[ubizmo]

This is an answer to a question directed to me by johnnyuk in a thread that is now (deservedly) closed:

Just curious, would you come back to BlackBerry now you don't have to give up those Android apps? If you can confirm beforehand that the Android apps all work the way you need them to on BB10.2.1?

The answer is: yes.

I didn't leave BlackBerry because of apps. I left because I prefer Swype to thumb-typing, and because I prefer zoom-reflow in the browser to reader mode. But once I left, and got an S4 which is my current phone, I did pick up some apps along the way.

I don't see the Swype and reflow limitations (as I see them) of BB10 changing anytime soon; at least there's been no hint of it. BUT, the larger screen of the Z30 improves the thumb-typing experience, as I found by testing in a Verizon store. I still like Swype, but I think I could deal with the BB10 keyboard on a larger device. But they really should implement SwiftKey Flow.

A good Pocket client goes a long way toward neutralizing the zoom-reflow issue. There are several in BB World now, with decent reviews.

I already know the Audible app works sideloaded, and Amazon has no objection to it being used in this way. I need a full-featured podcast app, and when I left the contenders were mostly still beta level. I see that has changed, so that's good news.

There is a paid app for Android, TunePal, that I would miss. I'm not sure whether it can be ported, or whether I could get permission to do so.

But yes, I'd enjoy having a BlackBerry again.

[Bbnivende]

What is a pocket client and how does it improve the text reflow? I agree that BB10 needs text reflow.

My big issue was the small default font on the Z10 and the Q10. I am told that you can set the browser font size on the browser. Does this setting stick for all web sites so you don't have to reset it? If you adjust the font setting, does that effect the email
settings ? I can not seem to get answers here on Crackberry.

The default settings on the Z30 are much better than on the 10's from my in store test. ( finding a working BlackBerry in any store is a huge challenge).


Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

[Alberta Blue]

Not many people leave BlackBerry because of the keyboard, whether touch or physical. But hey, to each his own!

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[davinci4real]

*wipes sweat* you guys have really been away for long.
Well we no longer sideload. We install the apps directly into our phones.
And yes you can now change font size.

From Zuri my Z10.

[ubizmo]

What is a pocket client and how does it improve the text reflow. My big issue was the small default font on the Z10 and the Q10. I am told that you can set the browser font size on the browser. Does this setting stick for all web sites so you don't have to reset it? If you adjust the font setting, does that effect the email
settings ? I can not seem to get answers here on Crackberry.

Pocket is a service that stores web sites in an optimized format for reading offline. It also cloud syncs, so you can use it across devices. For example, there's a Pocket plug-in for the Firefox web browser. You might try the Pocket app for Android on your Nexus 7.

Here's how it works. You see a web article that you'd like to read, but you find the presentation in your BB10 or Android browser unpleasant. So, you select "share" and choose "Pocket" and the web article is downloaded to your Pocket app, and reformatted for easier reading, with menus and advertising stripped out.

Example: Here's a book review by Alvin Plantinga: Bait and Switch | Books and Culture. As you can see, the web page is fairly busy. Here's a screenshot of the same article in Pocket on my S4:

It's easier on the eyes, and stored on the device so I can read it anytime. And I can also bring it up on my desktop browser using the plug-in. For me, this works out pretty well.

To answer your other questions, as I recall, I could set the Z10 browser font size, but when double-tap zooming it would only zoom to "fit to screen". If I zoomed manually beyond that, the text wouldn't reflow so I'd have to scroll horizontally with my finger to read. Or I could use reader mode, but I found that to be erratic in performance, links didn't work, etc.

[dusdal]

Reader mode works that way. It's built into the native browser.

Van City Coffee ; WhitecapsFC ; PreMed Community ; Bristol Rovers Football Club

[JamesIV]

Reader mode is pretty awesome. Makes reading news and articles so much easier

[ubizmo]

Reader mode works that way. It's built into the native browser.

Van City Coffee ; WhitecapsFC ; PreMed Community ; Bristol Rovers Football Club

Yes, but I found it unreliable, especially for blogs, where it generally won't present the comments. Reading comments is a big part of the blog-reading experience.

[eggman1987]

What is a food browser text reflow app for BB10?

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[eggman1987]

Good*...

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