- With 2019 gone now, I thought I would, instead of complaining about what's missing, consider what I still have and why I continue to use my BB10 phone as primary device, which I single-carry.
(It's not based on blind loyalty. I have an iPhone, 2 'droids and 2 Windows 10 phones, all of them set up and ready to take over duties should the need arise).
Who knows, maybe someone will give me enough pointers to replicate my BB10 experience elsewhere!
I'm going to consider OS features as well any "app" that comes as a default load. I'm also not going to say the "Hub" or the keyboard. I agree but so does everyone else and it's the very first things that come to mind. (No wait, I'm going to ramble about the Hub anyways. I've so far found no way to always instantly get to my inbox from anywhere on any of the other platforms. You don't know what you miss until you don't have it!)
So in no particular order, some of the most under-rated features:
The Media Player
It's a highly competent media player that handles a wide variety of formats. Fully feature, yet easy to use. Yes, it has some glitches, but I've not tried anything that is perfect. It's so easy to add songs to playlists, play next, play last, etc. But what really does it for me over all the others is the hard button functionality. I can skip forward, reverse and pause without even looking at my phone.
Yes, I'm aware there are some options for Android, but they generally have limitations or is an extra paid app. (I have one for Android, when it works it works, but sometimes it doesn't...). It's nice knowing this feature is built in for free and it just works. And I'm fairly confident this feature is not leaking data to anyone...
The Calendar
Yup, the humble little calendar. It does its job, easy to use and can still handle syncing with online calendars. I've yet to think of a feature I miss yet. The growing dot or bar feature is still unmatched. At a glance it lets me see which days have appointments and roughly when in the day it is occurring. And another neat trick that I still haven't found elsewhere? Try turning your all-touch BlackBerry 10 to landscape mode. You can see the entire month on one side and your appointments for the selected day on the other.
I do have iPhone, Android and Windows 10. On all 3 I've settled on Microsoft Outlook as the best choice for now, but it's not a match for BB10's Hub+Calendar.
Bedside mode
I can't believe it's not standard feature on the other platforms yet. It's more than just a silent or do-not-disturb mode. I can choose to turn off radios or not, to let through specific contacts either by voice or text or whatever. I really don't know how I'm going to deal with this if I have to move off BB10. You can sort of quickly get at it in iPhone by setting up a Shortcut to Do Not Disturb, but even that feature is limited compared to Bedside mode.
Weather app
Yeah, really. It's so easy to swipe between days and cities or get the hourly breakdown along with all the details I need. I'm actually surprised I use it so much, but it works so easily and it's much faster than hitting the web site when I need to plan activities for the week. I might consider Windows 10's app a strong contender, it's not quite as smooth and slick to use but it can present a lot more info. I know the iPhone app is sort of similar but for some reason the navigation is kind of hit and miss, maybe because it has so many "hot spots" that a swipe doesn't always do what you want.
Remember
It may not be flashy, but it's still amazing. Not only can I have local folders & lists, but I can also sync to the cloud (e.g. Outlook.com). There's a wealth of features including reminders & recurrence, folders, tags. And not just text, I can add camera pictures, voice and other file attachments. Flagged messages show up here with a link to the email itself. Outstanding! Some stuff on other platforms (e.g. Microsoft To-Do on Android) is getting pretty close, but Remember still gets my vote, it's not a 2nd choice.
Notification LED
Yup, I know, a couple of my non-BlackBerry phones technically have coloured notification LED's. Good luck being able to control them. There are apps available, but since they are pretty generic, designed to work with any phone, they don't have the tight integration and level of control I have with BB10. Without even turning on the screen I already know what kind of message it is and who sent it. I've reserved specific colours for the most important people so I know if I can safely ignore the message for a couple of hours and focus on the task at hand.
Oleophobic screens
You know, pretty much every phone is supposed to have these. I carry my BB10 phones "naked" and despite years of getting shoved in various pockets without protection, they're still perfect. The Lumia phones I have are pretty good too but the other ones I have, including the iPhone, catch grease like crazy and require work to clean off. Judging by what I've found online, I'm not alone. It seems even iPhones are prone to having that coating wear off quite quickly. I've replaced brand new OEM glass on my Xperia and it still isn't as good as my old BlackBerry devices.
Automatic Low Power Mode
Having it automatically kick in below a specified level is great for extending battery life. My Xperia phone has this feature but this is not the norm amongst many Android devices. My Lumia's also have this feature but not the iPhone. I've sort of worked around it by using "Shortcuts" again to provide a quick button to turn on/off the low power mode.
Is there anything else you like about your BB10 phone? (Is anyone still using it as their one-and-only?)
Any tips for getting the same experience on other platforms?01-07-20 11:34 PMLike 10 - +1 on all. I would add the following:
1) Reader mode with Text-to-Speech in the native browser. The text to speech is primitive compared to newer phones, but none are as easy to access on the fly without turning on accessibility for the whole phone.
2) Overall durability. I have carried my phone naked in pockets with coins and keys for 7 years and plugged cables into the micro USB port between 10 and 20 thousand times. I have no obvious scratches on the screen or problems with the USB port.
3) Size. My phone is so much smaller than today's phablets. I can scan my inboxes casually with one hand anywhere.
4) Built-in File Manager. So much better than Apple and Android's.
5) Mobile Data Use. For those with limited bandwidth or monthly data limits, BB10 doesn't have so many apps constantly sending data over your wireless plan.
6) The CB app. Better in every way.
From the screen of my trusty Z10 using the exceptional BlackBerry VKB.01-08-20 09:09 AMLike 3 -
Granted I doubt my Z10 would have survived a few minutes in the Gulf of Mexico, but my S7 demise might not have happened with Z10. It's smaller and fits better in the hand, and it's not as slick.
But when the S7 died, Verizon would not reactive the Z10.... wanted to use it a few weeks.01-08-20 10:18 AMLike 0 - For me it is how easy it feels (and actually is) to do things using BB10; and multiple things at the same time as well. I have used two iPhone devices and many Android ones in the past, and they never ever really came any close to how BB10 works. And that's leaving aside many (justified) dislikes of both OS' from so many people.truth4u and Radoslav Valkov like this.01-08-20 10:20 AMLike 2
- This may sound weird, but when I was using the Z10 as my daily driver, I was OBSESSED with removing and re-attaching the battery door. Something about all the little snapping sounds was just sooooo satisfying! Also loved the size, could not be beat!i_plod_an_dr_void and mreeve1128 like this.01-08-20 10:35 AMLike 2
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From the screen of my trusty Z10 using the exceptional BlackBerry VKB.01-08-20 11:46 AMLike 0 -
Call me nuts too I guess. Like the expression goes, "If this is wrong I don't want to be right."
Posted via CB10i_plod_an_dr_void likes this.01-08-20 12:28 PMLike 1 - I get it. I think in an age of everything getting digital equivalents or hardware getting waffa thin, some of us crave physical input/output. Perhaps your battery removal/reattachment is the hardware equivalent of turning a page in a physical book. Could make the same argument about the "feeling" from typing on a physical keyboard vs a slab. Something about it feels good. Boon may be able to expound more on that point.
Call me nuts too I guess. Like the expression goes, "If this is wrong I don't want to be right."
Posted via CB10anon(5597702) likes this.01-08-20 12:34 PMLike 1 -
Bedside mode
I can't believe it's not standard feature on the other platforms yet. It's more than just a silent or do-not-disturb mode. I can choose to turn off radios or not, to let through specific contacts either by voice or text or whatever. I really don't know how I'm going to deal with this if I have to move off BB10. You can sort of quickly get at it in iPhone by setting up a Shortcut to Do Not Disturb, but even that feature is limited compared to Bedside mode.
Weather app
Yeah, really. It's so easy to swipe between days and cities or get the hourly breakdown along with all the details I need. I'm actually surprised I use it so much, but it works so easily and it's much faster than hitting the web site when I need to plan activities for the week. I might consider Windows 10's app a strong contender, it's not quite as smooth and slick to use but it can present a lot more info. I know the iPhone app is sort of similar but for some reason the navigation is kind of hit and miss, maybe because it has so many "hot spots" that a swipe doesn't always do what you want.
Remember
It may not be flashy, but it's still amazing. Not only can I have local folders & lists, but I can also sync to the cloud (e.g. Outlook.com). There's a wealth of features including reminders & recurrence, folders, tags. And not just text, I can add camera pictures, voice and other file attachments. Flagged messages show up here with a link to the email itself. Outstanding! Some stuff on other platforms (e.g. Microsoft To-Do on Android) is getting pretty close, but Remember still gets my vote, it's not a 2nd choice.
Oleophobic screens
You know, pretty much every phone is supposed to have these. I carry my BB10 phones "naked" and despite years of getting shoved in various pockets without protection, they're still perfect. The Lumia phones I have are pretty good too but the other ones I have, including the iPhone, catch grease like crazy and require work to clean off. Judging by what I've found online, I'm not alone. It seems even iPhones are prone to having that coating wear off quite quickly. I've replaced brand new OEM glass on my Xperia and it still isn't as good as my old BlackBerry devices.
Automatic Low Power Mode
Having it automatically kick in below a specified level is great for extending battery life. My Xperia phone has this feature but this is not the norm amongst many Android devices. My Lumia's also have this feature but not the iPhone. I've sort of worked around it by using "Shortcuts" again to provide a quick button to turn on/off the low power mode.01-08-20 12:43 PMLike 0 - - Reasonable size for a business device
- All the basic functionality a mobile office requires. Unfortunately accounting, crm, etc, softwares are not supported.
- calendar, remember, hub
- durability
- magnificent simplicity
...Simply BB OS 1001-08-20 02:59 PMLike 0 -
Tasker on Android, took things to a whole different level.01-08-20 03:16 PMLike 0 - Like popping the bubble wrap...addictive...nearly forgot about that "feature" from the old BB-OS DEVICES, usually while waiting for something, thanks for the reminder.01-08-20 11:09 PMLike 0
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Posted via CB10i_plod_an_dr_void likes this.01-08-20 11:32 PMLike 1 - There's a post here somewhere, circa 2012 or 2013 that laid out what Tasker could do back then. It really softened my stance on Android, up until about that time I was extremely pro-BlackBerry and vocally anti- everything not a BlackBerry. I never tried Power Tools that I recall, unless it vanished from my list of apps and I just can't remember that far back. Sometimer's disease, yay.01-08-20 11:33 PMLike 0
- Don't do it under the table or others in the room look at you with various expressions of consternation and disgust.01-08-20 11:36 PMLike 0
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In an age where manufacturers taunt and tease you into loving glass - front and back, mind you, BlackBerry devices (especially the Classic and Passport) took us in another direction. Eschew the glass and love the keys, they said.
Durability is one thing that bears repetition. My old BlackBerry Passport was bought almost 6 years back. Due to tennis elbow and IT related carpal issues I switched to the glass phones. Now in late 2019 my lifestyle no longer revolves around business and I don't worry about my fingers or elbow. Back on the BlackBerry platform and enjoying it.
A note - when I switched to other phones I had given it to a family member who is (in)famous for his handling of devices. It survived with him; what is more, he eventually moved onto the KeyOne and the Passport was rested. Now almost 6 phones have passed through my hands the device is still good. Battery, keyboard, screen, audio - everything just works. It perhaps still has the best speakers on a phone. Thanks to a browser which can still play youtube tracks (minimized) it is a veritable music machine.
All this has to count for something. My days of typing long emails and documents are gone but my appreciation for a wonderful piece of technology remains.
Pass(ion)Port!Mecca EL and i_plod_an_dr_void like this.01-08-20 11:42 PMLike 2 - I miss the peek swipe. And that I could use the side button for a flashlight whenever I wanted and didn't have to worry about activating the screen!01-09-20 08:23 AMLike 0
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