[Inthethickofit]

I was eagerly anticipating the passport release, super excited for a full size keyboard with larger screen. It was sold out everywhere but i kept checking amazon and found a damaged box version for 549.00 and pulled the trigger.

Let me first say the build quality is very impressive and stands out from other phones. Build quality 8 out of 10

The apps are pretty good considering you can use most android offerings but not all. Bottom line is apps are 7 out of 10

Design of the phone is different to say the least. Its like a pop tart ...a really heavy one, in fact so heavy that the chances of your screen cracking are extremely highas i unfortunately experienced. Here is where it loses points in my book. This is not a one handed device and unfortunately it is an unbalanced ergonomic nightmare. I know that sounds harsh but here is why... The blackberry passport demands your attention like the kind of attention needed when mountain biking down a dirt hill. When you want to do anything its a two handed affair and the keys qalthough of solid build quality are too far apart. This makes texting actually slower then you would expect expect for a physical keyboard device. I gave the phone 4 days of heavy use and it is what it is. So the keyboard is a 6 out of 10.

Bonus points... The keyboard trackpad is really great and i am impressed but too big of a physical footprint. The ability to select text using the trackpad /keyboard is great.

The screen is very clear and crisp. The images look great but the aspect ratio takes some getting used to. I did like seeing more of documents but it was not a game changer.

Battery life was good but not amazing. It seemed to be about the same as the note 3 and lg g3. Lasted about a day of heavy use and by that i mean traveling in and out of good and bad cellphone reception areas, texting, watching youtube, gmail, making calls, using maps with gps and last but not least using exchange with active sync ...yep i am a business user. Oh and no removable battery is a let down. 7 out 10

The OS is good but not great its clever but not to the point of standing out and nor does stock android. As a side note ...I think the palm pre os was clever and stood out. For instance when looking at emails from gmail i cant control the spam that would normally be filtered. When navigating the Windows of the os it feels clunky and like i am constantly going through the front door to the to the kitchen when i just want to go straight to the kitchen. 7 out of 10

Over all a nice try but truth is the OS in my opinion needs to be fully compatible with android and in the form factor of the classic. Perhaps take some ques from the palm pre os.

To compare the passport to the note 3 is not easy because if the different shapes and use cases but in my opinion the note wins due to more compatible apps and more screen realestate. Also a removable battery does not hurt.

To compare the passport to the LG G3 is not hard at all. The LG G3 wins hands down and definitely beats the note 3 and even the 4. Here is why ...its clever in its design as it has buttons on the back that dont get pressed accidentally. Its light and yes its because its made of plastic but it feels really nice to hold in one hand although the screen is pretty large. The os is android but its LGs twist amd just enough of a twist to make a positive influence... Like two finger swipe up to go to the bottom and two down to go to the top of a web page or the way ot copies text to a clip board or dual windows with any app . the battery life is great and us also replacible. It is also a light and thin phone and fits nicely in a front pocket unlike the passport or note 3.

So all thay being said i wanted to love the passport but i did not. I am however very impressed with what Mr Chen has done so far and is headed in the right direction. He just needs to fully embrace the google ecosystem and make a phone with a slude out keyboard about the size of a s5 or lg g3 ... Just my thoughts. Let me know what you think about the passport vs android flagships.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[aha]

Apparently we disagree on BB10 vs Android.

Posted via CB10 with PassportSQW100-1/10.3.0.1418

[Tim Heard]

Spam control. That's one I hadn't thought of.

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...ssport-969818/

[mikedolo]

What phone did u have b4 the passport. At first I thought the keyboard was a fail. Now going into week 2. I love the phone. For some strange reason I can't put it down. 10.3.1 OS I find very impressive. Look at the bright side. Sell it on ebay or kijiji

[Inthethickofit]

I had the Note 3 just before it. Now i have the LG G3.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[gnasher666]

I have all of the devices the OP has mentioned and unsurprisingly they all have good and bad points. I would disagree about battery life on the G3, that didn't impress me like the G2 did.

I also don't understand everyone's issue with the Passport and not being able to use it one handed, I've nearly dropped a Note 2, Note 3 and everything larger than 5" when juggling with single hand use. It will be interesting to review that view point in a years time when everyone is used to the bigger iphones. Let's be a little cynical here, we aren't meant to multitask and maybe the popularity of larger phones will have a positive knock-on effect on people not using them while driving.




Posted via CB10

[cvendra]

Like two finger swipe up to go to the bottom and two down to go to the top of a web page

Since when two finger swipe become easier than pressing T on keyboard for one handed use?



Passport, SQW 100-1, 10.3.0.1154

[Dave Bourque]

I've made the suggestion to BlackBerry that two finger swipes are not optimal. Left corner swipe should be touch keyboard pop out for full touch and bottom right and it top right should being down the OS settings. (similar to PlayBook)

Posted via CB10

[CKennedy]

Sounds like you were quite biased towards your G3 before you even got the passport therefore i find it hard to believe the passport ever even had a chance

Enjoy your G3 and we'll all enjoy our passports!

Posted via CB10

[cespinal]

I have all of the devices the OP has mentioned and unsurprisingly they all have good and bad points. I would disagree about battery life on the G3, that didn't impress me like the G2 did.

I also don't understand everyone's issue with the Passport and not being able to use it one handed, I've nearly dropped a Note 2, Note 3 and everything larger than 5" when juggling with single hand use. It will be interesting to review that view point in a years time when everyone is used to the bigger iphones. Let's be a little cynical here, we aren't meant to multitask and maybe the popularity of larger phones will have a positive knock-on effect on people not using them while driving.




Posted via CB10

Agreed. The number of people I see on their phones while driving is appalling.

Posted via CB10

[dgreatez]

LG and clever in the same sentence...Ok

Posted with my amazing Z10

[dirtnapper75]

I gave the phone 4 days of heavy use and it is what it is.

To be fair, I don't think 4 days is enough time. It took me several weeks to fully appreciate everything BB10 has to offer. If you give it some more time, you may find that your opinion will change.

[Dave Bourque]

4 Days. Lol

Posted via CB10

[-Puck-]

Stopped reading at keyboard 6 out of 10.

Clearly not a device for you if you do more one handed twitter posts full of abbreviations while holding a coffee then actual emailing and writing.

[mikedolo]

Yea im coming from a z30 to the passport. It took me sometime to get used to the Z30 with all the swiping. I think anybody coming from a different platform would hate the OS swiping style at first. After sometime the phone grows on u.

[mikedolo]

Agreed. When i first got a z10 i wanted to throw the phone. Then after sometime never looked backed at my android. Got a z30 after and now the passport. Blackberry sucked me into the vortex. Smh

[atjgr]

Took me half a day to appreciate.

Best phone for professionals period.

Physical keyboard with touch added = op for anyone with competence.


Aslo for males females getting up in years, specially older males 45+ hands, fingers get bigger it's honestly a godsend for them once they realize what they can do on a passport compared to an iPhone or even just plain full touch g3.

Passport<all atm.

Posted via CB10

[rawat_sandip]

U seems a hard core android fan. BB10 is as efficient as android in its own way. To me Passport is a very very premium device & it rocks all the way!!

Posted by stylish Passport

[SeanSolo]

It's not for everyone.

But as a former LGG3 user I one million percent disagree about battery life. It's horrid and in no way comparable to the PP.

Posted via Passport~!

[Frosty_Power]

"this was good, but not amazing, this was good but not amazing, this was good but not amazing", this is all I read. I know the PP is not perfect but can you tell me what is amazing(and not just good) about the other devices you compared it to? Example, you mentioned the LG "the battery life is great" but also mention the PP "Battery life was good but not amazing. It seemed to be about the same as the note 3 and lg g3" and give it a "7 out 10".

[gokulesh]

Stopped reading at "battery life is good but not amazing".

Posted via CB10

[chw6922]

I don't agree with OP's opinion about one handed use on the passport. When they introduced passport, they did clearly mention that the phone was never intended for one handed use. The phone has a physical keyboard, and you can't expect to use it with one hand on such a large device. There are plenty of other phones which you can operate with one hand, you should have bought those instead of passport.

It's like someone who just got their learner's license and drives a ferrari, and claims that the car is disappointing because of xyz.

BlackBerry has clearly made their points to target a very specific group of users, and if you think you are one of them, please do not complain. It's a free market, you choose what fits the best of your needs.



BlackBerry Z10 10.3.0.1154

[olee2222]

I'm using the passport for a couple of weeks now.

I totally agree with your experience reported in the review!

[donnation]

Stopped reading at "battery life is good but not amazing".

Posted via CB10

The battery life is good, but its not some new standard for batteries of the future. The battery is good because its massive, but its not miles ahead of other phones that have much smaller batteries.

[linuxman1]

You cant review the passport if your not a business or power user, it's not a consumer device?

Posted via CB10