[John Cook Jr]

Hey everyone, couple of questions. Sadly after almost four years of great service my curve has finally died. Thankfully my upgrade is coming next month and I have had my eye on the Q10 for awhile. Few questions, I see that it is possible to download android apps like instagram on the new OS. Do you have to do this through the computer, or has anyone had any luck downloading the file directly from the BB browser? Also I have heard that side loaded apps sometimes don't function properly? What about battery life? Mainly during the day I will be using it to play pandora at work and responding to texts. Also is it easy to close out apps running in the background that you are not using anymore? Thank you for the help. I have used iphones before but have always ended up back with my BB. The thought of being able to use the popular apps on a BB is really cool and I can't wait.

[Taigatrommel]

Since 10.2.1 you can install .apk files righht from your browser. However it is more convenient to install Android app stores like Amazon or just sideload the native app store Snap. Sideloading still needs to be done via your desktop computer.

Some Android apps don't really work with BB10, some just don't work with the 1:1 QWERTYs in general due to the odd screen ratio. Google Play services aren't supported so all apps requiring these services will have a hard time to work.

Battery life is really good, however as always with every device it is difficult to name real numbers. Each and every user has his own terms what medium or heavy use is and, after all, what "good" battery life is.

Closing apps is rather easy, running apps are displayed on your homescreen as Active Frame. There is a simple X on every frame so you can close it.
Closing headless apps (apps which are really running in the background, without being opened) are a different matter. I don't really know how to do this since I only got one app running which I granted headless permission.

Double-typed and posted with a BlackBerry Q10.

[KDB84]

I don't think you'll regret the upgrade - you may wish to wait for the Classic (slightly larger Q10 with a toolbelt) but I suggest doing your research on the two devices first.

[Northernlady]

I had Curve, the Torch then went to a S3. - just returned to BlackBerry with my Q10 and I am loving it. Sure there is the learning curve to make the most of it but everything works smoothly and easily.

Posted with my Q10 on CB 10

[quorky]

I will give you some comments coming from another platform (android).

As you obviously know the app selection in blackberry world is laughable at best, but with amazon market place and direct downloads from google play store without id you can get by for the most part. Some apps don't run smoothly, I would say the experience is satisfactory for my needs. Only use like 5 apps regularly and found the workaround for anything that doesn't work.

Now to the battery life, if I had to summarize it in one word - crap... Prob gonna get heat for that but if I am browsing internet on my commute back and forth while listening to pandora and checking bloomberg, I can easily eat through 15-30% of battery. To give you a sense of context here, my note 3 eats 9% - 10% consistently... Back in the day I had a 9930 and remember the battery life would just be fantastic - could abuse the phone and the battery would last and last.

I don't have anything particular on my phone in terms of syncing to cause the rundown in battery life... Phone doesn't last the whole day if I use it,. Will last a while on standby, but that is not how a phones battery is judged. I am still hoping that one of these latest OS leaks will bring back the battery life that I remember and love about the blackberries, but so far I am still left searching for a solution. Keyboard experience is fantastic as it always is with the berries...

I would say wait for the classic, maybe the will address the consistency of the operating system and the android runtime, plus it's a hot phone, but q10s are pretty cheap right now, so that is an option that is hard to pass on.

[CTU2fan]

Re: battery life, I'd call the Q10 solid at worst. I understand it's not as good as 9900 devices, but it's better than my last 2 BlackBerry phones (9310 and 9810) and vastly superior to my previous phone (Motorola Photon Q).

Personally considering the likely price difference I'd probably pull the trigger on a Q10 rather than waiting for the Classic. I don't miss the trackpad and toolbelt half as much as I thought I would.

Posted via CB10

[anon(1852343)]

I guess it depends on the hardware of each phone but being a heavy user, I get a full day on my Q10 but some days a bit less, maybe my battery is starting to weaken being over a year old now. By all day, I am usually on my phone for 15 hours a day but I don't use it every single minute. My 3 different 9900 BlackBerry 's had not even half a day battery life so my Q10 is way better with battery life. I will still upgrade to the classic when it becomes available and either use my Q as a backup or gift it to a family member. I think the Q10 is a solid buy right now and it would be a fanastic choice. Almost all the android I downloaded, work fine. I use snap and the app store app as well



Q10 with Telus on 10.3.0.296

[Taigatrommel]

My Q10 runs circles around my 9900 regarding battery life. The legacy Bold often struggled to get me through a single workday with enough juice left, while the Q10 has rarely any problems with that task.

Double-typed and posted with a BlackBerry Q10.

[superairwolf]

Same here. I receive probably over 75 emails a day and reply to about a third of these. Then there are the sms and occasional calls. My 9900 would be out of breathe around noon. My Q10 goes the distance for over a day's run. I'm keeping the Q10 even if I end up buying the Passport next month.

[DocDRM]

Just in general, nice responses CrackBerryans! Gave OP great answers that vary per your use cases. OP - you can't go wrong by taking all these answers, finding a good middle ground, and deciding from there. But don't discount the option of trying the all-touch option of the Z30 - I had the Z10, then the Q10, and now the Z30 and currently use both the Q30 and Z30. LOVE the Z-phones! And that's from a nearly 9 year BlackBerry keyboard lover.


Posted via CB10

[DocDRM]

Just in general, nice responses CrackBerryans! Gave OP great answers that vary per your use cases. OP - you can't go wrong by taking all these answers, finding a good middle ground, and deciding from there. But don't discount the option of trying the all-touch option of the Z30 - I had the Z10, then the Q10, and now the Z30 and currently use both the Q10 and Z30. LOVE the Z-phones! And that's from a nearly 9 year BlackBerry keyboard lover.


Posted via CB10

Posted via CB10

[nam vo hoang]

It's worth buying Q10. Should go for it. Dont wait for Passport since it would be expensive the the first year release. Use your Q10 'til then and switch to Passport.

Posted via CB10

[superairwolf]

This is exactly my gameplan as well. Held off getting back into BlackBerry until just last month. But then the price of the Q10 made getting back an irresistible proposition. Good thing I resisted the urge since last year. Couldn't be happier using the Q10 now for a second sim. I'm hoping the same will be the case next year around this time - that the passport's price will be more reasonable, if not a steal, like the Q10 when I took the dive more than a year after holding off.

Posted via CB10

[Banco]

A lot of battery life experience does depend on what you have installed. Some apps simply eat the battery.

Posted via CB10

[CTU2fan]

A lot of battery life experience does depend on what you have installed. Some apps simply eat the battery.

Posted via CB10

Very true. Also I find wjen coverage is poor the phone burns up the battery searching for signal strength.

Posted via CB10

[Banco]

Very true. Also I find wjen coverage is poor the phone burns up the battery searching for signal strength.

Posted via CB10

Yep. The signal where I live is rubbish, so I turn off 4G and 3G as there's no point, it'll just drain the battery.

Posted via CB10

[Tedmossnr]

Loaded snap and Android apps work great on theZ10 .i also use amazon. Gave Z10 a spin before you make final decision

Tedmossnr