[Dgree03]

Phone Background...

My phones over the past 8 years in Order

N97
N82
Original iPhone
Blackberry Bold 9000 (Still have)
iPhone 3GS
Blackberry Bold 9700
HTC EVO
Nexus One
iPhone 4S
HTC Thunderbolt (Still Have)
Nokia Lumia 900
Samsung S3 (Still Have)
Nexus 4 (Still Have)

After the Z10 announcement I decided I was going to try BB again after it FINALLY reached the full touch screen era. My company gave us one a month ago (I work for someone that provides some internal stuff for the phone) and I have been using it since then... btw I love Android and iOS.. I have owned apple product for the last 5 years and fully committed to android after I bought the HTC Thunderbolt (Terrible phone btw, but first with LTE)... I will be comparing this phone to the Nexus 4 and android 4.2.2 on ATT.

Design

I like the size of the Z10 and the feel is nice with the textured back and it is more narrow, easier to hold. Nexus 4 feels more premium however, with the glass back, but it is definitely more fragile. I also think the colors on the Nexus 4 screen are better. Z10 screen has better brightness. Nexus 4 weight gives it a more premium feel to me also...

Nexus 4 wins, but slightly

Camera

Nexus 4 has a crappy camera, but the controls are excellent! Z10 has a better camera for video and for pictures (Neither is as good as my wifes iPhone 5), but the controls are lacking. Not only is the ease of access to controls lacking, but also the content of what you are able to do it lacking.

Z10, Slightly

Reception (Wifi, ATT)

I seem to get better reception from my Z10, my Nexus struggles where my Z10 can consistently get 1-2 bars more. Wifi also seems to be stronger, but that is just using a speedtest from an know problem area in my house. I cannot find a way to test dbm numbers on the Z10, is there an app for that? I could not find on. Z10 also has LTE, which is great! I miss those fast speeds

Z10 wins hands down

Storage

I have the 8gb Nexus 4...
Z10 has16gb plus the ability to use SD cards up to 64gb

Z10, no contest

Battery Life

I consitently get a full day even with LTE on, My Nexus without LTE can't last a full day! However I always have a charger around me, but when I am in a place like Vegas.... having long battery life is a godsend

Z10 and it is not even close

OS

Indifferent

• Speed of each OS is about the same, no lag on either platform in my usage
• Amount of apps... I do care, so long as they have core ones I use. I came from android... I am use to not having everything!

Pros

• Z10 has cool gestures, and once you get the hang of it navigating is a breeze... this is something they should highlight the **** out of...
• I love swiping to wake up the lockscreen, my power button should stay fresh
• Browser is FAST, with some caveats

Cons

• BB10 Browser is really good, I actually have to say it is fast than Google Chrome for Android, but that is not saying much because I think the Galaxy S3 default browser is faster than both. Also BB10 browsers renders some very simple sites funky.
• Customization is sorely lacking, which is weird because I remember customizing the **** out of my Bold 9000. I find the Z10 LED cheap looking compared to Nexus 4 pulsing light.
• Why can�t I interactive with notifications from the lockscreen?? Dumb oversight
• Why doesnt this phone autocap the first letter on new text box?
• The fact that I can�t easily see the time/reception/battery meter from an app is frustrating
• Press and hold for capslock instead of double tap... that just dropped my typing speed down...
• BB Hub, Cant swipe away individual notifications...
• BB Hub, Too many steps to delete notifications in bulk
• When I first setup the device, it too forever to figure where I went to setup my email. Where is the email icon on the homescreen? Oh wait i need to go to settings to add an account? what? Cool I have it setup now.... wait where is the email icon still? Oh I need to swipe to hub to see my emails?
• Quality of Apps... I never thought I would see the day that I say Android apps are better designed than any other OS... but having used Windows phone 8 and not BB10... I am going to say it.. on average apps look better on Android IF they follow HOLO themes...

Price

Ok here is where I need to be honest with myself... is this phone worth more at $549/$199 on contract than my Nexus 4 at $249 no contract? I have to say, absolutely not. Z10 should be $99 on contract and $300-400 Off contract. This is where specs come into play, I will be the first to admit that the Z10 is buttery smooth and does very well with just a dualcore.... but specs, to me, should be reflected in price... even IF it makes little difference in phone performance... why should a quad core phone cost the same as a dual core? They price this phone the same as an Iphone 5?! What is the incentive for NEW smartphone buyers?!

I am still going to stick to this phone fore a little bit longer, at least until the HTC One releases... Maybe I will stick with it, it sure is a nice first effort by BBRY!

[raino]

Fair points. Regarding the pricing, we do need to keep in mind that BlackBerry's core business (now more apparent with the Z10) is selling phones. As a publicly traded company, they will be judged on the margins on devices sold. Google's primary business is not selling phones, and quite frankly, they can afford to subsidize the Nexus 4.

[Dgree03]

Yea I get it, I just think they are in a Lose/Lose situation.... However with the amount of cash on hand and ZERO debt... I think they could price this phone as a loss leader just to get mindshare away from Google and Apple. MicroNokia understood this much... which is why if BB doesnt price this accordingly fast... it could spell trouble for gathering NEW smartphone buyers...

[independentvolume]

One of the best write ups yet. Thanks OP. It's one of the few on here that doesn't get swayed by blind fanboyism. I think you're pretty much dead on.

[Dgree03]

Also, I forgot... The keyboard is amazing! It is a little buggy however, what I mean is... sometime it pops up and blocks what I am seeing when I am trying to type. I dont know if it is the app or the keyboard problem?!

Also, as I pointed out above, the caps lock thing is annoying, but should be a easy fix!

[leejayh]

Nice review. Fair - balanced.

My personal preference will always be a rubberized back. Also, nearly all iphone users put their jewel into a case anyway - so it is really about marketing. I am glad I can go caseless with the Z10.

I think that the App situation will fix itself over time. Too early to use that as a judgement. I really like the native apps on BB10 that are well designed using Cascades. Lots of Android apps are utter crap, even if functional. There is no user affordance to Android (non Holo) and it is annoying as ****. If they all start going holo, then Android will start to fix itself as well.

Agree on the Hardware point. BB has always been about 6 months behind on this point. 6 months ago, it would have been fine. I hope that with their new OS out, they can get in front of the curve going into the holidays. This is precisely why they should do a liscense with HTC or Lenovo. Those guys can manage the tech production better, and BB can focus on the software ecosystem.

I really wish HTC would wake up and smell the coffee. An HTC/BB partnership would actually save them both. Fantastic hardway from HTC, latest and best OS from BBRY. Only issue is that neither has a big enough marketing budget.

[BBOttawa]

Good post! I would say I find the browser the best, it handles everything, from Flash to crazy HTML 5 heavy sites.

I find native BB10 apps using Cascades are awesome (just look at the Crackberry app!). Native is better, but Android ports will get better when they upgrade the VM to Jellybean.

Some Z10 parts are more expensive, the LTE chipset for one, the removable battery and SD card add to the cost as well. As to price I'm sure it will drop, but no reason to do so when it has just been released

[Elite1]

I was about o say welcome to CrackBerry... but I see you actually signed up in 2008.
So... welcome BACK to CrackBerry!

Couple usage tips, and my apologies if you already know these.

DISMISSING KEYBOARD
You can dismiss keyboard by long-pressing space bar, or even more easily on most screens by just tapping somewhere else.

CAPS LOCK
On the double tap for Caps Lock, great idea! I don't have experience with other touchscreens, so wouldn't have known of alternatives.
You can also long-press individual letters for caps. That sounds annoying for something long; but with BB10 predictive text, you really only need to long-press first couple letters then at end of word you should have autotext correction available for all caps.

PURCHASE PRICE
It's really hard for BBRY to win here. Every time a carrier reduces the contract price of the Z10 by $50 or even $10-20, people start heralding doom for BBRY and saying it must not be selling well! That scares away more users than the price, which is in line with many other new smartphones anyway.

STEPS TO DELETE HUB EMAILS
This drive my wife a little crazy too. In the Hub's settings, you can turn off the Confirm Delete, to skip the last step with the popup window.

EMAIL ICON
This is part of the intentional user experience with BB10. It's all Hub, baby!
Seriously though, just boils down to a personal preference thing if it initially annoys you. I'd say you just get used to it either way, and it quickly becomes a non-factor for most people, IMO.

[Dgree03]

Nice review. Fair - balanced.

My personal preference will always be a rubberized back. Also, nearly all iphone users put their jewel into a case anyway - so it is really about marketing. I am glad I can go caseless with the Z10.

I think that the App situation will fix itself over time. Too early to use that as a judgement. I really like the native apps on BB10 that are well designed using Cascades. Lots of Android apps are utter crap, even if functional. There is no user affordance to Android (non Holo) and it is annoying as ****. If they all start going holo, then Android will start to fix itself as well.

Agree on the Hardware point. BB has always been about 6 months behind on this point. 6 months ago, it would have been fine. I hope that with their new OS out, they can get in front of the curve going into the holidays. This is precisely why they should do a liscense with HTC or Lenovo. Those guys can manage the tech production better, and BB can focus on the software ecosystem.

I really wish HTC would wake up and smell the coffee. An HTC/BB partnership would actually save them both. Fantastic hardway from HTC, latest and best OS from BBRY. Only issue is that neither has a big enough marketing budget.

I love the textured back of the Z10, especially vs the glassback of the nexus. I cant tell you how many times my phone slipped off the nightstand do the the slippery back!

The app situation is not that bad to me I have found most if not all the apps I need:

USA Today
Pageonce (NICE!)
United
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Ruzzle
Scorecenter
YouTube

What I am missing
Words with Friend
Google Maps (I will port)
Etrade
Engadget
TheVerge
Flipboard (This is a big one)

[Dgree03]

I was about o say welcome to CrackBerry... but I see you actually signed up in 2008.
So... welcome BACK to CrackBerry!

Couple usage tips, and my apologies if you already know these.

DISMISSING KEYBOARD
You can dismiss keyboard by long-pressing space bar, or even more easily on most screens by just tapping somewhere else.

CAPS LOCK
On the double tap for Caps Lock, great idea! I don't have experience with other touchscreens, so wouldn't have known of alternatives.
You can also long-press individual letters for caps. That sounds annoying for something long; but with BB10 predictive text, you really only need to long-press first couple letters then at end of word you should have autotext correction available for all caps.

PURCHASE PRICE
It's really hard for BBRY to win here. Every time a carrier reduces the contract price of the Z10 by $50 or even $10-20, people start heralding doom for BBRY and saying it must not be selling well! That scares away more users than the price, which is in line with many other new smartphones anyway.

STEPS TO DELETE HUB EMAILS
This drive my wife a little crazy too. In the Hub's settings, you can turn off the Confirm Delete, to skip the last step with the popup window.

EMAIL ICON
This is part of the intentional user experience with BB10. It's all Hub, baby!
Seriously though, just boils down to a personal preference thing if it initially annoys you. I'd say you just get used to it either way, and it quickly becomes a non-factor for most people, IMO.

Thanks for the Dismiss Keyboard tip!

Email Icon is understandable, but they still have a text message app!? It is just inconsistent... either they have it all through hub or not..

[sf49ers]

just played with one at ATT store, the phone and OS looks a lot better in person, the size is damn perfect -not too big and not too small.Left very very impressed, ATT store won't sell me full price (tried at 2 stores in south bay but no avail), ordered full price thru ATT web site, now the wait is killing

[Dgree03]

just played with one at ATT store, the phone and OS looks a lot better in person, the size is damn perfect -not too big and not too small.Left very very impressed, ATT store won't sell me full price (tried at 2 stores in south bay but no avail), ordered full price thru ATT web site, now the wait is killing

That is weird they wouldnt let you buy at full price... I had a buddy walk into an ATT store in La Jolla and was able to buy at full retail!

[Elite1]

Email Icon is understandable, but they still have a text message app!? It is just inconsistent... either they have it all through hub or not..

I think it's because of crazy volume of texts some users, er, use. Akin to an IM app.

I would venture a guess that including an icon for texts was not unanimous.

[trynacu2]

I love the textured back of the Z10, especially vs the glassback of the nexus. I cant tell you how many times my phone slipped off the nightstand do the the slippery back!

The app situation is not that bad to me I have found most if not all the apps I need:

USA Today
Pageonce (NICE!)
United
Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Ruzzle
Scorecenter
YouTube

What I am missing
Words with Friend
Google Maps (I will port)
Etrade
Engadget
TheVerge
Flipboard (This is a big one)

You can find Words With Friends at goodereader.com. I sideloaded it on my PB, and it works great.

[Whyareallthegoodnamestaken]

Keep in mind that Nexus devices are sold at a loss.

[imz]

[*] The fact that I can�t easily see the time/reception/battery meter from an app is frustrating

You can simply swipe up from the bottom upwards, hold position, see the time,battery,reception then back down again into your app doing whatever you was doing.

Posted via CB10

[ravenskman1]

The email icon issue in my opinion would useless, the hub is smooth, accessable from anywhere and has a simple effective "compose" function. With that being said, I can't make up my mind on the "Text Messages" icon. It takes me straight to the hub , which I can do on my own with one swipe, but at the same time when there is a little spark symbol and the text icon takes me straight to the "text" hub its convenient. But those are just my opinions. Feel free to have yours

[Dgree03]

Also forgot to add... the app store should tell you whether you already have an app installed..

I just want them to fully commit to hub or leave it alone

Posted via CB10

[Whyareallthegoodnamestaken]

Also forgot to add... the app store should tell you whether you already have an app installed..

I just want them to fully commit to hub or leave it alone

Posted via CB10

It does.

[nyplaya610]

thanks for the detailed review, good read

[anon(4044683)]

I hate deticated email app. Just swipe to view the emails. That makes Z10 different from other phones. Ya the HUB. No dedicated email icon is not a problem. I am also an Android user.

[Dgree03]

Again I don't mind emails going directly to hub but text has an app and goes to hub.. why not email?

Posted via CB10

[Elite1]

Again I don't mind emails going directly to hub but text has an app and goes to hub.. why not email?

Posted via CB10

Bury that text icon in a folder and pretend it didn't happen. There, now everything's fair!

Posted via CB10

[Elite1]

Also forgot to add... the app store should tell you whether you already have an app installed..

It does.

Pretty sure OP means if you're looking at a list of apps, like Top Free Games, that there be an indication, maybe like a small green checkmark in corner of icon.

Posted via CB10

[Oscar_E]

about the pres and hold for caps, there's an easier way, just swipe down on the keyboard, it toggles between caps, numbers, symbols etc.

about the price, well it's a BlackBerry !

cheers !!