[Mounir Habib]

So I've had the Z10 for about 10 days now here in the UAE... I don't have a day by day account of my experience with the phone but I'd like to share some of my experiences with you....

First off I have to say that I really like the phone... I've owned the S3, the 9900 and the iPhone 5 (I ran 2 phones simultaneously for a while). The Z10 does not have the S3's camera thats for sure, but then again both the iPhone and the S3 wouldnt last me half a day, even with very little use.

Battery life is one of the most important features for me, I don't care if the phone can last 48 hours, but I very much care about lasting me from the morning till I go to bed. The Z10 has definitely outperformed the iPhone 5 and the S3, and to finally have that on a "best of both worlds phone" where I can have BB functions with a full browsing capability is a huge plus.

Apps:
The apps on Blackberry World here in the UAE so far are useless. I have not downloaded a single app. I'm waiting for whatsapp, Skype, and a couple of others but I'm confident they'll be coming soon (I hope)

Contacts and Calendars:
Since my main account is a gmail account, I simply put my sim in the new Z10, set up my accounts, and all my contacts and calendars synced automatically... I didn't need to do a device switch with a PC at all.

Dropbox:
Dropbox came built in on the phone, I had no issues setting it up but I'd like it to have a password protect feature. When I hit "settings" in dropbox it doesn't really do anything. I'm assuming this is a bug and an update will be released for it soon

Reception/Coverage:
My main concern here in the UAE is reception. My phone drops reception here and I experienced this with the iPhone a lot. This especially happens when I lose reception in an elevator for example, then it simply does not reconnect back to the network, forcing me to switch off the mobile network and reconnect. I did not have this issue on the 9900.

Wifi:
Wifi also seems to be buggy here. Whenever I'm on wifi, I MAY get my bbm messages, I may not. But again, I don't really think this is a physical phone issue. I know the carriers here (Etisalat and Du) limit the blackberry functions on wifi which is absolutely ********. If anyone can weigh in on this issue and the reception issue I would appreciate it. Which brings me to my next issue.

Blackberry Voice/Video:
A friend of mine and I tried it out on wifi here in the UAE. When we are on separate wifi networks it has so far NEVER worked (Expected since Etisalat and Du block this function). So we let it go.... however, the 2nd day we had the phones we noticed that when we were on the same wifi network we were able to use the video function and screen share function. So far all my testing has shown that the reason is because we are on the same wifi network. If anyone can weigh in on this as well I'd appreciate it.

Keyboard:
The keyboard has been the best keyboard I've used so far compared to the S3 and iPhone.... its easy to type and the word predictions are great.

Profiles:
The lack of customisable profiles was a shock for me. It was one of the best features of previous blackberries. My phone was constantly set on vibrate and in my pocket, and I could always tell if I was getting a call or a bbm or email or text message by the different vibration patterns I set for them. So far you cannot do this on the Z10 and its very annoying. Even more annoying, is the fact that if BBM messages are audible, there is no option to silence only the group messages, forcing me to silence all bbm messages. This is definitely something that needs to be addressed in future updates and I'm sure Blackberry will address it in their next update.

Swiping gestures:
At first, the gestures took getting used to. The hub gesture (swipe up and right) at first seemed unnatural, but with time you get used to it and it becomes 2nd nature. You cannot enter or "peak" at the hub from the lock screen. BB should provide that option in their next update for those who want to use it.
Like I said, it needs some getting used to, at some points you have to think where you are in the hub and whether you need to just swipe left or swipe up and right etc.... but with time, it becomes second nature.

Speaking of the Hub, for some reason my sent emails do not appear in the Hub. I tried the "show sent messages". When I send an email it goes to the Hub then a few seconds later disappears into one of 4 "Sent messages" folders (Why there are 4 I dont know....). If anyone has experienced this or found a solution, please let me know.

Overall:
Overall I give the phone a 7/10. But not all of the 3 missing points are blackberry's fault.
The reception issue is a puzzler, just like it was with the iPhone and it happens in places where the 9900 has absolutely no issue. I feel its a carrier issue but it is my most frustrating gripe since I love the phone and want it to be functional all the time without having to think "Am I getting my emails and messages or not".... theres a lot of play in the network, H+ to E to 3G and sometimes even to gsm.

The inability to use BBM Voice/Video, again a carrier issue that is ******** and hoping for a work around/solution.

then the last point is lost for all other issues, I'm only deducting one point for it because Im sure BB will address the profiles issue and developers will soon release apps for the phone etc... and confident that Blackberry themselves are now in tune with their customers and their needs and gripes.

Overall I recommend the phone and will be happy to answer anyones questions.

M.

[alan510]

Good post and some excellent observations. I agree with you with regard to notifications as there doesn't seem to be the same level of customizable settings as in previous BBs. I have been able to set some different ones in settings and while they are not tremendously varied, I find they compliment the "peek" into the hub. Actually I prefer the "peek" and it's become second nature to take that look when I receive something.

[DatMisterB]

Glad you like it, I expect the reception of BB 10 worldwide to be decent at the very least hence making it impossible for businesses to ignore it.

[jdhooghe]

Glad you like your new phone!

[divakar]

Hi Mounir,

Greetings to you . I am amazed that your the only person who has been using the BB Z10 ,has said that the battery life is lasting from morning till you go to bed ( i assume thats atleast 12hrs if not less).And even more perplexed that its outperforming the iphone 5 and s3 coz every other review i have read and articles from analysts suggest that its otherwise.
Let me tell u i am long BB loyalist and anxiously waiting to own a BBZ 10. In my old BB 7 devices the only way i have saved battery life is when i switch to 2g network but that makes Web browsing very slow unless i am on wifi . However i do like the unbaised nature of your post. Good.

Gautham from Srilanka 2A99170B

[Hamad Alnajjar]

First of all thanks for opening the topic for UAE Z10 launch

am pretty satisfied with the fone so far , new experience from BB and it makes it interesting

as for battery am not sure about what you said coz as a heavy user my battery gets drained within hours " probably for 5 hours " but i dont mind coz 70% of my day i spend it at office and i can easily charge it

Apps:
as u said there is not much to download so far from Blackberry world but as for whatsapp i have it working with me but there are some bugs in it until the official release from whatsapp themselves but for me its doing the job coz i dont use it that much, but for the Skype i havent got the chance to work on it to see if it actually works or not

Reception/Coverage:
this has nothing to do with the network providers ( Etisalat or Du ) this is related to the fone itself , but instead of restarting you can simply switch off the mobile network and on again which will make you get it up back again

Blackberry Voice/Video & WIFI :

i cant share alot of info regarding this issue , but just to be clear this is not from the carriers itself is from the regulator ( TRA ) for security matters
but there is some testing going on that it might be allowed for users to enable it soon if it goes well

and for the WIFI mine is working fine as i never had an issue connecting to get ( BBM msgs - emails )

Keyboard:
yes its amazing how intelligent the keyboard is to predict the words that ur trying to type

[Mounir Habib]

Thanks for your replies guys.

Definitely the battery is performing better than the S3 and iPhone, running 3G consistently....HOWEVER, my reception issue is draining the battery, even then, the battery lasts all day...

but again, this reception issue is uncanny... it is very annoying....sometimes I think I need to replace my SIM card, but genuinely doubt that is the issue. I'm hoping someone has experienced this issue and found out what the problem is.... it is my main issue so much so that sometimes I just want to go back to the 9900. but I actually really like the Z10 so its unlikely I do that...

[Mounir Habib]

Hamad I just saw your reply.

Are you experiencing the network issue as well? I know that I can just switch off the network, but are you experiencing it as well?

M.

[Mounir Habib]

Sorry for the multiple posts, regarding the battery Hamad, I am also a very heavy user, always playing with the phone in one way or the other CONSTANTLY...however it still lasts me the whole day... I suggest one or 2 battery pulls to calibrate the phone and an overnight charge.... Lemme know if it works out for you

M.

[aha]

I believe OP's experience on battery life. Most of the reviews out there measures battery life under the condition when the phone is on LTE, which burns way more power than 3G, while OP was on 3G.

[jayjahed]

Hi Mounir.
Yeah they have blocked BB over Wifi for a while. But for some reason, my 9900 has been working over wifi for many months now. I am on a Du premier plan.
As for the reception issue, I have faced this with all my blackberries, including 9900, on both Etisalat and Du. I am forced to turn off the mobile network and turn it back on at least once every day. I think this is an issue with the BB network in the region (have the same problem when I roam in KSA, Qatar and Lebanon). This issue kills me, specially when I would be waiting for an email or response, or trying to send an urgent file while out of office for example.

Question for Hamad: how are you using whatsapp? Are you side loading the android version or something?

[Maik M]

Hello Mounir, I'm using the BB Z10 on Etisalat's Unlimited package. Are you on the same or do you have a 1GB Data Package on it ? What I experienced is, when I switch on Wifi and connect to it everything is fine but sometimes after 10 or sometimes after 1 hour I loose my BB symbol and BBM stops working, so I'm not on BIS service anymore. You have same experience ? General I love the phone and I know Blackberry will bring updates to make the handling smoother and better.

[angad7.10]

I'm using the BB Z10 on Etisalat's Unlimited package. What I experienced is, when I switch on Wifi and connect to it everything is fine but sometimes after 10 or sometimes after 1 hour I loose my BB symbol and BBM stops working, so I'm not on BIS service anymore. You have same experience ?

I've been experiencing the same problem over the last few days, after a call for example, it wont reconnect so i have to switch off mobile network and put it on again...

[nmonbb]

I experienced the problem with BBM not working when z10 was connected to the wifi. I spoke to Axiom and they said BBM will NOT work with the wifi on. I am on DU. My BBM stops working as soon as i swtich on the wifi and starts working as soon as the wifi is swtiched off. Funny thing is BBM works on wifi when the sim is taken out! Axiom guy said its to do with the UAE policies...the phone is 'locked' once the sim is put in and BBM will work only thru the data plan.

[amirmeliani]

Hello from another UAE BB10 user...

Ok so from my experience and I have read tons of posts on here..

The reason your getting reception issues is related to the radio version of the device.. i ran 10.0.10.281 for sometime and found that their radio version fixes a lot of reception issues, however I reverted back to 10.0.9.2372 because there were some comments saying that 10.281 was an older build... but anyway our Carriers coverage is abysmal when it comes to 3G.. If u want an example.. keep the phone on 3G and sit in a place where u know the coverage is excellent and ull see minimal battery drain.. it's funny since most countries are moving towards faster and faster speeds while we seem to stand idle here in the most technologically advanced country in the middle east (based on my opinion).. not to mention that BBRY releasing the Z10STL100-1 (which lacks LTE support all together) is a complete joke.

For the BIS connection drops, I have heard two versions, the first being its a carrier issue with how they are setting up BIS servers on the backend which means they are mostly trying things on a trial and error basis (I was at axiom and I heard the guy saying that Etisalat will be implementing a fix for that by today (I would give it a little more time to be honest)). The second thing I heard on the forum is that this is a known BB10 issue which will be addressed in an update which is coming in a week or two..

Other than that the phone is great to be honest, now if developers would stop dragging their feet and push out apps faster (and yes I have emailed, tweeted and face booked these developers) it would become an absolutely amazing phone, and I wouldn't go to the Q10 imo... i love the screen real estate on this thing.

Cheers

Posted via CB10

[bebold99]

Happy with your z10!

[karanveer]

I've been able to use my BlackBerry voice and video by configuring one of my routers as a VPN router.


All you need is to install ddwrt on a second router and add a VPN profile to it and your set.




Posted via CB10

[UAETechs]

Dear Mounir

Thanks a lot for sharing with us you great experience with the Z10

I am from UAE and using the Z10 since 11th of Feb

Am so satisfied with my device and everything about it

I just have a question for all

Guys : I am having unlimited plan from Etisalat which is 185 plan

Whenever I turn my device to 2G network I lose all Internet connection like I don't have any plan at all !!!

My question do you guys have the same issue or its just me?

Regards

Posted via CB10

[jiminabottle]

I'm on a 1GB plan on du. I can use either 2G or 3G network, no issues. You definitely should talk to Etisalat to figure out what the problem is.

[nmonbb]

I'm on a 1GB plan on du. I can use either 2G or 3G network, no issues. You definitely should talk to Etisalat to figure out what the problem is.

I have the same plan...does your BBM work when the wifi is on? Also do you notice large data used up? 3rd question...does the video chat work over wifi?

[Alzaeem_502]

What's up yall,

I hope everyone is doing well. Quick question,I live in Saudi Arabia and am thinking of purchasing the z10, however,I was wondering if bbm, email, etc would work over wifi. I don't intend on using the z10 as the primary device so I wont be inserting a sim card. With that being said, I would like to know if I will be receiving bbm, data through wifi only (wifi, hotspot, etc).

I would really appreciate it if someone, with true knowledge of the situation, can help me out.

Thanks in advance my fellow addicts!

God Bless,

Alzaeem

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[jiminabottle]

I have the same plan...does your BBM work when the wifi is on? Also do you notice large data used up? 3rd question...does the video chat work over wifi?

BBM works over WiFi, for the most part. I noticed the BB icon next to the WiFi signal strength icon disappears sometimes, which means connection to BlackBerry servers that BBM needs gets lost sometimes. What I do is turn off WiFi for a few seconds until the BB sign is back, and then I turn it back on. This can be a bit of a hassle as sometimes you don't watch your phone and your BBM messages don't come in until you switch the WiFi off. I'm given to understand that this is a UAE-specific problem because of what du and Etisalat do to disable the Voice/Video functions of BBM.

Data wise, I feel it uses up more data than the iPhone 4S (would only use less than 500MB on it in a month) or the Android device that I had (close to 700MB on this one), and if I don't monitor usage I sure would exceed the 1GB allowance. But since I'm almost always connected to WiFi, I don't have to worry. It's been a week and I've used up 0.15GB (that should be a little below 200MB) and I'm always on WiFi. Definitely something that would worry the heavy users who don't have any WiFi coverage around most of the time.

I haven't tried video chat on WiFi, I read somewhere that it does work if both devices are connected to the same network, but what's the point of using it if you're close enough to just talk face to face LOL. I've been able to make BBM Voice work at times without WiFi, but that was probably just luck.

[nmonbb]

BBM works over WiFi, for the most part. I noticed the BB icon next to the WiFi signal strength icon disappears sometimes, which means connection to BlackBerry servers that BBM needs gets lost sometimes. What I do is turn off WiFi for a few seconds until the BB sign is back, and then I turn it back on. This can be a bit of a hassle as sometimes you don't watch your phone and your BBM messages don't come in until you switch the WiFi off. I'm given to understand that this is a UAE-specific problem because of what du and Etisalat do to disable the Voice/Video functions of BBM.

Data wise, I feel it uses up more data than the iPhone 4S (would only use less than 500MB on it in a month) or the Android device that I had (close to 700MB on this one), and if I don't monitor usage I sure would exceed the 1GB allowance. But since I'm almost always connected to WiFi, I don't have to worry. It's been a week and I've used up 0.15GB (that should be a little below 200MB) and I'm always on WiFi. Definitely something that would worry the heavy users who don't have any WiFi coverage around most of the time.

I haven't tried video chat on WiFi, I read somewhere that it does work if both devices are connected to the same network, but what's the point of using it if you're close enough to just talk face to face LOL. I've been able to make BBM Voice work at times without WiFi, but that was probably just luck.

You are lucky if your bbm works over wifi...mine just stops working the moment wifi is on. I have to keep it switched off all the time for bbm to work. Does the phone use wifi over data plan automatically for downloads, browsing, etc if the wifi is on? I am also noticing huge usage of data even when all i am doing is exchanging msgs on bbm or checking fb once in a while on the phone.

[Oscar_E]

Some of your issues are carriers fault, I'm in Latin America and my carrier is CLARO, i have 4G and my 9900 it's pretty fast in everything, even browsing. in battery life, i have to charge it constantly, even 3 times a day !! but I'm use to it, i Carrie a charger, have the car charger and a wireless charger also !! i don't mind having to charge my phone over and over, cause i just love the way everything is so fast and easy to do with this phone.

[Fahar02]

the battery life it's so good , for full day+
15 BBM contact's , GMail , Hotmail, Facebook, Twitter , youtube and normal use
do the configuring for voice, Brightness, sync, Bluetooth and time-off and you'll be fine

am etisalat user for the full plan 185 , and the service it's sh**** , i do many complain and they do nothing and just they close my case.
my brothers have du with full palne 2Gb and the time up fore lane it's excellent, but they can't do the hotspot thing's coz limited GB ,

i like my new z10 for many reason's , and i can say it's the best phone i get ever (:

now i wanna check with you, if i get un-locale software for Z10 ( from internet ) from ather region and use it for my Z10 !! the BBM video will work on my device !!!