[chiefx13]

Hey people! Just bought my biggest indulgence for the year!! And I love it!

Live in Metro-Vancouver and get my cell service through Fido. I have to say... I 'tried hard' to come up with reasons not to get buy this phone because it is a bit of extravagance at this price.

I wanted to go find a store that had one, get a box in my hands hassle free, buy it out right, unlock it on the spot, and get/transfer my SIM card (nano sim for fido) with out any trouble. If anything wasn't completely easy or not going to happen, I made a deal with myself to walk away and save my money. I figured this would be impossible.

Since I'm writing this on my brand new Passport... everything happened without a hitch!!!

I walked into the Telus store in West Van and told them I like to buy a Passport. They actually seemed excited, but had to clear some customers out of the way first.

The guy asked me if I was with Telus already, and was pretty good that I wasn't and just wanted the phone. This guy was actually great to work with. He spent about 40 minutes with me and was just plain awesome. I told him I've never had better service and kind of felt bad I wasn't with Telus.

I told him that I wanted to unlock the phone; some caveats appeared...

Telus doesn't unlock contract phones until after 3 months

Telus will not unlock phone they sell unless you're a registered wireless customer.

Prepaid was the key! I also asked him to stick around with me until the unlock code was obtained from customer service because I'm unfamiliar with Telus support and company practices. He was great!!

He sold me the phone outright, setup my phone with a prepaid account, and liased with customer service to get the code for me. I walked away feeling like I stole something.

I walked straight over to the fido kiosk and bought a nano sim for ten bucks. While they were transferring my sim info, I unlocked the Passport.

The whole process took about an hour.

Reflections... I think each store is different. Try a mall where the average Joe isn't a complete **** walking through the door. I think I saw stores in Surrey and Abbotsford were pretty hassle free. And honestly, the whole thing takes TIME.

DON'T GO WHEN THEY ARE BUSY!! Or if you're in a rush.

They'll just say anything to get you to leave so they can get back to hussling 3-year contracts with TV and internet.

Oh yeah.... no network compatibility neurosises with cdma to gsm concerning LTE or stand alone GPS like with earlier models. It does work everywhere, at least in Canada.

Now... the phone.

For the fanboys: all the store employees were STOKED to get their hands on the phone and were super enthusiastic about it. Even it's odd shape. I wanted this phone because it's unique and the BEST at what it does. The sentiments were shared. The Fido guys paused closing their shift to play with the phone. (I don't mind sharing a little)

First off... honestly..... I really DO NOT like the keyboard. Only the pearl is worse in my own opinion. Sorry. It's my truth. That being said, I paid $700 for it cash (which is a big purchase for me), and I would do it again.

Now, with that nasty business out of the way.... the phone otherwise is second to none with its suit of features. It is a pure master of productivity and viewability, and at least a Jack, if not Queen, in all other trades.

If you work on your phone - you will love this phone. Love it.

If you play on your phone - you will like this phone.

(however I want to see game developers REALLY take advantage of the capacitive keyboard, ample screen and horsepower to make some KILLER gaming experiences).

I see it, right now, as the opposite of an iPhone, they probably feel like they love to play with their phones and 'like' working on them. But I guess that's nothing really new.

As always... perspective...

Things I didn't anticipate with the Passport.

Every app I use (except kindle) works great or better, side loads too.

The space bar, which really scared me, took about 45 seconds to get used to.

Typing on this phone is EXCATLY like learning to play the drums... (and I've never played the drums...) There is way more than one way to skin a cat with this keyboard. The layout is oddly pretty, but I think the classic will be a BEAST with the capacitive keyboard.

There are new swipes to learn and little tricks and 'combo-breakers' to get used to (N64 KI reference for you).

All have been pleasant surprises. These little tricks make the baffling layout actually workable and efficient. But without the keyboard tricks, I'd feel ripped off in all honesty. So learn them (just like you did with that first PDA with that special, irreplaceable, stylus and the nerd heiroglyphs).

I think the keyboard has a bunch of people nervous. Which is why I haven't commented on all the other features, those features are just plainly well done and improved as you would want and expect. Build quality and good old RIM greatest is entirely present and shining like it always has.

The keyboard is a work of genius in its own right, but I still think a big leap for a lot of people. However, you get style and class like no other, and it is still an adequate ergonomic effort.

I enjoy the different and the practical. I know I'll probably catch some static for not raving one-sidedly on the keyboard, but better to be true.

The keyboard just isn't as great as I thought it would be. I would say, do not expect to pick up a Passport and burn through paragraphs like the belt-fed, water cooled machine gun you were with the OS 7 devices (but maybe that's just me).

But if you adjust to the extras the keyboard has to offer, the swipes, the capacitive capability, etc, you will be a machine none-the-less, and still blow your Bono-toting colleagues away. Maybe more importantly, you'll look fricken great doing it with your awesome sense of style.

In sum, the phones are out there and pretty easy to get.

iiiiiiif you don't unconditionally LOVE your new Passport, I bet you will within a few days. Don't panic.

And if you really can't stand it, you can probably turn a tidy profit pedaling your regrets on craigslist.

Long post, hope my experiences help you find phones, and make choices.

Passport || Fido

[shorski]

Great review......not the type that has been posted here and there.
Thanks.

[serbanescu]

Excellent review, I'm sure it will help a lot of people to make up their minds on Passport acquisition - one way or the other. I guess there will be many more leaning on the "buying" side

[TJ DM]

I praise the OP for a very creative and honest post. Except for one thing... ITS NOT EASY TO GET :'( I'm so excited to get one but still no stocks as of the moment.

Congrats!

Q10 SQN100-3 | Z30 STA100-2 | 10.2.1.3247 iPhone 4s IOS 7.xx

[zocster]

Impossible to get here! Lucky you!

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk

[chiefx13]

Cheers to you guys.

I just wanted to voice a bit of a more honest account of the keyboard.

It is nice, but it lives in its own world of typing and I would say people thinking they're going to get a typical typing experience might be disappointed.

There's nothing wrong with it, but I think passport typing is an acquired skill.

Passport || Fido

[chiefx13]

Thought I'd post a pic of the battery life. It's much better than the z30, even on its best day.

I've been on this bad boy constantly since yesterday and passed out for the night without charging it and it's still going pretty strong.

I've been covering shifts, sent out a number of procedural emails with manually adding distribution lists (these were very long and detailed),

Coordinated a 6 person team in a field exercise through text.

And did a conference call with me and another person in the room with a service partner on the other end.

I've always updated a staff scheduling spreadsheet, which before I never would have attempted unless it was an emergency even on my old blackberries.

Oh and I play on it after work continuously and did some redditing - as you might see from the battery graph.

Just amazing.

And the typing is getting waaaay, waaaay easier. I've come to trust the predictive typing and the swipes a little more. That's making a huge difference.

Day 2 and and half with the Passport.

Passport || Fido
Attachment 302350

[Frosty_Power]

Great write up. I'm looking forward to this phone once I can find one available for me to grab. Thanks for the read OP!

Posted via CB10

[Resilience]

Next time tell telus this.

to have your phone unlocked after 90 days, or immediately if you paid in full for your phone, at the rate specified by the service provider, upon request