Thoughts after 5 days as a classic user

Have upgraded to a classic from a bold 9790. Mostly I have found it a very positive experience. I am not really blackberry's target for this phone as I am a late 30s housewife / mother / part time worker with no need for a phone for work. However I love the presence of a physical keyboard and do not have a lot of use for oodles of apps.

Positives:
Love being on 4G and the speed of the new processor, trounces my old phone and my ipad for speed on both wi-fi and network.
The facebook app is fantastic, way better than the ipad one and more intuitive to use than the desktop page.
The camera is way better than my prev bold (not hard!).
The OS is intuitive to use although I'm still using help a lot to find things out. The help function is easy to understand and follow.
I like the screen size loads, who coming from an older BlackBerry wouldn't?
When friends with other phones use emojis I now see them in my messages rather than a square box that meant nothing.

Not necessarily negatives but things that could be better:
Typing on the keyboard: I think it's a size thing but my thumbs don't intuitively find the keys the way they did on the bold and I makes loads more typing errors (still way quicker than touchscreen typing though).
Another size thing: I cannot use the whole keyboard and hold the phone with one hand. Anyone else who is a mother / parent knows how important this can be, my hands are just not big enough.
The interface between the keyboard and the touchscreen feels awkward. When to click on the trackpad and when to use touchscreen. I had the same feeling with the Bold but it doesn't seem to have improved.
I'm still annoyed that I can't use the clock to automatically turn off the device at night or go into bedtime mode. I have to remember to manually swipe each time. Please BlackBerry make this an option on an update. Loved it on the Bold.

Overall I'm pleased I upgraded having been unsure at first. The faster browser and larger screen swing it for me, with the better although not great camera good too. And I've got a contract plan for the same price with more data and minutes :).

Sorry for rambling but don't know anyone else still on BlackBerry and wanted to share!

Posted via CB10

Takes time to get used to any new phone, especially with a new o/s! Another week or so and you should be fine. Took me about two weeks to adjust to the passport. Now I cant go back to the Q10 as it seems like a kids toy :)



Blackberry Passport running 10.3.2.281

Also forgot to say that BlackBerry feel like they have gone back to fantastic build quality. When I got the 9790 it felt really cheap and plasticky compared with my previous 9700. Well this device feels like a return to the super quality of old.

Posted via CB10

The 9790 never felt like a bold. I had that and it was BlackBerry gone all wrong. The screen was too small for a touch screen, it lagged like hell and the build was ridiculous. The chrome bezel looked awful when it lost its paint which it religiously did. Almost like it was rusted.

And now there's the classic! From the worst of BlackBerry to the best of BlackBerry, it doesn't get any better than this.

Enjoy your classic ma'am !!

Posted via CB10

I have had my classic for over a month now and I agree with everything you've said. The option for the phone to enter bedside mode when it is plugged in should certainly be in the settings (maybe an update) but it was always something that annoyed me with my Bold because I still need to receive calls and messages throughout the night (no sleep for the wicked).

The device does feel like high quality BlackBerry hardware and I'm very impressed with the performance and features of the phone. The keyboard change from the Bold takes some getting used to in order to be able to type without looking at incredible speed and with accuracy however after a week I was typing on-par with all my previous BlackBerry phones.

I'm sure you'll find that as time goes on and you become more used to BB10 and the Classic you will never look back. This truly is a brilliant phone in every possible way and has generated a lot of uncalled for negative attention.

Storm 2 > Bold 9900 > Classic

I am a mom, currently working part time (not for long) and have a busy work life schedule. I think the Classic is perfectly suited for my lifestyle. I use my phone a lot for work and also for communication with my kids' teachers etc. Twitter, messaging and emailing schedules with attachments is a must for me while on the go for both work and home life.

StoryMaker app is easily my fave to use as a mom. Made many memorable videos of the kids to share. I have tons of music on my device to share. We also use BBM group for family discussions etc. Blend is a breeze to use too.

Enjoy ur device!

Posted via Classic

Originally Posted by LizPerrott

Not necessarily negatives but things that could be better:
Typing on the keyboard: I think it's a size thing but my thumbs don't intuitively find the keys the way they did on the bold and I makes loads more typing errors (still way quicker than touchscreen typing though).
Another size thing: I cannot use the whole keyboard and hold the phone with one hand. Anyone else who is a mother / parent knows how important this can be, my hands are just not big enough.
The interface between the keyboard and the touchscreen feels awkward. When to click on the trackpad and when to use touchscreen. I had the same feeling with the Bold but it doesn't seem to have improved.

Glad you enjoy your new Classic! I'm just gonna share some thoughts based on my experience:
Your fingers, muscles and brain simply need some time to adjust to a new keyboard. Even though the Classic uses the traditional 4-row keyboard layout, the keys are larger, they got a different feedback (which can be more important than some might think) and last but not least the design is slightly difference since they lost that smiley. Just keep on using it, typing texts with it, the more the better. Some users just take a few hours to adjust, others take a week or two. In terms of the Passport even longer, especially if you want to take full advantage of all those gestures and swiping.

Regarding the toolbelt/trackpad: It helps a lot to understand the Classic is the first and yet only new BlackBerry device which has these features. All the other devices simply don't have this combo. So you aren't forced to use it. I have been a Q10 owner since it got released almost two years ago and most of the time I use the Classic just like I used my Q10 - touchscreen only. However the reintroduced hardware buttons and trackpad can come pretty handy at times. Basically just use what suits you best at the very moment, there are no really "must use this now!" moments on the Classic, which is a great thing in fact.
There are only two situations where you are forced to use the toolbelt. Answering and ending a call. Besides that, it's all up to your very own preferences.


Last but not least: The Classic by far is no compact phone, although viewed by today's standards with all those 5.5+" devices out there it doesn't seem too bad. The Classic roughly equals a 4.5" full-touch device in terms of size. You should try to make use of the toolbelt and trackpad when using the phone one-handed. You can navigate around your device without touching the screen at all, thus you don't need stretching your fingers to reach any place on the screen. Of course that doesn't help with typing.
If the device turns out to be too large after all, you might want to take a look at the Q10. The dimension differences don't seem to be too critical when just looking at the numbers, but in real world the difference is very noticeable.

Posted via CB10

Did anyone mention? You can use 3rd party software like Power Tools (or others) to switch off your device at a configured time. I never did this because the automated switch on needs always the PIN and so it's NOT automated, it's just nasty ... I only switch off the network connections over night which saves a lot of energy. But you must do this also every evening by hand - I was told there are no API functions in the OS to do this automated.

If you are having trouble texting or messaging someone one-handed, you can hold the 0 key down for a second then dictate the text. The language recognition software is pretty good.

For just navigating the phone, you can do everything you need with the toolbelt.

From a Classic

From Bold 9900 to Classic.

Do you like the Build quality of this phone esp the back cover?