This is perhaps the most puzzling and frustrating device for me that BlackBerry has launched in recent years.
While I personally admired the Passport and the Classic, I was never interested in buying one, as after 2 years of using an all touch device, my Z10, the experience I've had with it, especially using such a fluid and practical OS as BlackBerry 10, made the thought of returning to a physical keyboard BlackBerry smartphone, not an appealing one.
So I was wondering and waiting for BlackBerry to announce the next all touch replacement for the Z10 or Z30. And instead we got the Leap and a slider...(not much to say about the slider...as I don't have enough information).
I would have been on the Leap like hotcakes, the lower price (I tend to buy my devices outright) 32GB's internal memory, a stronger, bigger battery, expandable memory up to 128GB's...was well and good, as was the 5' screen, although to be honest, I never had a problem with the 4.2 ' display of the Z10. I also liked the spartan, industrial and minimalist design of the Leap...but then I got a hold of the rest of the specs ...
No NFC, non-removable battery, no HDMI connection, no compass, and the rest of them basically describe the Z10 over 2 years ago at launch (minus the features I mentioned above)...including what must be the biggest headscratcher of them all, the processor...which is basically almost 3 years old.
Now I understand the rationale behind this device, the consumers it aims to target and the space it will occupy in a highly competitive and ever changing telecommunications market.
The Leap is meant as an entry level, no frills device...a bare bones supped up Z3...which never got a North American release.
And yet...seeing what other companies offer with their comparative smartphone models, the Leap loses almost by default. Even an entry level device with a low point price, has to offer something, some incentive to attract the customers BlackBerry has been soo desperately trying to regain from a smaller and smaller slice of a market they used to control.
If BlackBerry wants to not only stem the bleeding of their hardware division, but return it to profit, in that case they have to start releasing devices that make sense. In spite of not being over enthused by the Classic and Passport, those at least I understand.
I don't understand the Leap.
The Leap is an old car with a new chassis...or one of those outdated school textbooks that receive new covers, but the content, the information within is outdated. Even worse, if you put it next to a Z10...it is less...and that BlackBerry cannot do if it hopes to be successful with fickle consumers...and even battle hardened loyalists.
At this point in time, I would better off moving on to a Z30...
Cartman says: Screw you guys I'm going home!