1. surgeon1919's Avatar
    1) You can change the color and size of the font but you are right about not being able to change the font type.

    2) You can change your signature in the email settings. You can even copy paste one in if you feel like it.

    3) I'm not sure about message grouping. I've never tried it on my phone or with my outlook at work (I have my work account setup with active sync).

    I agree BlackBerry World needs more options for businesses.

    Posted via CB10
    02-08-15 12:31 AM
  2. mgmueller's Avatar
    1) You can change the color and size of the font but you are right about not being able to change the font type.

    2) You can change your signature in the email settings. You can even copy paste one in if you feel like it.

    3) I'm not sure about message grouping. I've never tried it on my phone or with my outlook at work (I have my work account setup with active sync).

    I agree BlackBerry World needs more options for businesses.

    Posted via CB10
    I can copy/paste the signature I use in Outlook.
    But the format gets lost and the hyperlinks "intelligence" as well.
    Many might say: What's the problem?

    Brief anecdote: One of my colleagues' projects got terminated by the client. My college had been sending one of those emails, obviously generated on a mobile device. The client than stated "this isn't productive and I don't want a consultant that inefficient".
    Nitpicky, but I partially agree: A corporate email should look the same, no matter how and where generated.

    Imagine, one would send a consultancy email about standardisation, certificates and the likes and each of the 5 emails to that topic looks different...

    And more and more email signatures contain buttons to the LinkedIn profile, to job openings and the likes. Or company logos. Or...

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    02-08-15 12:54 AM
  3. eyesopen1111's Avatar
    Where did I write anything even remotely like that.
    I merely stated my personal demands and my personal frustration.

    And I did compare to iPhone explicitly not as some kind of benchmark. Quite the contrary: I (again: Personally and subjectively) consider iPhone absolutely unsuitable for business and that's what it makes so frustrating, that iPhone in so many areas is able to compete and in some area even outshines Passport.


    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    OP, have you considered trying the iPhone 6 or 6+? With all you said about the iPhone 4/4s, it is quite old at this point, and the new, bigger screens are easier to type on.
    02-08-15 12:58 AM
  4. rockstar0816's Avatar
    Hello, I am using the Passport as my only business device for about a month now.

    The past years I have been switching between iPhones and the Samsung Note-Series mainly. Never used BlackBerry before.

    Right now I am executive partner in two companies, and partner in a third one. All emails, files, cloud drives of all companies are syncing on my Passport.

    For me, the switch to BlackBerry didn't result in the often mentioned 'paradigm shift' as how I do get business things done on my mobile device.

    It is more like a small to medium evolution, more like a few helpful additions that make my day easier. I use and love the hub a lot, my keyboard is full of contact shortcuts, and I am more open to write long mails now as my typo rate has reduced dramatically thanks to the hardware keyboard. I love the square screen as I read a lot of A4-sized PDFs and papers on the device. These are a pain to read on rectangle screen: by rotating the screen you have to either deal with too small fonts, or massive scrolling activity.

    Battery life really is sufficient (never managed to get the device below 20%). On some of these days the Passport is the only device I use, mainly when I am travelling. No wifi, no laptop. Just emails, calls, browsing and reading PDFs all day. My days on the device start at 6am and can go until 11pm.

    I used to completely drain a Samsung Note 3 on heavy days, never achieved a dead battery on the Passport so far.

    I understand that besides these useful improvements, some things might be better on other devices (e.g. the mentioned font formatting). But right now, the Passport with BlackBerry OS fits my needs best.

    The difference for me from a business perspective compared to Android and iOS isn't too dramatic. Still, BlackBerry has enough advantages to keep me happy with my choice.

    Best,
    Andy

    Posted via CB10
    02-08-15 02:03 AM
  5. Dhaval Patel7's Avatar
    Yes Ugly design
    02-08-15 02:13 AM
  6. mgmueller's Avatar
    OP, have you considered trying the iPhone 6 or 6+? With all you said about the iPhone 4/4s, it is quite old at this point, and the new, bigger screens are easier to type on.
    That's my problem: I don't like, typing lengthy emails on touchscreen, especially on the train or in a cab on bumpy roads.
    And iOS can't solve most of my problems either, i.e. fonts or signatures.
    I've tried: I even added a click-on bluetooth keyboard to iPhone 4S. It did work, but no comparison to Passport.
    Re. keyboard and predictions, Passport is fantastic. And I love, how it automatically switches between languages - a feature I've always missed on iPhone.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    Skyforever and hlg8888 like this.
    02-08-15 03:01 AM
  7. Dmessenger's Avatar
    I've got my Passport since end of September.
    I was really enthusiastic about it.
    But now, after I've actually used it for business needs, basically only 3 things are left:
    a.) I love the keyboard and the fantastic predictions.
    b.) I love the over all design and the display.
    c.) I'm still, since my very first BlackBerry in 2004, a huge fan of the LED.

    But:
    If I compare to my dumb iPhone 4S, which I found ridiculous for business, Passport unfortunately even can do less:
    1.) I can't change fonts in emails, I can't add a "professional" signature with company logo and such.
    Not better than iPhone 4S.
    2.) In one of my Exchange accounts, grouping by conversation doesn't work.
    I find this essential, often enough I need the email trail.
    It probably is my account, probably not sticking to some conventions.
    Anyway, grouping on iPhone 4S, Lumia 920 and Surface Pro 3, to name only a few, is working just fine with the very same settings.

    And:
    There are lots of great ideas.
    But most of them only in theory are useful, in daily business most of them fail.
    For example, Link in the meantime really annoys me. I've got, for whatever reason, 3 orphaned PCs listed in the file explorer.
    Why can't I simply access my BlackBerry ID and manually delete these orphans?
    And remote access is hit and miss.

    I could go on forever, but to summarize:
    I've had the 64GB PlayBook from the very beginning (still have it, but only rarely use it anymore) and see lots of similarities to my PassPort:
    From a hardware and design perspective, I love them both.
    Both have an enormous app gap.
    Yes, of course I have Snap and Google Play on my PassPort. But I find it a compromise at best. Performance isn't really great and frankly I don't want to bother with Google Play Services and such. And when I use Taskmaster, I find surprisingly many Android Apps running in the background, which certainly is one explanation for the sometimes not so great performance and battery life. I'm envious, when I see some claiming battery durations of 30 hours. I only can imagine, those are mainly standby values. When I'm using my PassPort for business, battery life is about the same as on my iPhone 4S before: I barely make it through the day. That�s maybe 6 hours of average constant use (calls and mails mostly).
    So, given the app gap, I mostly would use my PassPort for 2 core tasks: Mails and calls.
    For calls it's flawless, way better reception and speech quality than iPhone 4S.
    But for eMails, I probably have to get back to my 8" Windows 8 tablets (Dell Venue 8 Pro and Lenovo ThinkPad 8) with Outlook.

    Meaning:
    I'm surprised and disappointed about the limited business capabilities. And I see lots of flaws and issues.

    BTW:
    I've tried most leaks.
    They add some great features and show, what BB10 could be.
    Configuring the LED is fantastic and this feature alone blows iPhone out of the water.
    Still: I'll give it a few more tries, but I'm starting to loose patience and my enthusiasm already has declined drastically...

    Do you really find it outstanding for common business tasks?
    I am with OP for most of his points. Passport is an awesome phone with a splendid screen quality and innovative thoughtfully designed keyboard which I love. Passport is my daily driver and like OP I use it purely for the business.

    Email formatting capabilities should be enhanced big time. Font colour options and adding bullets is not enough.

    Company signature is a must, else how can passport as a business phone replace laptops?

    In a nutshell if BlackBerry is positioning passport as a powerful business phone for business power users it should support business and its should mean business. Aside lot of business apps should be available for passport which will make work easier and simpler.


    Sent from Passport
    02-08-15 04:30 AM
  8. Lee Hayes's Avatar
    I've got my Passport since end of September.
    I was really enthusiastic about it.
    But now, after I've actually used it for business needs, basically only 3 things are left:
    a.) I love the keyboard and the fantastic predictions.
    b.) I love the over all design and the display.
    c.) I'm still, since my very first BlackBerry in 2004, a huge fan of the LED.

    But:
    If I compare to my dumb iPhone 4S, which I found ridiculous for business, Passport unfortunately even can do less:
    1.) I can't change fonts in emails, I can't add a "professional" signature with company logo and such.
    Not better than iPhone 4S.
    2.) In one of my Exchange accounts, grouping by conversation doesn't work.
    I find this essential, often enough I need the email trail.
    It probably is my account, probably not sticking to some conventions.
    Anyway, grouping on iPhone 4S, Lumia 920 and Surface Pro 3, to name only a few, is working just fine with the very same settings.

    And:
    There are lots of great ideas.
    But most of them only in theory are useful, in daily business most of them fail.
    For example, Link in the meantime really annoys me. I've got, for whatever reason, 3 orphaned PCs listed in the file explorer.
    Why can't I simply access my BlackBerry ID and manually delete these orphans?
    And remote access is hit and miss.

    I could go on forever, but to summarize:
    I've had the 64GB PlayBook from the very beginning (still have it, but only rarely use it anymore) and see lots of similarities to my PassPort:
    From a hardware and design perspective, I love them both.
    Both have an enormous app gap.
    Yes, of course I have Snap and Google Play on my PassPort. But I find it a compromise at best. Performance isn't really great and frankly I don't want to bother with Google Play Services and such. And when I use Taskmaster, I find surprisingly many Android Apps running in the background, which certainly is one explanation for the sometimes not so great performance and battery life. I'm envious, when I see some claiming battery durations of 30 hours. I only can imagine, those are mainly standby values. When I'm using my PassPort for business, battery life is about the same as on my iPhone 4S before: I barely make it through the day. That�s maybe 6 hours of average constant use (calls and mails mostly).
    So, given the app gap, I mostly would use my PassPort for 2 core tasks: Mails and calls.
    For calls it's flawless, way better reception and speech quality than iPhone 4S.
    But for eMails, I probably have to get back to my 8" Windows 8 tablets (Dell Venue 8 Pro and Lenovo ThinkPad 8) with Outlook.

    Meaning:
    I'm surprised and disappointed about the limited business capabilities. And I see lots of flaws and issues.

    BTW:
    I've tried most leaks.
    They add some great features and show, what BB10 could be.
    Configuring the LED is fantastic and this feature alone blows iPhone out of the water.
    Still: I'll give it a few more tries, but I'm starting to loose patience and my enthusiasm already has declined drastically...

    Do you really find it outstanding for common business tasks?
    I do not agree with anything you have said here. Just for example if your using email for business then you would normally use an exchange account or a email client server so that when you send an email it would then attach your email signature and company logo with the email if you set it up to do so.

    Just on that issue you clearly don't understand what you are doing and just trying to pick fault for your own lack of understanding.

    Remember it's a smart phone emphasis on "smart phone" not a PC!

    Using leaks is what people do because they want the latest releases before they are tested and thus if you do you run high risks and void your warranty etc. Also with regards to apps the core apps on a Blackberry are designed to work in business applications but like any app from any source if you don't understand it and take the risk of using it but it's not what you personally want it to do then you must do more research or simply keep your business use simple.

    Using the PlayBook with the Passport or any BlackBerry can be likened to extending a large portable screen extension for your phone and most straight forward apps like docs to go etc will work o en the PlayBook.

    I could go on and on but I think the disappointment for you is in reality it's a smart phone not a PC acting as a phone hence the functionality is not the same. Even on windows phone you still need exchange or an email client server to achieve the same use and unification etc but it's still a smartphone.

    Blackberry's are geared for more professional and communications as an extended tool or an on the go device. Apps are tools some more integrated than others but it's how you integrate them, and a lot of them are pointless and a few really are useful and that goes across any platform.

    I think you need a surface pro 3 and use a phone as a phone then you will be achieving what you want?!?!




    Posted via CB10
    wincyUt and chrispmoto like this.
    02-08-15 05:13 AM
  9. PeterC4's Avatar
    Reading email and changing the size of the fonts dynamically is one the best features of the 10 series phones including your passport. Expand the email you have received with your fingers in the spreading motion. You will see that it expands the size of the fonts to whatever you want and dynamically re-adjusts the text so it FITS in your window. This works with a word document as well. As to the Font itself, you can adjust to italics and Bold. Learn how to use it and you will see it has great business functionality. Try freeze frames on excel spread sheets for instance. As to ordering emails you can always order them in the "subject, name" order. Go to your Hub, Settings, Display and Actions, Display Order. But there is something I'm not sure is clear. When an email subject is responded to prefaced by Re: in the subject line, the thread of the email is preserved - it is when I use it.

    As to the App Gap, I really don't find it a problem from a business perspective at all. Word, Excel and Power Point all seem to be very workable in the Passport environment and easy to read because of screen size. Drop Box works fine, and battery life is excellent. What Apps cause you the most angst?
    Last edited by PeterC4; 02-08-15 at 06:48 AM.
    02-08-15 06:22 AM
  10. Viet Ton's Avatar
    Well, you must go for whatever suits your needs. BlackBerry10 is a young system so you must expect imperfection. This is not the Passport's fault.

    Posted via CB10
    wincyUt and anon5989741 like this.
    02-08-15 06:31 AM
  11. Tracey S1's Avatar
    I think the person who started this forgot to mention about the missing portable desk. May be the coffee maker as well.
    This is a phone and a portable computer to get you through the day when you not at your desk.
    Mine does everything I need and stopped me from using my laptop when I'm at home. Gee there's no pleasing for some people. Lol

    Posted via CB10
    02-08-15 06:41 AM
  12. PeterC4's Avatar
    I do not agree with anything you have said here. Just for example if your using email for business then you would normally use an exchange account or a email client server so that when you send an email it would then attach your email signature and company logo with the email if you set it up to do so.
    Posted via CB10
    Good point, along with the standard disclaimers around confidentiality etc. that are automatically appended to an email.
    02-08-15 06:52 AM
  13. mgmueller's Avatar
    ...Just on that issue you clearly don't understand what you are doing and just trying to pick fault for your own lack of understanding...

    Posted via CB10
    My business needs seem to be a bit more complex than yours.
    For instance, I'm working in 4 legal entities. For client A it might be Entity 1, for client B entity 2. But, depending on the project, next time for Client A it might be entity 2 or 3.
    An automated standard procedure via Exchange server won't solve this at all.
    Maybe that's to complex a task for a phone and I have to stick to one of my Windows 8 tablets for that.
    But like I wrote: Other, way more simple tasks, like grouping emails, do work on other platforms like iPhone or Windows Phone. It probably is our server's "fault", most likely not following some Exchange regulatories. Anyway, the very same settings work on (at least) 3 other platforms as intended.
    iPhone capable of something, that my Passport can't deliver out of the box? I find this frustrating...

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    02-08-15 06:54 AM
  14. mgmueller's Avatar
    Good point, along with the standard disclaimers around confidentiality etc. that are automatically appended to an email.
    See my response below: 4 legal entities = 4 different signatures. No automated standard process via Exchange server.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    02-08-15 06:57 AM
  15. mgmueller's Avatar
    I think the person who started this forgot to mention about the missing portable desk. May be the coffee maker as well.
    This is a phone and a portable computer to get you through the day when you not at your desk.
    Mine does everything I need and stopped me from using my laptop when I'm at home. Gee there's no pleasing for some people. Lol

    Posted via CB10
    Again: Just as an example, I absolutely need to group emails by conversation. I need to be able to follow the email trail at a glance. It works for all my accounts except one Exchange server. It's probably this server's fault, but still this very same server works with iPhone, Windows Phone and Windows 8 (not Outlook on Windows, but the standard Windows apps).

    The email signatures only work on Windows 8 tablets. But one of the reasons to go for Passport was the hope, to solve at least the majority of problems I've had before on iPhone.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    02-08-15 07:02 AM
  16. mgmueller's Avatar
    Well, you must go for whatever suits your needs. BlackBerry10 is a young system so you must expect imperfection. This is not the Passport's fault.

    Posted via CB10
    That's all I'm saying.
    I never claimed, my personal assessment would be of universal validity.
    All I'm saying: Passport, for my individual business needs, over all doesn't solve many of my problems I had before on iPhone and in some rare occasions even produces new problems.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    02-08-15 07:06 AM
  17. wincyUt's Avatar
    OP, BlackBerry's switch to "business" focus is new and a gradual process. It's rather unrealistic to think that the Passport by itself will be sufficient to satisfy one's business needs. As a matter of fact, I don't believe there is any single phone out there, at this moment, that can accomplish such feat.

    I occasionally use a tablet or desk top to supplement whatever is lacking for my business use and that should be expected. With time, I believe the BB10 OS will get more robust and be a better business tool.

    ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT ROME WAS BUILT IN A DAY
    02-08-15 07:07 AM
  18. mgmueller's Avatar
    ...Just on that issue you clearly don't understand what you are doing and just trying to pick fault for your own lack of understanding...

    Posted via CB10
    BTW: I don't want to develop some special understanding for Passport about Exchange functionalities.
    When platforms like iPhone or Windows phone -both platforms I wouldn't consider business tools- can do it (grouping the emails, for example) out of the box, at least I'd hope for the very same on Passport.
    And: Yes, grouping by conversations is activated, since it's working flawlessly on all other accounts.
    Without grouping, it's almost impossible to follow an email trail on a small screen. There aren't many flags to set. It's either working or not. And, of my dozens of tablets and handful of smartphones, unfortunately the one that's supposed to be my core business tool doesn't deliver it.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    02-08-15 07:14 AM
  19. nyallj's Avatar
    See my response below: 4 legal entities = 4 different signatures. No automated standard process via Exchange server.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    Either you've got lazy IT staff, or you aren't doing them justice. There's no reason they can't modify multiple Exchange transport rules to handle multiple signatures for your 'Entity' case(s). Then you don't need to be worrying about what your signature looks like when you send an email.

    Posted from my S5 Piece of sh...Passport on Valentine's Day!!!!
    02-08-15 07:21 AM
  20. eyesopen1111's Avatar
    That's my problem: I don't like, typing lengthy emails on touchscreen, especially on the train or in a cab on bumpy roads.
    And iOS can't solve most of my problems either, i.e. fonts or signatures.
    I've tried: I even added a click-on bluetooth keyboard to iPhone 4S. It did work, but no comparison to Passport.
    Re. keyboard and predictions, Passport is fantastic. And I love, how it automatically switches between languages - a feature I've always missed on iPhone.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    Crackberry is a strange place to have this conversation, but I still think that modern iOS can solve most of the issues you've raised. With respect to the multiple language input, you could use the SwiftKey keyboard app, which has this feature as it is the same company that did the BlackBerry 10 virtual keyboard (and its great prediction engine).

    You can also get the font support you want with Bytefont, a Cydia app. This would require a jailbreak, but that's no more difficult than putting a leaked OS on a BB10 device. Endless choices there and I've never had a problem related to jailbreaking an iPhone.

    I'm not sure about physical keyboards you could use, because I don't use them (Z30 and iPhone 6+ for me), but I've seen some options out there.

    Good luck, OP!
    02-08-15 08:24 AM
  21. GLTruesdale's Avatar
    I feel you 1000%. When I first got my passport I still popped my sim card into my iPhone on the weekends. As time went by I became fully dependent on the Berry.

    Blackberry is just a different way these days...we can't compare it to the iPhone and Android because it's different. Different in a good way, but I feel your gripes. From a work standpoint you get more done on a Bbry..i challenge anyone to say they get just as much work done and WANT to get their work done on an iPhone compared to the Blackberry. I have an iPhone 6 plus that feels like a toy compared to the Passport. Yes the apps are there, but I waste lots of time on iOS fiddling than actually getting work done.

    You sound like you night wanna pair an iPad with your Passport.

    Posted via CB10
    02-08-15 08:53 AM
  22. PeterC4's Avatar
    My business needs seem to be a bit more complex than yours.
    For instance, I'm working in 4 legal entities. For client A it might be Entity 1, for client B entity 2. But, depending on the project, next time for Client A it might be entity 2 or 3.
    An automated standard procedure via Exchange server won't solve this at all.
    Maybe that's to complex a task for a phone and I have to stick to one of my Windows 8 tablets for that.
    But like I wrote: Other, way more simple tasks, like grouping emails, do work on other platforms like iPhone or Windows Phone. It probably is our server's "fault", most likely not following some Exchange regulatories. Anyway, the very same settings work on (at least) 3 other platforms as intended.
    iPhone capable of something, that my Passport can't deliver out of the box? I find this frustrating...

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    Whoa, now that is quite an elaborate set up. Set up different email accounts for each legal entity if the requirements are separate and secure. The Hub would handle those accounts perfectly. How about that? Can't do it that easily on an iPhone.
    02-08-15 09:31 AM
  23. PeterC4's Avatar
    What is the app gap you are referring to? What are you trying to do?
    02-08-15 09:43 AM
  24. jeffawa's Avatar
    The OP has a right to their opinion and to be able to put that opinion forward. I have been a Blackberry user since the 957 and have use both BES and BIS in the past. I am on my 3rd BB10 device (Z10, Z30 and Passport). I love my Passport, but I also have concerns that BB10 is not developing business features fast enough.
    1. Font options and better visual controls for signatures should have been available by now.
    2. BB10 is geared more towards Exchange than Google Apps for Work. I work in 2 businesses that using Google Apps for Work. In the old BBOS I could apply labels and archive in gmail. In BB10 after 2 years I have very limited Google Apps services (Email, Calendar and Contacts). I understand the limitations that Google puts on being able to integrate into Google services, but I do expect that Blackberry should either find a solution with Google or develop a work around (RIM had to develop their own work around for Microsoft products when they got started).
    3. Link is lacking in backup and restore functionality. I load most leaked OS's onto my phones. Restoring has always lead to issues and the restore options are very limited. On the old DTM and BBOS we had the ability to restore a larger number of settings. Personally I would like to be able to restore browser bookmarks, shortcuts, speed dial, call logs, etc individually. Ideally I would like to backup all settings using my BBID to a secure online service and download when I wish.
    4. Blend is beautiful and one of the best new features BB10. It will improve over time and I expect that in the future it will be my primary method access to my email and PIM services on a laptop or tablet.
    The business persons tool of choice is moving from the desktop/laptop to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. But users expect that the services and user experience they had on the desktop/laptop will be available them on the mobile device of their choice. I chose blackberry and now I am looking to Blackberry to enhance my user experience.
    This is not a complaint....it is MY opinion.
    Tracey S1 likes this.
    02-08-15 10:31 AM
  25. mgmueller's Avatar
    Whoa, now that is quite an elaborate set up. Set up different email accounts for each legal entity if the requirements are separate and secure. The Hub would handle those accounts perfectly. How about that? Can't do it that easily on an iPhone.
    I probably have to elaborate:
    We're offering end-to-end services re. "Human Capital": Interims Management, Coaching, Recruitment, ...

    If client A purely needs Coaching, this would be solvable.
    But what if contact 1 in client A needs other services than contact 2 in the very same client? Easiest way: In Outlook I manually add 1 of 4 signatures.

    Well, I admit, this may be too complicated and unique a task.

    So, next example:
    Client 1 last week may have been talking about Coaching, but this week about Interims Management.
    Can you imagine the pain, finding my way through the emails without automatically grouping?
    I don't know, why grouping by conversation doesn't work for this specific Exchange account. All I can tell: When trying the very same setting on 3 relatively "primitive" systems, it's been working out of the box.

    Posted via CB10 on Passport from Germany
    Last edited by mgmueller; 02-08-15 at 10:53 AM.
    02-08-15 10:33 AM
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