[RicanMedic78]

I went to a Verizon store yesterday and wanted to post a fast first impressions, good and bad.

Store and advertising: Completely nonexistent. Not one sign or anything to grab your attention to the Q10. For a device launch week, I was very surprised. The big sign at the store was for the Mototola M which has been out since last year! Epic fail!

Hardware: Look, feel, size, Keyboard is amazing! It does taking getting used to coming from an Android device. The "click" might actually make typing a bit slower for some because of the constant pressing down on a button verse just tapping softly on a glass. So don't expect to necessarily type faster than you do on a touch screen. It appears that my typing speed may not change much, as I use swiftkey on Android and have never had any complaints. I do however feel that accuracy will be greatly improved with a keyboard again. Also, there's something about a keyboard that makes you feel confident in typing something long, verses a touch screen keyboard.

Overall, this device feels like a quality product overall! It feels as close to iphone quality as you can get from my first impression. I was a bit surprised how thin it actually was. The glass weave looks so much better in person. The screen is crisp and clear. I also find the black version to look far better than the white, surprisingly. But also, as I expected, I think Blackberry made a critical mistake (maybe not critical lol) in using white boarders around the white device. It definitely makes the screen appear smaller. But hey, nothing can be done now.

OS: I had very limited time with the OS for obvious reasons, but it felt smooth and made a lot of sense, especially with the hub. One thing that was awkward however was getting used to the fact that there is no way to just hit any sort of back button while inside apps. To actually close any app, it appears that you have to swipe up, have it fall into the active run screen, and then X it out. I guess that makes it 2 steps to close. Not a deal breaker but definitely awkward. As far as all the menues, I have not delved into it deeply to see what works and what doesn't.

Apps: App limitation hurts badly! I can see already that it can be a problem. No banking apps, travel and mapping apps are limited, little media and no big names like netflix, hulu, hbo go, cnn, or dedicated youtube app. Also, with video, although very clear, it is VERY small! Not a deal breaker for me, but I must say, it is SMALL! Don't open the popcorn and lay back in enjoyment. This thing is not meant for movies. Only mobile web youtube at best! For me, that's sort of fine. In the end, it's kind of the trade off we all expected. And philosophically speaking, I don't think watching a movie on a 5in device makes any sense either. In the end, a movie requires a television in my view. Even a tablet is awkward for me! But hey, I understand if people feel different.

In the end, this is just an impression from a totally objective observer with only 15 minutes with the device. I guess I wanted to contribute and help those who are deciding on the Q10 as well. It's a hit in my view, especially for business. As for the regular folks, I think it will appeals to the typer/messenger type, but not necessarily the masses who have grown to love the new media evolution.

[koool1]

Most banks have mobile sites and the BlackBerry browser is solid. Glad to hear you like.

Posted via CB10

[koool1]

P.S. You can HDMI out to a TV if you want to watch video.

Posted via CB10

[RicanMedic78]

There's always a workaround for almost anything. In the end, it doesn't eliminate the limitations, especially when the masses are deciding on what device to get. For me, it will work. I'm still at a cross roads with this or the iphone 5 or 5s. I personally believe my messaging capabilities will improve with this device. And astedically speaking, this phone is beautiful (I think there's an inner psychy that revolves around beautiful electronics lol). However, one has to ask, is messaging so much worse on an iPhone that you're going to limit those media capabilities just for the benefit of a slightly better messaging experience? That's a very personal question for each person to think about. Ecosystem wise, BlackBerry is not as rock solid as Apple, both app and accessories wise. But my personal impression however is that BlackBerry is here to stay if they stay on this track. So that gives me some confidence that it will only improve with time.