Classic Reviews - General urks
I don't own the classic just yet but I've owned the Q10 and Z30 and watched every classic review. Most reviews I have seen are "fair" but the following things just urk the hell out of me.
1) Telling the BlackBerry Story: Every reviewer starts their review mentioning how blackberry was king of the hill and lost their popularity over the years. They have told these stories during the z10, q10, z30 and passport reviews. When will this end? Why do they still feel necessary to "bring everyone up to speed?" Blackberry never went anywhere. They don't discuss the past history of every LG or motorola phone they review. So annoying.
2) This is a phone by BlackBerry for BlackBerry fans: Sorry, not buying it. There are plenty of people out there who use iphones and androids and all they do is text,email, browse the web and maybe Facebook. I was with someone the other day and he has an iPhone 4 for work and it's ringing off the hook! And he's struggling to email away on the small screen. I'm like, why don't you just get a blackberry? He was like, I loved my BlackBerry but I was sticking to the iPhone because I can talk to it. Many people don't even realize that blackberries do that now too. I get why reviewers say it's for BlackBerry fans, but that's just not the whole story. One of the reason blackberry has difficulty tapping into a lot of these folks is because reviewers who keep looking at blackberry fans like aliens and not regular phone users.
3) BlackBerry is stuck in the past: It's nice to sum it up like that, but how so? Did the reviewer forget that blackberry has full screen touch phones also? Did they miss that the reason the classic exists is to push keyboards back into the market with a modern take? I wonder if a lot of these reviewers have cars with stick shifts. I bet they would argue that the stick gives them a more control and a comfortable connection with their vehicle. More control. I wonder if they see themselves "stuck in the past."
4) The app situation: I get that BlackBerry is not the best choice for those who like apps, but at least clarify that the app situation is because app developers don't develop for BlackBerry. They make it seem like the BlackBerry brass are sitting around wondering what instagram is. Windows phone has the same problem. I don't mind them pointing out that it's an issue, just get the explanation right.
5) Not mentioning or reviewing blend. Blend is huge because it will put your blackberry into any other device out there. You can get all the apps you need on a tablet and use blend to connect your phone. It's sad that most of the reviewers don't even mention it. I sit in front of a pc all day at work. Who cares is the classic has a 3.5 inch screen when I can reply to texts on my laptop.
6) BlackBerry doesn't innovate : Well tell me who does innovate? Every other phone out there is a slab of glass. What has been a huge innovation in the last 3 years? Waving your hand over glass to reveal your messages or putting your phone on a tiny watch screen? Both neat tricks but nothing practical. The passport keyboard is a first. Blend is the first cross platform integration app. Those are both as innovative as a watch phone or a hand wave trick. Plus they are a lot more practical. Hell I'd argue putting a keyboard and a trackpad on a modern phone is more innovative than half the tricks android companies throw out there.
Believe me I know BlackBerry and the classic aren't for everyone. Believe me I wish BlackBerry would bring their specs up to speed. I just wish the press would stop treating blackberry like some joke and be fair. They are right it's not 2012 anymore. BlackBerry has a great product now and it's fair to review it like one.
FYI: I think phone dog, technobuffalo and pocket now continue to give fair blackberry reviews. I respect them the most.
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