done then every single one of my classmates with their ipads would not have a keyboard case.
    LiterallyLogan likes this.
    11-06-15 01:15 AM
  5. Mr_Gomba's Avatar
    The best part of Android Police's review: "The mute button is dumb."
    Come on... I'm using the mute button on my q10 a lot during calls.
    achsfx likes this.
    11-06-15 01:35 AM
  6. ToniCipriani's Avatar
    The best part of Android Police's review: "The mute button is dumb."
    Come on... I'm using the mute button on my q10 a lot during calls.
    Shame to admit I didn't know the middle button was for muting as well, always used it as a Play/Pause button only.

    Would've saved me so much trouble in conference calls.
    11-06-15 06:48 AM

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