[CharlieV]

I have to admit that though I have always been a fan of BB hardware I have been on the fence about the software since BB10 could not run a couple critical work apps (because they were for newer versions of Android, or they required google services and that hack would temporarily break, or whatever), but I remain a fan and one of the things I have always loved about BB phones and hated about the reviews is that there alwas seems to be another feature, anther nuance, that has been thoughtfully added by some engineer at BB who remembers the original mission (communications-getting-things-done) for me to discover (and, correspondingly, hate reviewers for even more). Most reviews of the Priv say: here are the specs, here is the scren, here is the battery, here is the cramped keyboard (which is as large or larger than all previous generations of keyboards that were deemed the best on the planet), etc.

So, you may already know this, but I discovered a couple of neat features on the Priv that I want to share concerning the keyboard.

First, you can use google now search instead of BB device search by typing on the keyboard. I like device search but for some reason there is a noticeable lag that garbles my search terms when I start typing. I don't expect it to work as well as it does on the Passport, but having to backspace and type again really defeats the purpose. Google now is a little faster. So here is how you make the switch. Long press on a blank spot on the home screen, select the settings gear, then typing action. This is where I discovered the even better feature, below. Change it to "do nothing"--this may be unnecessary, but it is how I did it.

Then go to Android settings, apps, device search, click on open by default, then clear deafaults. Go back to home screen settings, change the radio button to start a search, then close to the home screen and touch a key on the keyboard. You can then select Google instead of Device Search as the default (do it twice... on the second try you can click "always" and it is permanent).

Google is still a little laggy, but less so.

Second, and better, if you go back to the home screen settings and put the radio on select "use a short-press keyboard shortcut" than HOT DAMN you get two actions for every key--both long and short. I really like that!!! If you didn't know that already then when you try it out, reading all of my typos will have been worthwhile.

Anyway, I may be the last person to discover these but I had to share.

Best,

Charlie V

[CharlieV]

Oh, and another one I really like but, again, am probably the last to know: when using the PKB to type, just swipe down on it for symbols, or swipe down twice for symbols or numbers. Except for basic punctuation (hitting the alt key) that's my go to for symbols and numbers. Another swipe from the bottom screen (the ones with numbers, on the VKP) makes is disappear.