The Q10 Experiment: Using a BlackBerry Q10 for 30 Days
(Follow the BBM Channel! C0048FA9D)
I just wrapped up A Bold Experiment: Using a BlackBerry Bold 9930 - in 2014 - for 30 Days.
Early on in that experiment, I became so impressed with the Bold's physical keyboard that I set out to try to obtain a Q10 and see how I liked the device compared to the Bold and also to my Z30. I also received encouragement from fellow CrackBerry members to do a similar experiment with a Q10 and document it like I had with the Bold.
Thanks to yet another pleasant transaction via the CrackBerry Marketplace, I now have a Q10 in hand and I am ready to embark on a new 30 day experiment!
When the Q10 was first announced, I was fascinated. I was curious. My only experience with a physical QWERTY BlackBerry before then was with a Curve 8530, which I had used as my daily driver for several months at one point. I remembered the satisfying clickety-clack of the Curve's keys as I belted out huge swaths of text in rapid fashion.
Last November, when I had an opportunity to get a new phone, I was torn between the 3 BB10 offerings at Verizon. Should I go with the Z10, Q10, or Z30? I tinkered with the Z10 and Q10 display models and I couldn't make up my mind. Should I go with the Z10 and do without BlackBerry's amazing physical keyboard? Should I go for the Q10 and lose some screen real-estate?
Then I asked the Verizon rep if they had a Z30 I could try out. They did have a display model in the store, but they didn't have it actually on display (go figure). I waited patiently as the rep went in a back room and returned with the Z30. I played with it for about 30 seconds and said "I want this". I haven't regretted it since! The Z30 is, without question, the best smartphone I have ever owned.
However, I am always very curious about technology and love to try different things (regardless of brand or platform). I have always wondered if I was missing out on something by not trying a Q10 for an extended period of time.
As I said, my recent experience with the Bold 9930 renewed my curiosity about the Q10, and I just had to try it.
And now that opportunity has arrived!
I will try to post about my experience each day during the first week, then every other day (or as needed) for the remainder of the 30 days.
I welcome your comments, questions, feedback, and participation.
Let the experiment begin!
Day 1 - Setup
Day 2 - On The Road
Day 3 - The Hub
Day 4 - Selecting and Editing Text
Day 5 - Home Screen and Active Frames
Day 6 - Selecting and Editing Text, The Movie
Day 7 - Apps, Part 1
Day 9 - Q10 vs Z30 Look and Feel
Day 11 - Scratched Screen
Day 13 - Apps, Part 2
Day 15 - I Miss My Z30, And Other Reasons Why I'm Ending This Experiment Early
1 Attachment(s)
The Q10 Experiment: Day 1 - Setup
The Q10 Experiment: Day 1 - Setup
Attachment 268964
Activation
I really like Verizon's web-based chat service. I used it to deactivate my Z30 and activate my Bold 9930 for my Bold Experiment, and then a couple days ago I used it to deactivate my Bold and reactivate my Z30. Both times the rep I chatted with did exactly what I needed in a timely fashion.
Although I reactivated the Z30, my SIM card is swappable with the Q10. All I did was turn of the Q10, insert the SIM, and turn it on. It recognized it just fine and I quickly had a 4G LTE signal.
Unlike the Bold 9930, there was not a special number I had to call to complete activation of the phone, nor were there extra apps showing up on my home screen after activation.
Setup
Setting up the Q10 itself was quite easy. The setup wizard guides you through each step. I had to choose a language, connect to WiFi (because I hadn't inserted the SIM yet), and sign in with my BlackBerry ID. There is also a little tutorial that walks you through the gestures and how to navigate around the OS.
I then proceeded to connect to my preferred email and social media accounts. The process for each was quite simple, and it was easy to customize the level of Hub integration and kinds of notifications I wanted.
I then opened BlackBerry World and updated several of the apps that ship with the Q10. These include (but are not limited to):
- Facebook
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Foursquare
- Adobe Reader
- BlackBerry Messenger
- Evernote
Then, I installed more apps!
Apps
First, I downloaded some preferred apps from BlackBerry world. It was easy to do, as I had already downloaded them on my Z30 and they were all listed in the "Available" tab under My World >> My Apps & Games. Here they are:
- Apollo
- BeWeather 10 Pro
- CB10
- Nobex
- Scan to Text
- Skype
- StarTracker
- Stocks for BlackBerry 10
- The Weather Channel
- Tilt
- Angry Birds Seasons
- Angry Birds Star Wars
- Bad Piggies
- Bejeweled 2
- Brick Breaker Bold
- Despicable Me: Minion Rush
- Kiwi Wonder
- UNO
There are others in my "Available" list, but these are the ones I downloaded starting out on my Q10.
Thanks to Verizon devices (finally) having upgraded to version 10.2.1 of BB10, it's easy to install Android APKs with just a couple of taps. So next, I downloaded and installed the Amazon Appstore. Here are the Android apps I installed:
- Candy Crush
- Feedly
- Gospel Library
- LDS Hymns with Notes
- LDS Tools
- Mormon Channel
- Netflix
- Zillow
Again, there were more I could have installed but these were the ones I wanted to try first.
Some First Impressions
One of my concerns about the Q10 was the screen size and resolution. I didn't know how it would handle certain apps - if I would be scrolling a lot or if the apps would seem "scrunched" trying to fit everything on the screen. With a few exceptions, I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use apps and generally navigate around.
I have to be careful when using certain apps, especially those that require scrolling, because I seem to frequently touch the bottom edge of the screen when I'm swiping up and it causes the app to exit to the Active Frames screen. This happens sometimes on my Z30 and is a minor annoyance I've come to accept with using a BB10 device!
I've also found myself instinctively trying to use a trackpad or back button to do certain things, then remembering they don't exist! I've got to retrain my muscle memory from using that Bold for 30 days!
Another concern of mine was the overall look and feel of the Q10 compared to the Bold 9900/9930. For some reason, I've always thought the Q10 looks a bit cheaper than the Bold. The brushed steel band and chrome accents on the Bold just look awesome, to me. The Q10 has a more subdued look to it. Now that I've had a chance to actually use the Q10 for a day and look at it inside and out, I'm feeling a lot better about it. One thing I love about the look of the Q10 is that when you see it - even from a cross a room - you know it's a BlackBerry. That iconic keyboard is a dead giveaway. With my Z30, most people don't even realize it's a BlackBerry and think it's one of the bajillion brands of Android floating around out there. I'll talk about the look and feel of the Q10 in more detail in a future post.
It's interesting having gone from a Bold 9930 to a Z30 to a Q10 in the span of 3 days. The Z30 just seemed HUGE compared to the Bold (not that I'm complaining), so the Q10 actually feels really comfortable and more of what I've been used to. So far, I'm enjoying the Q10!
