[Narayan.]

I just thought I�d post my opinion so far on the Blackberry Classic that I picked up last week. I switched from using a recently purchased HTC M8 and before that had the Nexus 4 and iPhone.

Little about me, I�m 33, married with 4 kids and work at one of Canada�s largest banks. I do not receive work emails on my phone as it is a personal device. I do find myself very tech savvy and am the go to person in my friends and family ring for advice and of course any trouble shooting. I don�t use a ton of apps on my phone, mainly for communication, txt, whatsapp, email. Apps that I do use consistently are the Score, TSN, and other sport ones (yahoo, ESPN etc)

I think I�ll start with the reason why I switched and how I believe the reviews and ratings of certain phones are very basis on the reviewed needs / wants. If you look at the HTC m8 that I recently switched from it got glowing reviews from most websites praising it on its screen, build quality, HTC Sense software and of course the great speakers. All of these are worthy accolades but from using the phone I have a list of dislikes that of course made me want to switch to the Classic.

Dislikes of the m8

I�m not a phone case guy and in the 2 months of ownership I had scratches all over the back and few scratches on the screen. I�m usually very careful with my device but I found it very fragile.

Very slippery, if I wasn�t wearing jeans and I sat down the damn thing was so long and slipper it would fall out of my pocket in no time flat� maybe that�s the reason I got a few bumps on it?

Software- a lot of android software is baked in and you cannot delete it. Things like HTC apps, facebook (I hate facebook) and a long list of other software cannot be deleted. I like phones clean with apps that I just use. (on the Classic first thing I did was delete FB off the damn thing, did I mention I hate FB?)

Keyboard- omg you say what you want but typing on glass with auto correct is horrendous� I can�t tell you how many times what I wanted to type wasn�t what came out and without realizing it press send. This was probably the main reason why I switched to the Classic was for the keyboard (which is glorious btw).

So with all the notes above I decided to switch over to the BB Classic. From doing so this is what I like and don�t like

Likes of the Classic

• Build Quality. The thing just screams and feels professional. Has very good weight to it that I actually enjoy. I love the grippy back (hasn�t fallen out of my hands or pocket yet).
• Size- not to big, not to small. Fits in your hand perfectly
• Keyboard- I used the 9900 before switching over to Android and omg did I miss it. The Keyboard on the Classic is just phenomenal and I haven�t made a spelling error yet. The shortcut keys are just as good� Things like K for bookmarks when Im browsing the web, T or B for browsing sites, and of course custom ones you can do as well (set up things like V to open whatsapp etc)
• BB hub- all my messages in one place? Universal search? When I compose messages quick buttons to what I want to do (i.e. email, sms).
• Phone call quality- top notch, best I�ve seen on a smartphone that I have owned
• BB Blend- BB has a winner here� only thing I wish it had was Whatsapp on it as I use this the most for communication between friends
• BB Maps- Actually prefer this over Google maps although I have only used it 3 or 4 times and all locally
• Love how I Can respond to messaged while say using the browser and not having to open the SMS or whatsapp actual app.

Dislikes

• App support- lets not kid, not as much as the big guys and I had to side load a few that I use (ESPN Fantasy Football, CBS Fantasy football).
• Price- I paid $499 which I think is a bit much, $399 would have been more acceptable for overall specs
• Processor- I have noticed its not as fast as my HTC M8 which isn�t surprising due to the hardware specs

All in all I am VERY happy with the phone. Love the fit, build and overall feel of the phone. The short comings are far out weighed by the positives and I do recommend the phone to anyone that is missing that keyboard loving feel. I caution people not to take to many reviews out on the web as true trusted opinions� Often times the reviews come from their needs or wants from the device not the overall picture of who the target device it geared towards.

Happy Holidays!

[Alain_A]

good and welcome

[Honkii]

I hate facebook, I wish I could remove myself from that damn thing!

Great read btw. I heard the M8 rocked, not held one or seen one in the flesh though.

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[Tre Lawrence]

First thing I did was remove the bloatware on my M8. It is slippery, but I actually prefer swiping on glass and using dictation.

But yes, the Classic is intriguing. I'm a bit more fascinated by the Passport, but I like the look of the C.

Nice write-up.

[hnguyen]

Great personal review. I'm sure those who are android users that are looking to get a classic will find this helpful.

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[wasimraza]

Welcome aboard! Wow! Really from M8!? I heard that people love their HTC M8. Never tried one but don't wanna one cause camt go away from Classic one.

Via BlackBerry Classic 10.3.1.1154 on Blazin fast T-Mobile LTE.

[Marthaelisa17]

I have a Q10 and love it! I was fortunate to not have any kb issues on mine so the experience has been great! I also switched from a Note2. But I am also curious about the classic! The sad thing is I'm on Sprint and have no idea if they will be offering it, so I have to wait it out longer. But I am really enjoying my Q10 in the meantime!

Posted from my Fabulous Q10

[BBd00d]

I came from an M7 myself and went with passport. Although I loved that phone, much of your dislikes about your M8 I shared with my M7. Most of all, I folded and went from BB to android 4 years ago because I wanted apps. I thought I had found my ecosystem in android because they had everything I wanted. Apps, customization, rooting possibilities, etc. But times change. Took me two android devices and four years to understand that apps and customization weren't what I needed from my phone. When all was said and done, I was never truly as productive as I now am with my passport and like you probably are with your classic.

Enjoy your phone, I know I do

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[OT16]

Excellent post man! Enjoy that classic!

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[OT16]

I don't think that sprint will be coming out with the BlackBerry Classic....Or like the Q10 they will release the phone when it's close to a year...I have the Q10 on sprint as well and as soon as AT&T releases the phone, I'm gone! Or I'll go to T-Mobile (since they have a better family plan) and hopefully win the Classic from Crackberry :-)

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[datgur1]

Great post you help make my decision to switch from iPhone 6Plus to the BlackBerry Classic (has always been my first and only love)

[dlrogers81]

I made the exact same switch. I had the M8, and I sold it on eBay to go towards the expense for my Classic. I couldn't be happier. I also have the the Z30, but wanted to hang onto it also. The M8 is one of the best Android devices though.

Sent from my Classic using Tapatalk

[aha]

Best review I read in a long time... regardless your phone preference. Many tech bloggers can take a thing or two from OP's writing.

One thing though, when you mentioned sideload, do you mean you downloaded directly from one of 3 or 4 app stores on your phone and installed right there on your phone? Because you can actually do that right? The only app you need to sideload through a USB cable nowadays is SNAP.

Also, if you like a BlackBerry with better specs, Passport won't disappoint you... unless one handed use is a big thing for you.

Posted via CB10 with PassportSQW100-1/10.3.1.1154