[cwoodffr]

Went on a short holiday from this past Monday to Friday. Normally even on a non work trip where I know there will be down time I would take my notebook because I do so much non work stuff on line these days....reading, news, discussion forums etc. I am consuming much more of this kind of content on the Z10 than I did with my 9900 I figured I would go with just the z to see how it went. Was also interested to see how things like navigation and maps etc would stand up to the way I extensively have used my 9900 (native google maps). Some Observations:

WIFI hotspots etc.
I like how the Z throws a notification when it see's a hotspot and offers to log you in. Worked very well every time I got back to the hotel. I suspect it was asking each time because of settings at the hotel forcing a new login. Would be even better if it connected automatically to the ones it had seen prior...but again, think it was the particular network in this case causing it. My son was with me with an iphone 5 and I could more reliably get connected and get going....he seemed to have more issues. One strange thing we noticed was that in an airport that only had Boingo (fee based) that although we didn't pay and he was only running wifi, he was able to use imessage! It was like boingo only stopped browsing but allowed messaging data?

Content Consumption:
I could get my surfing fix just fine on the Z...forums, news etc was all perfectly fine without a notebook. In fact, I am an early riser and was able to more comfortably lie in bed and read and surf without disturbing my son by messing with a full laptop etc. Web performance is amazingly good. The Crackberry app is superb.

Maps:
I have been a very frequent user of google maps on the 9900. A power user and in fact considered not going to the Z unless google was there with maps.....thats how much I feel it is a key app. I side loaded the android version some time ago and do use it but found it less reliable on the GPS connection. Frustrated I then decided to use Blackberry Maps. When I say use I mean use it to search the destination by name (restaurants, airports, attractions etc) in order to get directions. It worked perfectly and found everything I asked for without an address required. Nav worked well and GPS connected every time. My only gripe is slightly long re-route time when required.

I will still use google maps to associate a destination with richer content like reviews etc. For nav I will go to blackbery maps for now. Not sure if the spotty GPS available issue is because of side load or not. My Android golf app that I have running does not have any GPS acquisition issue.

Multi-tasking:
A byproduct of not traveling with my laptop as I always do....is that my travel routine got screwed up. I always carry my travel documents in my PC case...it never leaves my side when at the airport...so everything is with me. No PC bag....got to the airport to fly home and I remembered our passports were in the F'ing hotel room safe! Aborted rental car return...freaking out...launch blackberry maps and immediately click on the past address for the hotel and get the routing going...hand the phone to my son and tell him to load browser and search the hotel phone number...he does and starts a call...speakerphone to the front desk explaining the issue....they say they will have a key ready....all without closing an app or losing the mapping and directions etc. Made it back barely...had to beg them to check us in.
We got into

Battery life:
Did not have an issue and only swapped batterys with my charge pack spare once on the last travel day where I had used gps a bunch. I even used my golf app for a full 5 hour round one day and still got through the day. I still would not leave home without a spare battery. No brainer comfort to have it and I feel critical with unpredictable access to charging.....get one.....it is a great combo. My son did have to go looking for a charge in the airport yesterday for his iphone...and that was with being on only wifi during the day.

[katesbb]

Good to see the z10 works well in a pressure situation!

Would the iPhone be able to handle that multitasking situation? Or would it lose the maps directions?

An android I believe would have done well multitasking like that too. At least in experimenting just now I was able to get directions, switch into other apps and use them for awhile , then come back to my directions intact.

[Jon Tessler]

thanks for letting us know how well the Z10 worked in "a new environment". Nice to see the WiFi notification popups. Yes Boingo is fee based, its what every airport uses as their "free" WiFi.

[cwoodffr]

thanks for letting us know how well the Z10 worked in "a new environment". Nice to see the WiFi notification popups. Yes Boingo is fee based, its what every airport uses as their "free" WiFi.

Yes, I have been a Boingo subscriber. Detroit airport does not provide Boingo for free. He was able to connect to boingo (as you have to in order to give them money) didn't sign up or pay a thing, and his imessage worked.

[DawnMills]

Great post of your real-life Keep Moving experience. I'd like to see BBRY advertising capitalize on stuff like this. Use actors who look like real people ( not like actors, haha) who get into a sticky situation and only their BB10 can get them out of it. So many possibilities to showcase USP, not the same features that every phone has.

Another idea: you could spoof spy or James Bond-type ads. James stuck in the middle of enemy territory and he shares his screen with Q back at HQ. Needs to defuse a bomb, etc.

Sorry, I got off topic but I'm just imagining some great ads. Mind-blowing! (A la Kevin)