[cornhuskur]

I have read a lot of reviews from both the professionals and consumers alike regarding the Classic as a great business phone. What about the other features the Classic and for that matter, any BB 10 device? I find the Classic and Z30 (only two BB devices i have owned) as great social, music player, photo editing...etc.

Why do you own a BB device? For me, I like the native file manager. I know this sounds minor compared to more important issues, but I use a lot of files for personal use. My iPhone was too "cartoony" for the App Store App's available. Don't get me wrong, I like the iPhone as I also own an iPhone 6.

The Classic as a social tool? I find Facebook, Instagram (or ingrann), Twitter...etc as effective as the rest of them. Only problem with Facebook for BB is the font is really small for my aging eyes, but not impossible.

I mainly stream music from either Pandora or Spotify and find them too work just as good as the rest of them. I also use music downloads which seems to work decent, but at least I don't have to pay for the music, unlike iOS.

Being iPhone and Android are often referred to as toys and BB is referred to as a tool, what can iOS and Android do that a BB can't and vise-versa?

This is not intended to bash other platforms, rather what I have been reading as the Classic is considered a "business" tool. What about us average Joe consumers who find BB as a good all around smart phone.

Thoughts?

[Zeridialous]

I do a fair amount of text messaging, email, phone calls, and web browsing with my Classic, in addition to managing my calendars, taking photos, listening to music and watching videos, etc. I think the reason that the Classic is referred to so much as being a "business" phone is due to its target audience -- users who are upgrading from older BlackBerry OS devices such as the Bold 9900, who wanted the tool belt and familiar keyboard shortcuts.

I love my Classic for the simple reason that it lets me get things done without getting in the way. BlackBerry 10 OS allows me to multitask and manage various channels of communication seamlessly, efficiently, and effortlessly. I'm not wasting time jumping from app-to-app to reply to emails and text messages since I can do it all from the Hub, which is easily accessible by swiping on the trackpad or holding down the M key on my keyboard. The Browser is efficient and its reader view is one of my favorite features, allowing me to strip out all of the extra content and read the important part of news articles. Switching active frames is easy and they display useful information when minimized so again, I don't need to hop in and out of apps to get a quick glance at information.

In my opinion, BlackBerry should do some sort of marketing push on the new 10.3.1 OS. It brings a nice coat of fresh paint plus compatibility with Android apps, closing the app gap by a fair amount. They need to somehow rid themselves of the stigma surrounding the BlackBerry brand as well as BlackBerry 10 OS from when it had originally launched (with sub-par app compatibility and missing features) in comparison to what it has become today.

[birdman_38]

This is not intended to bash other platforms, rather what I have been reading as the Classic is considered a "business" tool. What about us average Joe consumers who find BB as a good all around smartphone?

BlackBerry would be pleased to learn the Classic is regarded first and foremost as a business tool. The latter demographic is one they have little regard for.

[bbinoz]

To answer your question, I'm going to compare the BlackBerry Classic with the recently released HTC One M9. The HTC is marketed heavily towards image conscious, personal users and has many features which would never be used in a corporate environment.

Both devices are similar in the sense that they have been based off previous models which were very successful in their own right, the HTC One and the Bold 9900.

Cost:
Classic - $449
M9 - $649

You just need to compare the physical look of the HTC to that of the Classic, the HTC comes in Gold with Gold / Grey with Silver / Gold with Silver. The Classic comes in black and whilst other colours were promised, BlackBerry has failed to deliver. Already we can see that the consumer demands a variety of colours because image matters, BlackBerry understands that their primary market (Enterprise) really could care less about what colour the phone comes in, it's not going to affect sales. HTC knows that it's competing in a highly competitive market with many other devices available running the same operating system, for HTC the difference between someone buying their device and a Samsung could very well rest in what colour best matches the purchases car, bag or taste.

On the consumer orientated HTC there are 2 x powerful speakers on the front of the device bearing the same logo and system that consumers recognise from going to the cinemas - Dolby Digital. HTC know that the enjoyment of music and videos are going to be key in reaching an audience that wants to be entertained. The BlackBerry contains one speaker on the bottom of the device, enabling the speaker-phone to be utilised. In a corporate office environment, loud music is not something either required or wanted - the opposite is true and the BlackBerry instead of offering surround sound gives users the option of being notified silently through the use of an LED light.

The HTC has a 5 inch high-definition display which has been designed for the purpose of viewing media content clearly even in outdoor situations. The size of the screen and dimensions mean that movies can be viewed in their original screen aspect. The BlackBerry offers a screen which displays text and documents clearly however sacrifices in terms of brightness and size have been made to cater to both the presence of a physical keyboard and also to extend battery life - two features very important to a corporate user who needs to type long emails away from the office but not at all important to someone who wants to watch a video on the way home from work where in both locations a charger awaits.

The M9 runs on the latest Android software, called 'Lollipop' it does not take a genius to realise that this operating system is designed with fun and entertainment in mind. HTC have added elements to make the device appear to be more simple and sleek, a notification system called BlinkFeed provides the user with a central location for news and social media updates.

BlackBerry's corporate orientated operating system, so creatively called 'OS10'. The ability to have a central notification tool is demanded by the business user in a similar way to that of the retail consumer however 'The Hub' provides work content like emails, messages and phone notifications. The ability to have a central point for all communication is more important than the ability to have a central point for customised news and entertainment. Unlike the 'open source' operating system on the HTC which encourages users to make full use of their devices hardware by opening up the entire operating system for users to get the full value out of their device.

Rather than using software which has been opened up and made freely available to the public, BlackBerry provide the complete opposite to corporate users by using an operating system which is proprietary, locked down and protected. Where as the data on a consumer entertainment phone both originates from and is shared with the world at large through massive public file sharing networks like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Google etc. The data on corporate devices is private and rather than focusing on sharing data with as many people as possible, significant expense and effort is put into restricting access to data and making it inaccessible to the public even if attempts were made to view it.

The data a consumer has on their phone is designed to be shared, it is generally free or low cost and limiting distribution would be considered a hindrance. In contrast, the data on a corporate device is private and generally is far more valuable than the device used to create it, edit it or view it. The videos, music, news, blogs etc which are viewed on the consumers device actually increase in value as more and more people come in contact with it, become aware of it and demand it. Corporate data including patents, financial statements, sensitive information about individuals such as health care, un released product details, research and development etc are highly valuable and loose value the more it is shared.

HTC with their Android operating system, offer an increasing range of user customisation options and features. The open-source nature gives the user full control over nearly every aspect of the software, BlackBerry instead market the ability for corporations to regulate and control their devices, restricting customisation for a controlled, secure and uniformed environment.

The demand for increased performance, faster and larger processors have resulted in the battery-life of HTC's latest device being shorter than that of the device released prior. The BlackBerry Classic however has limited specifications in order to provide a 60% longer battery life than the Bold 9900 it replaced.

In summary, the BlackBerry Classic is designed for a corporate environment and to perform business tasks with security and efficiency. Expense and research has gone into how best protect the data which is stored on the device, the restricting of access through encryption promoted as a feature to the corporate enterprise who demand it. On the other hand, the information on a consumers device has likely originated from and will be shared to, the public.

The consumer by definition 'consumes' and the device given to such a person has been designed for that use. Dual speakers at the front, a huge bright screen, an operating system which automatically fetches data from the internet and pushes it to the user for consumption (Blinkfeed). The HTC M9, the iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy - these devices are all the same in what they offer to consumers and that is unlimited consumption. Apple's 'App Store', Androids 'Google Play' satisfy the insatiable hunger consumers have for entertainment services whether they come in the form of music, movies, games or so called productivity apps which really just give the user a more productive way to consume.

Nobody seems to realise just how effective corporations have become at creating an artificial need in the minds of individuals for what are essentially just different coloured pixels.

Technology reviewers a long time ago began to dismiss BlackBerry devices because they do not come with an adequate enough way to 'pay for more'. It is beyond their brainwashed minds to understand that for some people production is genuinely more important than consumption. Corporations like Apple and Google have discovered methods of selling a payment terminal.

Never before have so many people decided to pay $649 for the 'benefit' of being able to then pay 99 cents multiple times a day for music and pixel colours. Finally there is a way for consumers to spend their money through touching a screen on a device that is always in their pockets.

I purchased a BlackBerry because I wanted a device which could communicate with people. I realise I'm strange and less than 97% of the market but I find it easier to type on a physical keyboard than on a piece of glass and the default features on the Classic already provide me with more features than I could use.

I also happen to own a financial services business but if I didn't I'd still purchase a BlackBerry.

Storm 2 > Bold 9900 > Classic

[davisgq]

I have read a lot of reviews from both the professionals and consumers alike regarding the Classic as a great business phone. What about the other features the Classic and for that matter, any BB 10 device? I find the Classic and Z30 (only two BB devices i have owned) as great social, music player, photo editing...etc.

Why do you own a BB device? For me, I like the native file manager. I know this sounds minor compared to more important issues, but I use a lot of files for personal use. My iPhone was too "cartoony" for the App Store App's available. Don't get me wrong, I like the iPhone as I also own an iPhone 6.

The Classic as a social tool? I find Facebook, Instagram (or ingrann), Twitter...etc as effective as the rest of them. Only problem with Facebook for BB is the font is really small for my aging eyes, but not impossible.

I mainly stream music from either Pandora or Spotify and find them too work just as good as the rest of them. I also use music downloads which seems to work decent, but at least I don't have to pay for the music, unlike iOS.

Being iPhone and Android are often referred to as toys and BB is referred to as a tool, what can iOS and Android do that a BB can't and vise-versa?

This is not intended to bash other platforms, rather what I have been reading as the Classic is considered a "business" tool. What about us average Joe consumers who find BB as a good all around smart phone.

Thoughts?

Physical keyboard mostly. I always hear people bragging about how fast they can type on a glass screen and that they're faster than anyone on a "physical keyboard" which is fine. I'm not in a fast typing on a smartphone race, but regardless, I'm usually the one spelling and error-free and avoid those silly auto-correct errors. Many people I email back are generally shocked that I respond lightning quick and often my friends get annoyed that I'm able to respond to texts before they're even done typing their next sentence. Lol. Efficient communication overall. Android apps which I use (Waze and Spotify) work well on my Classic. So do the native iHeartRadio and TuneIn apps. For what it is, the Facebook app gets what I need to get done and posting statuses and viewing others' pictures and videos are not an issue. I have been finding out the usefulness and accuracy of the trackpad again, especially when composing an email or selecting texts and links. Also, I didn't realize this, but I missed having physical call and end buttons. Coming from a Q10, it DID take some getting used to at the beginning.

I am also not an app-heavy guy. I know certain people are and that's fine. Whatever else I may need (like Netflix and movies and games or just a bigger viewing screen overall), I use my Nexus 7 tablet for. I still find myself sometimes swiping up on my Nexus tablet to get it to turn on The Classic doesn't play nice with some Google apps like Drive and Docs and such, mostly because of the small screen real estate, but it IS doable if you need to access something in a pinch. The browser will open it. This is obviously where the Nexus tablet comes in handy. Usually I carry around both the Classic and the Nexus, but when I'm out and about, I leave the tablet at home. The Classic gets what I need done and is remarkably and unsurprisingly efficient.

There are so many other reasons, but that's the gist of why I use Blackberry and enjoy using the Classic

[kanungoash]

Everything is awesome about the Classic . It is a true communicator and handles everything with ease. Definitely more productive with the trackpad and awesome keyboard.

Only issue is my Classic doesn't retain call logs more than 2 days I guess the "Perfect Business Device" is not yet perfect for me.

BlackBerry please sort it out. Please!!!

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[thymaster]

The Classic came with OS 10.3.1 out of the box but I'm pretty sure on my Passport 10.3.0 prior to the update of 10.3.1 my FB fonts would change with my system font preferences. I just check now and the feature is no longer there. Maybe send an email to BlackBerry developers to fix it or as a feature request.

The Classic as a social tool? I find Facebook, Instagram (or ingrann), Twitter...etc as effective as the rest of them. Only problem with Facebook for BB is the font is really small for my aging eyes, but not impossible.

[MikeClassic]

Why I chose bb10, coming from a feature phone, iphone, samsungs and htc I couldd type fast but not accurate on the screen. I dated a girl with a bold a million years ago and at the time I thought it was huge. So when the q10 was released I thought beauty, abiit of nostalgia, a real keyboard and android apps. And the screen was just big enough to browse. Now I'm onto the classic for larger screen and extra buttons and paratek ( I think it's got it)

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