Ex Z10 Users: What make you switch to the Passport?

I'm very, very tempted to go to the Passport when my Z10 contract expires in February 2015, for all the reasons mentioned above.

However if battery life is a problem for you on the Z10, buy the 4,500 Mah battery + cover that is available on eBay.uk and presumably elsewhere for a mere GBP 18.00. It adds a bit of weight and thickness (which I have quickly got used to and like) but the battery life is now phenomenal. In fact it is so good that I have bought a second battery, so I can now go for days without having to plug into a charger.

I'm going to chime in on this one, even though I have not bought my passport yet. It will be another month or so here in south america before it becomes available.

I jumped on the Z10 as soon as it was avaiable on my carrier. I had never seen a Z10 before in person and couldn't care less, I wanted to test RIM's next flagship NOW as I had before, the same way I'm going to do with the passport. Odds are that I will want to get mine so bad, that I will not even glance at the demo devices to test it when I go to the store.

Now some less fanatic comments:

I was genuinely mind blown with the Z10. The original O.S was a little bit rough around the edges, and still has its shortcomings, but it was truly the frist device which relied on gestures which are very clever, intuitive and really make sense. I have heard and read every conceivable complaint about BB 10 O.S from both BB owners and the rest ;), but have never come across a legitimate complain about the gesture system. I think that such breakthrough has been severely understated even by BB fans, but I beleive its because it was second nature after a day of regular use, and completely forgot that we were now interacting with our phones in a genuinely new and drastically different way than ever before. I own an iPad air, and keep constantly trying to open the hub or minimize an app via BB OS gestures, but even if the gestures where baked into iOS, it wouldn't make sense. The gestures are so carefully crafted and tailored around BB 10 OS, no 5 finger swipe nonsense, that the only mobile OS that deserves that name, Operating System, is BB10.

You can better define iOS and Android as runtime environments for the impressive amount of apps they offer, but that is how both, in their own way feel when I use either. Uber sophisticated and industrial design award worthy in some cases but they remain to be just a portable app drawer which also makes calls. There is not much operating system to be seen.

BB10 is a totally different ball game. Much of the user interaction happens with the stock system, through the UI, and with every new OS release you notice the direction in which the developers seem to be heading; an O.S where all wraps around every other thing that it should be wrapping around.

Messaging does not happen isolated within each app (bbm, whatsapp, email, sms, etc), but rather around the hub which is part of the core OS and it just makes much more sense. It eliminates part of the mess that comes with having to use 9 different UIs, when messaging happens in a rather scattered way like in iOS and in a lesser degree but also noticeable in Android devices.

Cloud access is still in its infancy within the BB OS environment, but it is already evident that they will try to lean towards the same philosophy as with the hub. Standardizing to the most sensible extent, the way in which the user handles the content regardless of whether it comes from Dropbox, onedrive, box and hopefully more are to come.

I can definitely sense a clear trend which I think is brilliant, by focusing on supporting the different flavors of email, messaging, storage, etc, and at the same time wrap the OS around every cluster of functions, so the experience is seamless and homogeneous, allowing for a swifter, faster, cleaner and more intuitive user experience by means of bringing together every service that power users like and need.

All that being said, at least in my book, earns BB 10 the genuine Operating System name tag and not just merely a polished runtime with the occasional widget (have yet to make my mind on whether widgets are utter gimmick bloatware or not).

I think BB 10 has yet to come a very long way before the users get to experience what I deduce is the developer's objective. Even at this stage, I will only tolerate BB 10 on my phone. If the unthinkable were to happen, odds are I will become permanently unreachable.... Forever.

So, the first reason I have is software related as I've stated. I want to be able to keep up with new OS releases (because if I have not made myself clear, I worship the ground on which BB10's lead developer's shadow gets casted upon) that will undoubtedly become more resource demanding, which brings me to my second reason.

The Z10 model sold here in Colombia is the STL100-1, which as time goes by, its becomes more evident that this variant's hardware is subpar when compared to the other STLs, specially on the graphics front. Every BB10 owner out there can now run the latest google maps without a hitch (some assembly required), except the STL100-1. So I want to upgrade my hardware and the passport is the next logical step.

Last but most definitely not least is the keyboard. I tried, really. I really tried to get the hang of this keys-on-a-screen-which-can't-be-felt-when-depressed voodoo. There is nothing like a physical keyboard, and then again, what better choice than the passport that sports such a clever multi role keyboard.

If you made it through my whole post, let me thank you. I haven't previewed it but I've been typing now for a while...

The Z10 battery life was always terrible...
That plus the higher specs, pretty much a no brainer (if you wanted all touch you would probably get a Z30 anyways)

Originally Posted by chw6922

I am also waiting for my order too, and currently a Z10 user for 1.5 years.

Reasons that I chose to go to passport

1. Unique form factor (hate to have phones that everyone has)

2. Ability to display medical images

3. Killer hardware specs

4. Trying out physical keyboard the first time


BlackBerry Z10 10.3.0.1154

What kind of medical images are you using it for? Is it the xray scans like the one demoed at launch? Are you in medical field? Thanks.

Using Passport and Z10

Originally Posted by Adif_70

I was a z10 user and now a proud owner of a passport. Must say once you get used to it's unique shape and keyboard it becomes one of the best tools and devices around. The screen is just gorgeous. The keyboard functionality is just amazing. Yes time is needed to learn it's features. Once you get past that break in period it's just smooth sailing from there. More accurate typing then on glass.

One thing I find interesting is that one handed use is best in left hand to get most from hub etc.

Pocketing is no issue at all.

Video play back is nice. Camera photo quality is very good compared the Z10.

I was initially concerned about the 1:1 ratio screen. Now I can't imagine using a narrow tall phone.



Posted via CB10

Have you tried the panoramic feature? It's very cool.

Using Passport and Z10

Originally Posted by chw6922

I am also waiting for my order too, and currently a Z10 user for 1.5 years.

Reasons that I chose to go to passport

1. Unique form factor (hate to have phones that everyone has)


BlackBerry Z10 10.3.0.1154

I really hope that you will be disappointed on this point... ;)

The battery and the touch hybrid keyboard were enough to get me away from my z10

Posted via CB10

KEYBOARD. There's nothing in this world I loved more than my 9900. :D Passport is like a hybrid between 9900 and Z10/30 that's -and it's on steroids, growth hormones, mirakuru.

Posted via CB10

The z10 was my first BlackBerry device after the iphone so this is my first physical keyboard phone. It was a solid device for almost 2 years but the passport bests it in every way with the screen, performance, battery, and sound. Wasn't sure about the square screen but now I think I prefer it.

The touch keyboard is what put it over the top. It's so cool along with being backlit as well.

Posted via CB10

I switched from my Z10 to a Passport for the keyboard mostly. I loved my Boles and I really never liked the touch screen keyboard. I had more errors in spelling even with being able to flick a word. Going to the Passport was like going home. It has been the easiest transition. Only problem I have is I keep pressing the Z for ALT.

The screen is great. Nice and clear. Bright colors.

Blend is what we have all been asking for. I love being able to get all my messages on my PC when I've left my BlackBerry in my purse. Wish this was in the original OS 10 when it first launched.

Sound quality is awesome. I hear conversations as clear as a bell. Music playing through the speakers is way better than the Z10.

If you're on the fence, step off to the Passport side. You'll love the new BlackBerry. It's different. It's powerful. It's easy to use.

As Lou Reed said....Take a walk on the wild side.

Posted via CB10

I work in automotive and with all the metal fillings I deal with on a daily basis my speakers met their match.

Hence my switch

In Squircle I Trust