[CrackBerry Question]

As the title says, I'm thinking of switching or at least using a BB phone as a companion phone.

I just want some opinions, how's buying a BB classic in 2016 looks like? I'll not fully ditch my iPhone 6S, that phone will be my entertainment and photography phone, and move the sim card to Classic, as my work phone.

I want to ask how's the apps in BB store doing in 2016? The apps I'm going to use in my BB are:
- Whatsapp! I heard it will be discontinued in BB10 devices, so can we still use / download it even if it is not supported anymore?
- LINE. I heard the LINE app at BB store sucks and not fully featured. Is that true? If yes, if we sideload the .apk file, will it integrate fully to BB10's operating system?
- Instagram. I heard there are plenty of 3rd party clients for it. I guess it should be fine.
- Facebook & Twitter. Not compulsory, but it will be great to have.
- BBM. This won't be a problem I suppose.

The reason for me considering a Classic is because I won't have another chance to buy one again in the future, especially BB announced that it will stop producing BB Classic.

Hope to hear some opinions, or even some Classic users who can share their experiences, especially with apps.

[bhoqeem]

I have a Passport, a Z30 and a Q10. Never tried the Classic, but overall, your questions are relevant for all BB10 devices.

- Whatsapp! I don't think we'll be able to use it again after 2016. Even if we somehow do, it won't be perfect, let alone integrated with the Hub--which sucks in a big way, because the Hub is EVERYTHING in BB10.
- LINE. I have never personally installed LINE app from the BlackBerry World, so I wouldn't know if it sucks. But I have installed one from the Google Play store and it worked just fine, albeit rather heavy?
- Instagram. Plenty of 3rd party clients for it, as you said.
- Facebook & Twitter. You can load Facebook from the default browser, or use Facebox from the BlackBerry World, which I recommend. WARNING: Do NOT, under any circumstance, install and/or buy Face10, or you'll regret it. Many do.
- Twitter? The default app that comes with the OS works just fine. I use that without any problem.
- BBM. I prefer this instead of LINE, personally.

Congratulations, and enjoy!

[bhoqeem]

NB:
Netflix and Spotify from the Google Store work splendid.

[Arix_Zhang]

Thanks for the reply @bhoqeem !

However I must admit that whatsapp is the most crucial app for me. So that means whatsapp will be gone from BB store after 2016? If for example, I downloaded whatsapp today to my BB Classic. And the support ends tomorrow. Will the whatsapp app stays on my phone, or will it be forcefully deleted, or will it still works just fine, just with no more updates?

And how's the current whatsapp app from BB store performs? Is it fully functional, or it is a bad one?

Thanks again.

[bhoqeem]

Whatsapp from BB World is the best for BB10. It is functional, light, and robust.
I do not know precisely how it's gonna be after December 2016. Many hope it will still work, just sans update, customer supports, and Hub integration. But if they plug off the server on the WA side, I guess it would stop completely.

[Arix_Zhang]

thanks for the kind reply again. Will be looking forward for my Classic. Just hoping even if they discontinued the support for WA, it can still be used just as it is now. Like Windows XP for example.

One more thing, since the Classic's hardware is quite similar to Q10 (from 2013 I suppose), how does it perform in 2016? Can your Q10 handle apps I listed above, and some other apps from Play Store effortlessly? I do not expect to play games on Classic (that's why I won't ditch my iPhone 6S), but can it work flawlessly with other productivity apps?

Thanks

[bhoqeem]

Well, my Q10 has no problem handling all of the above listed apps, so I'm sure Classic will do fine with them as well.
I use the Q10 for all of my texts, social media (including facebook from the browser and Facebox) and phone call activities, while the Z30 handles multimedia, some games, and heavy article writings since I can type way faster with the VKB. I also put Netflix on this phone for best 16:9 viewing experience.

[Arix_Zhang]

I see, thanks for the answer! I think I'll set for Classic.

Are you a long time BB user? How do you rate the hardware's durability on BB devices? For example, BB's trackpad, keybard, battery, etc. Do you find BB have issues with their hardware's durability?

Thanks

[bhoqeem]

I have been a BB10 user since 2014. I have never used any legacy BB device before in my life. My very first BlackBerry was the Passport. I've been hooked ever since and never look back. One thing about BlackBerry: once you buy one, sooner or later you will develop a severe urge to buy all the other models--even the legacy ones. So far I have bought the Passport, Z10, Z30, and two Q10s.

Hardware-wise, all of my BlackBerry have been proven solid, strong, and extremely durable. My wife has been holding my Z10 since 2014 after seeing me dropped the thing from two meters high without a scratch. The phone has been dropped, wet (not so much, mind you--just light rain), pinned down, sit upon... and yet still alive and kicking. Not slowing down nor lagging or whatnot. The OS is just THAT incredible. The most recent one even enables my Q10 from being only able to read 32GB SD Card, to 128GB.

Having said all the above, the keyboard of all the PKB models (Passport, Q10, Classic) is prone to double typing disease at least once at one point in its respective life. Fortunately, despite having been used for two years, my Passport has not yet developed one, while my Q10 did. It has to be replaced--easily so by myself, sure, but I have a regular smartphone kiosk to do just that, so I wouldn't worry. At least, not anymore.

I chose the Q10 for its replaceable battery, much brighter and sharper screen (bigger PPI) and relatively easier to replace the keyboard, compared to the Classic. Cheaper too, at that. Lol

[Arix_Zhang]

Thanks for the kind answers!

I sure hope the Classic is up there to the expectations. Can't wait to have one!