[Tim Heard]

Some of these things will hopefully come along with OS upgrades:

Data management - meaning the ability to restrict an app from using data or accessing the Internet unless the phone is using wi-fi.
Battery management tools: For example, a setting which would allow the monitor to automatically adjust to the brightness of the room, or to not check emails when the battery drops below a certain percentage. (Windows phones offer something called "battery saver" mode.)

A keyboard with symbols included and a slightly wider space bar. I *still* can't wrap my head around why BlackBerry refused to include symbols on the keys, other than to try to force the adoption and acceptance of the virtual keyboard. ... To me, it would have been better to offer both options.

Virtual numbers laid out differently, and in general, larger keys on the virtual keyboard.

There are other things I think that would be nice, but I think these elements in some cases are no-brainers that should have already been included, and all would have bumped the phone from good phone to a very good phone.

I do think this is a very creative/innovative phone that has a lot going for it, but these missing elements detract (in my mind) from the overall quality of the phone.

[arvind1983]

Yes, Native Spam filter is required.

[matt0135]

your battery saving concern should be solved with 10.3.1 but ive adjusted and gotten used to the rest of the things you mentioned, the space bar included ( to my surprise)

Posted on my snappy new passport!!

[MrGlenn]

They didn't print the symbols on the keys, because every language on the OS gets its own layout for symbols, with specific changes. Would have cost too much to make so many localised versions.
And if I recall correctly the Arabic versions have for example Arabic printed on them instead of symbols.

10.3.1 brings a battery saving mode (not necessarily with those options) and native apps have the option to use only WiFi but this is a developer choice, not OS wide.

You hardly need to press on screen, holding @123-key allows you to type symbols using the keyboard. Larger symbol keys seems couterproductive to me, now they are lined up to look identical to the physical keys.
Numbers show up in a 1 row layout where much needed, otherwise the layout is identical to other OS versions except for the 0.
Learn to use the @123-key as your new Alt key, that's what it does. The location of the symbols is easily learned.

BlackBerry 10 signed @ C0007CC89

[talal55]

Full glass screen and stylus would be nice.

Posted via CB10

[Tim Heard]

C'mon MrGlenn, given that every QWERTY device ever made before this has included symbols as well as letters, that's hardly a valid argument. Check out images of the Q10 and the Dell Venue Pro, for example.
Swapping to a new print layout, depending on where a batch of phones are headed should not be a major expense, in the grand scheme of things.

They didn't print the symbols on the keys, because every language on the OS gets its own layout for symbols, with specific changes. Would have cost too much to make so many localised versions.
And if I recall correctly the Arabic versions have for example Arabic printed on them instead of symbols.

BlackBerry 10 signed @ C0007CC89

[vpblaze]

.

You hardly need to press on screen, holding @123-key allows you to type symbols using the keyboard. Larger symbol keys seems couterproductive to me, now they are lined up to look identical to the physical keys.
Numbers show up in a 1 row layout where much needed, otherwise the layout is identical to other OS versions except for the 0.
Learn to use the @123-key as your new Alt key, that's what it does. The location of the symbols is easily learned.

BlackBerry 10 signed @ C0007CC89

I did not know how to do this. Thanks buds!
This just saved me some time.

Sent from my Passport using Tapatalk

[cbvinh]

C'mon MrGlenn, given that every QWERTY device ever made before this has included symbols as well as letters, that's hardly a valid argument. Check out images of the Q10 and the Dell Venue Pro, for example.
Swapping to a new print layout, depending on where a batch of phones are headed should not be a major expense, in the grand scheme of things.

The argument would be that BlackBerry no longer sells in the volumes they used to. The phone business has become a high volume, low margin game, according to Chen. Are BlackBerry's highly coveted by large volumes of people, like with Apple? Or are they competing along with everyone else, Androids, Windows Phone and iOS? In the grand scheme of things, saving on a per unit basis saves on the volume order and improves margins, which BlackBerry needs to keep producing devices.

[Thunderbuck]

Haven't we had a lot of threads already criticizing the Passport for what it doesn't have?

That said, OP raises some reasonable points, especially about data control, though I'd say that's more a BB10 issue than a Passport-specific one.

As for the Passport's keyboard, I am very pleased with it in general. I agree with the suggestion to make the virtual keys larger, though, and perhaps make that vkb element transparent.

[Tim Heard]

It's possible that there were threads discussing what the Passport was lacking, and I missed them. From my perspective, what I have seen is people gushing about how much they *love* the new phone. I thought I was offering a bit of balance.
You're right that, aside from the keyboard issues, a lot of what I mentioned can be remedied with OS improvements. However, it seemed to make sense to list them here, since the OS and the new phone are very much bound together with one another, and the Passport is an introduction (or reintroduction) of BlackBerry phones to many users. Myself included. It seems kind of pointless to discuss some elements of the Passport here, and not mention the obvious OS-related things that impact one's user experience.

Haven't we had a lot of threads already criticizing the Passport for what it doesn't have?

That said, OP raises some reasonable points, especially about data control, though I'd say that's more a BB10 issue than a Passport-specific one.

As for the Passport's keyboard, I am very pleased with it in general. I agree with the suggestion to make the virtual keys larger, though, and perhaps make that vkb element transparent.

[Thunderbuck]

See, I contend that the Passport's keyboard is really a new input method entirely, and shouldn't be compared to traditional BB keyboards. I'd actually consider it to be much closer in concept to the virtual keyboards of the Z10 and Z30. It might sound counterintuitive to replace a virtual keyboard with physical keys, but if you take the Passport on its own terms and use it for a couple of days it proves pretty effective.

[Andy Wijaya]

Sorry. Maybe it's not only on Passport, but it would be convenient if we have a good browser with a native ad block!

[Edijs Benoit]

i agree

[Tim Heard]

I actually agree with you on this point. It's as if BlackBerry is either trying to reach out to people who have left the brand, and are now accustomed to using virtual keyboards, or is trying to steer people who prefer physical keyboards in the direction of virtual keyboards.

I have actually used it now for several weeks, and still can't stand the keyboard. Let me be clear that I understand that some people love it, and I'm not discounting their opinions. However, what I have been patiently waiting for BlackBerry to produce was a large-screened phone with a good physical keyboard. What we have is a large screened phone that isn't really all that good for viewing web pages, since it lacks a landscape view, and a hybrid keyboard.

Sadly, it also seems that BlackBerry has no plans to release anything remotely close to what I've been hoping for. The Classic is still stuck with a relatively small screen, and that new phone that appears to be in the works (with the hidden keyboard) looks like it will be using some variant of the Passport keyboard.

I keep looking back at the Dell Venue Pro, which I gave up for the Passport, and I wonder why BlackBerry couldn't produce something as simple and functional as it.

See, I contend that the Passport's keyboard is really a new input method entirely, and shouldn't be compared to traditional BB keyboards. I'd actually consider it to be much closer in concept to the virtual keyboards of the Z10 and Z30. It might sound counterintuitive to replace a virtual keyboard with physical keys, but if you take the Passport on its own terms and use it for a couple of days it proves pretty effective.

[cbvinh]

I keep looking back at the Dell Venue Pro, which I gave up for the Passport, and I wonder why BlackBerry couldn't produce something as simple and functional as it.

Why did you give up on the Dell Venue Pro?

[Bluenoser63]

Some of these things will hopefully come along with OS upgrades:

Data management - meaning the ability to restrict an app from using data or accessing the Internet unless the phone is using wi-fi.

That should be programmed at the app level, not the OS level. You will have a lot of apps frozen that require the internet.

[NtotheK]

What we have is a large screened phone that isn't really all that good for viewing web pages, since it lacks a landscape view,

Browsing with the Passport is amazing. Much better than any other mobile i've used.

Posted via CB10

[MobileMadness002]

Yes, Native Spam filter is required.

Ability to access the email provider account spam filter more like it. There is no direct way to send to a BB device now as there is no bb.net mail account.

[Tim Heard]

It could be an app permissions command. There are plenty of ways it could be set up.
It makes much more sense though to handle it at the OS level. You can't go back to every developer and expect them to agree to add this function.

That should be programmed at the app level, not the OS level. You will have a lot of apps frozen that require the internet.

[Chad Elbandagji]

**** it this device is perfect. Perfect!!!! I am a lifelong android user, always the flagship devices, note 2 and 3, HTC one and iPhone 6. This thing is beast.

Posted via CB10

[bspence87]

I did not know how to do this. Thanks buds!
This just saved me some time.

Sent from my Passport using Tapatalk

Neither did I. I did know that swiping down on the keyboard allows you to do the same thing though

Posted via CB10

[bspence87]

your battery saving concern should be solved with 10.3.1 but ive adjusted and gotten used to the rest of the things you mentioned, the space bar included ( to my surprise)

Posted on my snappy new passport!!

I'm pretty sure 10.3 already auto-adjusts brightness... cover to the left of the BlackBerry logo with your thumb. Wait five seconds and let off...

Posted via CB10

[Tim Heard]

The phone is over 3 years old. Battery issues, among other things. Just overall performance. It's an old phone, running on an old Windows phone OS. (7.1)

Why did you give up on the Dell Venue Pro?

[olee2222]

They didn't print the symbols on the keys, because every language on the OS gets its own layout for symbols, with specific changes. Would have cost too much to make so many localised versions.
And if I recall correctly the Arabic versions have for example Arabic printed on them instead of symbols.

BlackBerry 10 signed @ C0007CC89

Nokia made localized keyboard versions of many of its phone, Nokia N97, N97 mini, E63, E71, E72, E6... it was even possible to buy a phone in one country, and go to another and have the keyboard changed to a new language.

BB doesn't want to do it, cost or whatever reasons... I miss the accented characters a lot. Typing them through long press and tapping is a nightmare.