Tired of using an OS that will never get an update to fix bugs and add new features, I finally made the jump from webOS (Pre3). I LOVE webOS, despite it's age and imperfections, and until BB10 i didn't see anything out there that i was interested in, so planned to stick with the Pre3 until it died and then perhaps cry. BB10 borrows enough from webOS IMHO but brings some new things. I wanted a physical keyboard but didn't find the Q10 aesthetically pleasing, so took the plunge on the keyboard-less Z10. Note that I've never had a BB device before.
What I miss compared to webOS:
- multi-tasking on the Z10 is great, but it still feels like one extra tap/swipe than webOS. but still better than any other OS out there IMHO.
- the up-swipe gesture to reveal running apps feels like you have to drag rather than flick, it feels slower than it could be. hard to explain but i think webOS users will understand. i think they need to tune it.
- webOS notifications are still better. having the miniature pop-up at the bottom of the screen was great because you know what the message was and who it was from, without interrupting what you're doing. with BB10 on the Z10 you have the red indicator only, and the peek to see more. again it's an extra step. but still a very good notifications system, don't get me wrong. if the "peek" gesture took you to the default Hub pane, or perhaps the pane associated with the source of the latest notification, that'd be helpful. currently it takes you to your last message or whatever, which is of course useless unless the latest notification happens to be from there. if they did away with all modal popups and added a webOS/iOS style notifications ticker at the top or bottom, and they then hid away but you could reach them in the Hub, i'd be happier (but i'm quite happy with it as it is anyway).
- i miss the unlock screen outlining your outstanding notifications. with BB10 i can see the fact that i have notifications, and their source (FB, email, etc.), but not the sender or the contents. it's not very useful as it is. looks nice though.
- wireless charging! more of a Z10 thing than a BB10 thing, but after using the touchstone for years i find myself plugging in my phone at putting it on the bedside table in a way that the cord hangs off the edge and the phone spins to sit perpendicular with the edge of the table as a result and i think "really?? this is so unsatisfactory. i feel like i'm back in the 90's" (an exaggeration, of course; i'll get used to it).
- dismissing apps with a gesture would be great. tapping on the X is a bit finicky. you'd probably have to have a vertical one-column list and side-swipe to dismiss (think android has that). not a massive problem of course...
- docs to go needs google drive integration (and other cloud services i guess, but that's what i use).
- the search feature isn't as good as webOS' 'just type' feature. i want to tap search and punch in a web address and have it understand what i'm trying to do (but no i can only tap 'search google'). i also want to be able to search in apps like just type does. i saw a video about the Q10 having an improved search which is closer to webOS just type, so hopefully it's coming to the Z10 too, just with the added step of tapping on the search button or two-finger-swiping to bring up the keyboard. if this comes to just the Q10 i'll be upset.
- i miss a physical keyboard (but see below). but i manage just fine.
- automatic nightly backup over wifi. no setup or PC required.
What I love about BB10 over webOS:
- the Hub is a great concept. takes some getting used to though. it seems to be a little buggy sometimes, in terms of telling you that you have a notification when you've already read it, but i guess that'll get ironed out.
- the calendar app is great. similar to the webOS one but very nice.
- the browser is great.
- many nice little touches everywhere through the OS (e.g. swipe up in hub for calendar events), designed to give you quick access to everything. a lot of thought has really gone into this and i'm glad they didn't release it early and half-baked.
- clock/alarm app is great. nice UX. multiple alarms would be nice though.
- remember app is great, too. although more finely-tuned alarms would be good, so i could use it as a simple 'reminder' app as well.
- again more of a Z10 thing, but the battery life is considerably better than my pre3.
- timeshift camera.
- photo editing.
- 'night mode' is nice. it's like webOS exhibition mode but with the ability to turn off notifications whilst you sleep. exhibition mode was great but it was too bright when sleeping. you could turn the screen off but it would light up again when you get a notification.
- settings pull-down from the top of the screen is nice.
- not having a back button/gesture actually works well. i thought i would miss it. webOS newbs found it unintuitive (and it is but you love it when you get used to it). BB10 has the toolbar back button which is nice but you can also just swipe back to push the pane across (in most places, sometimes it's odd when it doesn't work).
- ...which brings me to the whole flow/cascades thing: it's really nice. you can drill down into a hierarchy yet still jump back to the overview by dragging the bottom-left button slowly to the right (in most places). and with the swipe-from-the-top menu and the 'overflow' menu that appears on the right- it is all well thought out and you can 'just flow' (yes it sounds cheesy but it's a good word for it).
- the virtual keyboard is excellent. not as good as a physical one (of course). but i can't imagine anyone bettering this. shame the Z10 fibreglass back is slippery in the hand, because it makes one-thumb typing difficult, but that's not an OS thing. hopefully they sell grippy replacement battery covers (i don't want a case to cover my nice white Z10!).
- BBM seems like a good feature, although I don't know anybody else with a BB phone so not much use to me personally.
- having 'rotation lock' on the pull-down menu is fantastic. webOS phones don't have that and i always wished they did. the touchpad does.
Gripes unrelated to webOS:
- the 'up-swipe to unlock' gesture isn't recognised half the time. think they need to tune it.
- pop-up modal dialogues are an INEXCUSABLE UX SIN. every time i get a wifi hotspot popup i want to strangle someone from RIM who was responsible for this. see unobtrusive webOS notifications note above. (yes i know i can turn it off but that's not the point; again, see my comments on notifications above).
- maps: awful. you know it. latest webOS phones had bing maps though, so can't say it was any better.
- twitter app sucks. at least keep a marker of where i'd last read up to. it's nice and sleek and uncluttered though.
- reminders app keeps a list of emails in the 'unfiled' section, which i assume is meant to be flagged or important emails, but it isn't right. i've cleared the flag on emails that have appeared in there and those tasks haven't gone. not sure what they're trying to do here. could be a useful feature if they got it right or made the intent more clear.
- BB world needs a way to see new apps, not just trending (which i assume means "promoted"). UPDATE: it does exist, you just have to drill into Applications or Games first, it isn't on the All page.
- i like to keep 'rotation lock' on, but it forgets this setting on reboot.
I won't go into a list of apps i want, that's another thread entirely (spotify, good twitter and a good google reader app are the only things i really can't live without, don't need anything else). Don't use FB or LinkedIn so can't comment there.
Overall, I'm loving BB10 and my nice white Z10, and I'm looking forward to future updates to iron out some minor kinks, and to new apps.