1. The Big Picture's Avatar
    It's funny how we judge tech sites and their reviews these days. A site that agrees with our opinion of a device is fair and balanced, while a site that doesn't is labeled "biased". If The Verge had given the phone a higher score, would they still be biased?
    How is the verge review balanced in any way?

    He didn't even try to view/use the device as a business/enterprise/productivity user.

    He just expects it to be an iphone which OBVIOUSLY the passport is NOT.

    It is completely unbalanced.

    BTW the verge crew have no shame in saying that they are biased.

    Posted via CB10
    coyotejim and spikesolie like this.
    09-25-14 12:39 PM
  2. anon8656116's Avatar
    How is the verge review balanced in any way?

    He didn't even try to view/use the device as a business/enterprise/productivity user.

    […]

    BTW the verge crew have no shame in saying that they are biased.0
    It doesn’t matter, The Verge has its own target audience. The Verge lives with products and services for casual use, generally with strong brand identities, specifically Google and Apple. What you call an unbalanced review is simply the verdict of a tech writer who can’t do anything with the Passport and it’s to be expected that this is precisely the sentiment the average Verge reader will have. They don’t claim to have the perfect review, they report to their users whether the Passport is worth having a look. People shouldn’t be so upset about this, The Verge is a lost cause when it comes to technology that doesn’t have mainstream appeal. BlackBerry enthusiasts should just ignore it.
    The Big Picture likes this.
    09-25-14 02:23 PM
  3. MikeX74's Avatar
    To the person who replied to me: I didn't say they were fair or balanced. Please read my comment again. I just think that people who question The Verge's(or any other site, for that matter) "fairness" would be singing a different tune if they had given the Passport a higher score.
    09-25-14 02:55 PM
  4. The Big Picture's Avatar
    Double post
    09-25-14 03:02 PM
  5. The Big Picture's Avatar
    [QUOTE=The Big Picture;10887860]Over 30 reviews of the passport by different tech sites.

    http://seekingalpha.com/article/2520...-success?app=1

    His review of all the reviews are well thought out.

    An example in balanced writing.
    coyotejim likes this.
    09-25-14 03:04 PM
  6. anon3969612's Avatar
    This one isn't bad either, fairly balanced on the positives and negatives:

    Review: BlackBerry Passport is a big, bold throwback to typing machines of yore - The Globe and Mail
    09-25-14 03:17 PM
  7. The Big Picture's Avatar
    09-25-14 03:42 PM
  8. ZedMacahan's Avatar
    Here's a another first impression video.
    First impressions of BlackBerry?s Passport smartphone | Financial Post
    (Couldn't find this link in this thread, sorry if I missed it. )
    09-25-14 03:53 PM
  9. lonestar281's Avatar
    The typical reviews that I have read have basically said:
    A. It's a Blackberry, so the keyboard is world class
    B. Everything else is "meh"
    C. Over all, it's a noble effort from Blackberry, just not good enough...
    Last edited by lonestar281; 09-25-14 at 04:47 PM.
    09-25-14 03:55 PM
  10. sentimentGX4's Avatar
    I found it amusing how one handed use ceased to be an issue when reviews of iPhone 6+ were done.

    Posted via CB10
    The iPhone 6+ (as well as the Note) is actually easier to use one handed than the Passport. Despite having a bigger display, the aspect ratio is key. The Passport has a much greater width than both of these devices which make it more difficult to hold.

    The Passport's ergonomics are being compared to that of 6" devices in some reviews. So you should ask yourself whether you feel comfortable holding a Lumia 1520 or Xperia Z Ultra before purchasing the device, instead of the Note or 6 Plus.

    Here are some width figures to help you make an informed decision:
    Passport 90.3 mm
    Lumia 1520 85.4 mm
    Xperia Z Ultra 92.2 mm
    IPhone 6 Plus 77.8 mm
    Note 4 78.6 mm

    Also, some of the complaints are not so much knocking the Passport's one handed use so much as saying the phone is just flat out difficult to hold with one hand. As you can see, the Passport is easily one of the widest devices on the market and stepping on new frontier so the criticism is fair.
    Last edited by sentimentGX4; 09-25-14 at 04:14 PM.
    dikkr likes this.
    09-25-14 04:01 PM
  11. EchuOkan1's Avatar
    The typical reviews that I have read have basically said:
    A. It's a Blackberry, so the key pad is world class
    B. Everything else is "meh"
    C. Over all, it's a noble effort from Blackberry, just not good enough...
    Yeap. That pretty much sums it all up. The brand is definitely jaded by the media and other platforms users (mainly iOS).

    I talked to a guy at a restaurant earlier this week. He had a Z10 covered with a case (and the "BlackBerry" brand covered at the base) on the counter while paying. I commented on the phone and he immediately grabbed it and said, "it's not a BlackBerry!" I responded that if it was not a BlackBerry, then why did it have BlackBerry World installed and showed him my Z30. He was embarrassed. He replied that it was for work only and his personal phone is an iPhone 6. Go figure!

    Posted via CB10
    09-25-14 04:42 PM
  12. RubberChicken76's Avatar
    Y I commented on the phone and he immediately grabbed it and said, "it's not a BlackBerry!" I responded that if it was not a BlackBerry, then why did it have BlackBerry World installed and showed him my Z30. He was embarrassed. He replied that it was for work only and his personal phone is an iPhone 6. Go figure!
    This is really a sad state of affairs.
    09-25-14 04:48 PM
  13. tp2386's Avatar
    Yeap. That pretty much sums it all up. The brand is definitely jaded by the media and other platforms users (mainly iOS).

    I talked to a guy at a restaurant earlier this week. He had a Z10 covered with a case (and the "BlackBerry" brand covered at the base) on the counter while paying. I commented on the phone and he immediately grabbed it and said, "it's not a BlackBerry!" I responded that if it was not a BlackBerry, then why did it have BlackBerry World installed and showed him my Z30. He was embarrassed. He replied that it was for work only and his personal phone is an iPhone 6. Go figure!

    Posted via CB10
    Lol, that's pretty pathetic. From the way you wrote it, the guy is acting like his whole immediate family would be slaughtered if he was caught with a BlackBerry.
    srzjumper likes this.
    09-25-14 05:11 PM
  14. Lobwedgephil's Avatar
    I took mine into the Att store today to get a nano sim card, every agent there wanted to see it and try it, was refreshing to see. But most of them mentioned how hard it is to hold, which I agree with.
    09-25-14 05:17 PM
  15. BigAl_BB9900's Avatar
    I didn't think any of the reviews were that bad.....

    .....but I'm definitely building a gender-biased picture about future Passport users.

    When pointing out to female friends (doctors and city types) how clever the sizing of the Passport is (eg every man's suit has a Passport sized pocket) - their response was..... our suits don't have pockets! And as all the female friends have much smaller hands than me, they were all very sceptical about whether they could easily hold the phone in one hand to make/receive calls (fair point).

    I was gobsmacked when I realised that the Verge review was probably written by a man (Dan - I suppose it could be short for Danielle....)
    09-25-14 05:20 PM
  16. Djlatino's Avatar
    The Verge, Huffington post, business insider and all those are blogs are all paid off to stay up, it's very obvious, even to the people who read it.

    Engadget, lifehacker and so on are very unbiased but put their opinions on and I respect that what I don't respect is opinions being biased instead of open minded. Not only did the verge rate call quality a 9 and not a 10, but they clearly show how they are not the blog that they pose to be, and everyone except apple users see that.
    09-25-14 05:25 PM
  17. srzjumper's Avatar
    While I won't be getting this (Z30 more my thing) I love how Chen came out and joked "try bending this like the new iPhone" and then teasingly took out his real passport, then finally the brick.. I mean the innovative Passport! I like the presentation. He did a good job.
    09-25-14 05:32 PM
  18. CecilTsunami's Avatar
    The Verge is idiotic, how is it not relevant today? The software is clumsy? There's drinking kool-aid and then there's being ignorant and intentionally stupid.

    Posted via CB10
    The Verge couldn't figure out how to sort FB out of the hub. Not such a difficult thing to do.

    Posted via CB10
    09-25-14 05:33 PM
  19. srzjumper's Avatar
    Reminds me of a time at the mall I happened to stop and check out some of the phone in the display case (at the time it was the Curve and Torch) and I was looking at a couple of them when a guy at the counter says, oh yeah those are older phones (like embarrassed to have them!) and I was like, dude I wouldn't buy any other phone here. But already have one and showed him. Walked away.
    09-25-14 05:35 PM
  20. chalx's Avatar
    I was expecting much worse reviews. In general, I agree that qwerty keyboard and BBRY logo are not enough to declare phone as business powerhouse per se. Selection of business apps for BB10 is slim while its really large for iOS which declares iOS as powerful business platform. Passport cannot turn this situation because its software related.

    I like part in the verge's video review where reviewer is complaining about camera launch speed and when he pressed camera icon, camera app popped in millisecond.
    09-25-14 05:59 PM
  21. BigAl_BB9900's Avatar
    Not sure if anybody has posted this one yet (haven't seen it whilst browsing this evening on CB) - a pretty solid review from V3 BlackBerry Passport hands-on review - V3.co.uk Labs - a blog from V3.co.uk
    09-25-14 05:59 PM
  22. dguy123's Avatar
    ... i once watched with amusement an team of sales assistants in the shop totally fail to explain to a customer how to make a phone call on a Z10. .
    Good Lord in heaven! On the other platforms you have to go find the phone app... somewhere.
    On bb10 it's a fixture always in the same place.

    Yeah, I'd call them stupid. I shutter to think they couldn't figure this out even with assistance from the shop.

    You need to learn exactly one gesture! Both Android and ios have the same gesture btw.

    Basically, "swiping up" is too hard for people to remember. I hope none of these people drive a vehicle.


    Posted via CB10
    09-25-14 06:25 PM
  23. tonythecanuck's Avatar
    CNET gives Passport great review:

    http://www.cnet.com/products/blackberry-passport/

    Posted using my BlackBerry Z30.
    09-25-14 06:45 PM
  24. Toodeurep's Avatar
    While you're absolutely right that there is a learning curve to all OS's, I have to say that not all OS's are intuitive. When I migrated from BBOS to BB10, it was a brutal learning curve. When I migrated to iOS, it was exceedingly easy and highly intuitive. I think the assumption that the vast majority of consumers will take the time to learn an unintuitive OS is what doomed BB10. Many long time BB users I know who were in the market for a new device tried BB10 and opted to either maintain their BBOS devices or migrate towards iOS or Android devices (the vast majority migrated to iOS).

    I don't doubt that there is a segment of consumers that will have the patience and/or mindset to learn a new OS like BB10 but the vast majority will try it for an hour or two (if that) and give up. I tried it on both a Z10 and Q10 (both I bought out right without carrier subsidies) for several months and gave up.
    It sounds to me that BB10 did a good job of preparing you so that transition to iOS went pretty smooth, no?

    My bet would be that had you went from BBOS to iOS that would have been just as challenging as when you went from BBOS to BB10.

    So to BB10 THANKS!
    spikesolie likes this.
    09-25-14 07:39 PM
  25. Toodeurep's Avatar
    Not to mention that The Verge "adjusted" the score from 7.3 down to 6.2 because they didn't like that it scored higher.
    09-25-14 07:46 PM
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