[RoverSpitfire]

So a quick update...

It's been a week now and I'm still going through bouts of withdrawal. I swapped my SIM card back into the iPhone 4S and immediately everything was back to the way it was. Everything syncs: iCloud, iTunes, media libraries, backups, everything. I can also watch and listen to any of my content. Playlists are there. DRM videos from iTunes are watchable. All the apps that I've missed are ready and waiting. All of the web pages I visit render properly. (Seriously, Google Finance is the simplest web page on earth, why can't the Z10 do this?) The top bar tells me what % remaining I have on the battery without going into an app.

But then there's the Z10. It's like a forlorn puppy with no SIM card, valiantly connecting to wifi and eagerly trying to please me. The gesture based interface is beguiling. The keyboard is a giant luxury. There's BeWeather, the most beautiful and elegant weather forecast app I've ever seen (and not available in iOS). A file manager that lets you access files directly, and you know, actually do something with them!

But then there are the Z10's problems.
* Why oh why won't you connect to iCloud Calendars? You do for some, you don't for others. You are so fickle!
* Copying files is dead dog slow.
* BlackBerry Link is just terrible: endless Communication Failure and Backup Failed messages. I would try wireless, but it seems there you are fickle again, sometimes connecting, sometimes not, even when I connect the SMB protocol in Finder.
* Many apps in BB10 are stripped down versions of their iOS counterparts: Facebook, Flixster, Twitter to name a few.
* Why do I have to tap, tap, and tap again sometimes to enter a data field? Why do you favour the next button and not let me just tap on the field. Again, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.
* Why is there no 'next message' button when you are viewing a message? Why do I have to go back to the Hub? (Though I like the Hub.)

Argh! The issues are so frustrating. Especially because the interface is so stellar, so much fun to use. iOS is still stale and stodgy in comparison. But I need my phone to work. I use it hard, all day every day, it has to be a dependable partner for me. And so far the Z10 is like the Vicky Mendoza Diagonal (for fans of How I Met Your Mother). It jumps around on the crazy-hot scale.

BlackBerry 10 is a brilliant first attempt. For anyone not already deeply embedded in iOS (and possibly Android), I wouldn't hesitate to go to a Z10. In fact, I would actually recommend it. It's a terrific design with some signs of brilliance. But if you are used to the rock solid robustness of the iOS platform, and you are deep in the ecosystem, it's a harder sell. BlackBerry has to stay on top of resolving these issues. Some of it is quite understandable: you've got limited time and resources, so as the deadline approaches, lower priority scope has to get cut (data meter). But some things are a bit embarrassing. Did BB even test BlackBerry Link on a Mac before they released it? I've tried it on several and it doesn't work on any of them. Seriously?

So the jury is still out. The iPhone 5 is calling to me. I'm going to be in Cupertino on the weekend and I can grab an unlocked 5 from the home of Apple. (Or I can get one here before I go and use a T-Mobile unlimited pre-paid for $60 while I'm down there. The Z10 doesn't do data well on T-Mobile due to the frequency configuration of Canadian models. AT&T pre-paid is limited to 1GB and is $65. Plus the cost of unlocking the Z10.) Or I could switch back to old faithful, my 4S.

I've been providing a lot of information to Waterloo tech support on the issues I've been having (system logs from my Z10, and the Macs), and they seem sincere in trying to resolve the problems. If they could get the iCloud calendar sync and the BB Link software working, I'd definitely keep using the Z10. It's just SO FUN to use.

[nyplaya610]

This thread has been the most informative thread I've ever read by far. Thanks for the updates and information. Too bad BB10 is still faulty even though it was delayed for one year. Hope it gets fixed by the time it comes to the US. I don't blame you for leaving...

[vharjono]

Great read, thanks to you OP!

I'm not an Apple user, but I can imagine just how painful the transition must be for you.

I will definitely save this thread to show to any of my friends considering switching from iOS to BB10.

[RoverSpitfire]

This thread has been the most informative thread I've ever read by far. Thanks for the updates and information. Too bad BB10 is still faulty even though it was delayed for one year. Hope it gets fixed by the time it comes to the US. I don't blame you for leaving...

Not gone! I'm keeping the Z10. I'm inclined to go back to the 4S for now because it uses the same size SIM card as the Z10. That way I can keep checking in with the Z10 and when/if BB gets some of these issues resolved, I can make the switch full time. There's nothing here that can't be fixed with software updates. The apps will come in time, I think the Z10 is good enough to prove a viable platform. The only thing I will always face as an obstacle is the DRM media.

[dbollman423]

Thank you for taking the time to do a thoughtful comparison.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[dbmalloy]

I have been following your post with great interest.... first I admire your percevirence..... as for the drm issue...I am working on the assumption you are talking about downloaded media versus streaming......why do you just covert them from mp4v to standard MP4.... there are many conversion programs available for both Mac and PC???? Many have batch processing features so jjust que and go to bed....

[austriker]

So a quick update...
(Or I can get one here before I go and use a T-Mobile unlimited pre-paid for $60 while I'm down there. The Z10 doesn't do data well on T-Mobile due to the frequency configuration of Canadian models.

I'm sorry I haven't had the time to read all the pages but have found your info quite good. One particular inquiry would be, could you elaborate on the canadian z10 and tmobile? I'm on tmobile prepaid as well, and have been dying to get one from up north. But seems all the carriers bands and z10 model numbers are alphabet soup. I may have missed it but quite canadian z10 did you get? Model number and carrier?
And what do you mean "doesn't do data well"

Any advice for an american dying for a z1o would be swell.. thanks!

[duckJAI]

Seems to me that at least the core of BB10 is successful. It is a brand new platform and with it, has some bugs and errors that need attention.

As you mentioned, for someone so deep into the iOS ecosystem I was impressed that you held on this long and didn't complain like a few other posters. I believe the 10.1 update will fix a good amount of problems and hopefully by the time it launches in the US, 10.2 will be in the works and ready for release.

I'm excited, and I'm waiting for the bugs to be fixed before I make the jump.

[smkied]

This post is amazing! I'm actually in a very similar boat switching from 4S to the Z10 and I also keep shaping between the two as I get more used to it and wait for some apps to come around.

To the OP -- have you tried using Google Active Sync over MS Exchange for calendar and contacts? It works amazing, you can sync with your Apple stuff and overall the best way to go. The push mail works perfectly too so I'm a big fan of what Google has done there. No extra config needed just choose exchange instead of Gmail when adding your account and use m.google.com for the server (same goes for iphone).

I totally agree about the lack of some small details like that arrow to skip to next email, even having to do that extra step to delete an email

I'm totally confident that it will get there as long as they're actively working at it

Got confirmation from what's app that they are making native app which is great, skype is coming so that's awesome too and the others will follow I'm sure of jt.

Just need to hang in there

[arfin]

Part II

Browser:
So far so good. Web pages are fast and look great with one notable exception. Google looks like it is from 1995. Particularly if you go to a Google sub-site like Google Finance the site doesn't render properly at all. Not even close. In fairness, Apple's Safari has always had the same problem every now and then at random. I'm beginning to think Google isn't playing nice with others. No problem, swing over to Yahoo Finance and problem solved.

Try going to Google finance after enabling flash and switching to desktop mode (available in browser setings)

[RoverSpitfire]

Try going to Google finance after enabling flash and switching to desktop mode (available in browser setings)

Well done! That did the trick! Cross one issue off the list. Thank you very much!

Still hoping to hear from BB on the iCal issue. I have Google ActiveSync turned on but don't have full functionality (like inviting attendees).

This is why I'm holding on (even if I'm not using the Z10 every day). Closer all the time.

[Casper TFG]

Dont mean to **** in (and dont know if you have tried already) - the trick seems to be to add your me.com address and it gets it all from that? (use the latest flavour of mac email address, the one related to iCloud)

[torndownunit]

Thanks for all of your posts. I am an iPhone 4 user, due for an upgrade an a month or so, and shopping around for new phones. The Z10 is at the top of my list right now, but having been an iPhone user for awhile I have a lot of questions. So this thread has been a great resource. In my case while I have been very happy with the performance on the phone, and I am dependent on some iOS apps for work , I never dove into the cloud. It sounds like that would make the transition to a new device a little easier.

One question RE DRM on video. Don't places like Amazon use DRM on video as well? It's not specifically an iTunes or Apple issue is it?

[renate49]

Great topic. Despite how long it is I couldn't move my eyes away before reading it all!

I second that, keep 'em coming. Informative no bashing, smart. CrackBerry should hire you!


Sent from my BlackBerry 9350 using Tapatalk

[cjagasken]

Agreed, this is a great article. I've just migrated from a Samsung Note and so have an android perspective on things. I pick up my Note these days, and enjoy it's oversized screen and comfy 'warm slipper, everything is where i left it' like feeling but then.... I pull out a BB10 gesture and nothing happens. Then I get all hot and panicky... where's my hub... I need my hub... I can't live without a hub. It's now an indispensable feature of a mobile phone (at least for me it is).

What Blackberry have done with BB10 has highlighted loads of stuff that could be better, in iOS and Android. With just a few little tweaks, BB10 would undoubtedly rule the roost and I can't wait for software updates just to add just a few features I crave. A hardware crave is also a bigger screen. If they made a 5.0 - 5.5" screen BB10, my z10 would be on ebay, and i'd literally be running all the way to the shops and buying one off contract and (almost) regardless of cost. Browsing with 5"+ screen, the superfast BB10 browser and LTE would rock my world.

As with everything in life compromises have to be made, and at the mo the Hub is totally indispensable for me, soo Z10 will continue to be my weapon of choice.

[RoverSpitfire]

Dont mean to **** in (and dont know if you have tried already) - the trick seems to be to add your me.com address and it gets it all from that? (use the latest flavour of mac email address, the one related to iCloud)

Yup, tried it. No joy. On the BlackBerry support forums there is a growing list of folks with the same problem.

[gng11]

Part II

Contacts and Calendar:
Thanks for the thread above on the iCloud configuration. I tried those steps and still no joy. I couldn't be without contacts today, so I had to solve the problem last night.
1) To copy my contacts from Apple, I went into Contacts on my iPad, and one by one I selected 'Share Contact' and e-mailed the vCard to myself. Opened the vCard on the Z10 and saved it. It even copied their photos over. 117 contacts later I was set. (Took me half an hour while watching TV.) Problem solved!
2) I knew the Hub would pull in message content from all your social media accounts, but Contacts does too!!! All of my Facebook and LinkedIn contacts appeared in my Contacts on the Z10. You can also filter them, just like the hub, and link them together (e.g. SIM contact and BBM contact). Sweet!
3) Calendar? Still no luck, but I didn't have a great deal in there, so starting again is no big deal. I'm so glad to be free of iCal. I love Apple products in general, but I was no fan of iCal. It's far too simplistic and the interface is simple but inefficient.

Browser:
So far so good. Web pages are fast and look great with one notable exception. Google looks like it is from 1995. Particularly if you go to a Google sub-site like Google Finance the site doesn't render properly at all. Not even close. In fairness, Apple's Safari has always had the same problem every now and then at random. I'm beginning to think Google isn't playing nice with others. No problem, swing over to Yahoo Finance and problem solved.

Hub:
Fantastic. Oh is it fantastic. And as far as showing off the phone to folks, they're pretty lukewarm on the Z10 until they see the Hub. Then the interest is sparked. I think that ultimately this will be a huge differentiator for BB10 from the others. All in one place. No more in and out of apps. I have only one tiny little quibble... and I'm sure BlackBerry can fix this very, very easily: when I receive an HTML e-mail (say a promotion from Tiger Direct), it's never sized to fit the screen. It's always too wide. The Hub should auto zoom the e-mail when I open it. It's a little thing, but it's a sign of the kind of polish BB10 is missing. But I'm not worried about it. All those polish things can be easily resolved with software updates. The core of BB10 is excellent!

Media:
* Yup, stung by DRM when it comes to video content. Which leaves me out searching for M4V converters that will strip it out. I don't feel guilty. I am not sharing it, and I paid as much as the Blu-Ray price in some cases for it. I'm all for copyright protection, but when I paid for it I should be able to use it how I want.
* Upside, the music sounds terrific. When I've got some time to leave it syncing for a loooong time, I'll fill it up with my music collection.
* Photos came through great from iPhoto. I tried a mix of both proper camera sourced photos and iPhone photos and they all came over no problem and look great.

Apps:
* I downloaded a whole bunch of apps last night. Some free, some paid.
* Yup, there are a lot of 'standard' apps missing. Hopefully BlackBerry keeps the pressure/incentives up and improves here. Primarily I want apps from businesses, like IMDB. Some of the ones I went looking for (Shark Dash, Skype to name a couple) I know are 'committed' and on the way so I just have to be patient.
* There were lots of old standby's though. The Weather Network, Air Canada, CBC, Songza, NY Times
* There were some surprises like Guidebook. I rarely use it, but when I do it's very handy!
* Only one app didn't work. I keep getting a Javascript error when I try to use Flixster. Too bad, I like that app.

Camera:
* Quality is ok. Not great, but ok. The iPhone was ok too. It's still a communication device first, camera second. BlackBerry is not alone here.
* Time Shift: huge party pleaser. I had to figure out on the fly how to use it, but it garnered a lot of ooh's and ahh's from everyone that saw it.

Overall assessment coming up on 24 hours:
* It's an excellent first effort. It's not a 1.0 phone by any stretch.
* I really, really love using it for communications.
* The rough edges in the interface (e-mail sizing, a button to go to next item in Hub, etc.) can all be fixed simply with future software updates.
* The apps are thin, but it only just launched. Right now though, Apple dominates in this area. It isn't even close.
* I really like the phone. It's a pleasure to use, and I feel it's much easier to stay connected to all streams of interactions. For the additional stuff, it does enough.
* The Z10 and BB10 are an excellent foundation to work from. But if BlackBerry wants to make a comeback and be successful in the broader market, they need to keep polishing the OS. They need to be relentless on this. They also need to keep pushing and pulling developers and businesses for apps. If they do those two things, I could see them locked in a near even three way split of the market.

More to come though. Tonight I need to dive into customizing. I had all my ringtones and preferences set up in the iPhone and I want to replicate that in the Z10.

Thanks for your post. I'm in the processing of getting my Z10 and am researching on how to transfer all my iPhone 3GS contacts, notes, calendars, reminders etc. on to the Z10 once I get mine. I don't have an iPad so how (or rather what) is the best way to transfer them to the Z10? I have Yahoo, Gmail, iCloud and Exchange.

PS. Would this website help? http://www.ekoob.com/transfer-contac...ckberry-12258/

[prokopy]

I guess im one of the lucky one where my calendar from icloud works. I use my @me for email, and @icloud for contacts and calendar. These are the settings I used for calDAV.

Username: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]

Server address: [email protected]

Im going to assume you've already tried that but thought i'd post it anyways.

Although I just noticed my contacts isn't working 100% correctly

I have perfect communication between the two when adding or deleting contacts.
If I edit an EXISTING contact on the z10, it will NOT update in icloud.
if i create a newly added contact, and edit it on the z10, it updates in icloud.

any edits to existing contacts in icloud, update on the z10 correctly.

[RoverSpitfire]

How many calendars do you have? Maybe it's because you only have one calendar? Though I would think it would sync at least the primary calendar for me.

Yes, I tried the settings above. I've tried every set of settings I can find online. Sadly, none of it worked. And I've not heard back from BlackBerry at all.

So today I finalized the decision and went back to the iPhone 4S. But it's not an unhappy ending for the Z10!

My wife has taken it over and she loves it! She is a much more basic user who expects far less out of her phone. She primarily uses it for e-mail, messaging and browsing. For this limited set of functionality BB10 and the Z10 excel. She likes the screen size, she likes the gesture based UI, she likes the Hub, and she's happy with the Weather apps.

I enjoyed all of those things too, but my needs are so much more. I look to sync multiple calendars, I play games, I use more apps for: travel; banking; buying movie tickets; making notes (I use Evernote extensively and the native Evernote in Z10 is nearly useless to a power user with established notebooks); I buy and sell things on Kijiji; I use it to assist shopping (Canadian Tire, LCBO, Groupon); and I use it to watch movies that are tied to iTunes. The Z10 may get there some day, but I can't take the productivity hit until then.

I still love the UI though, and the feel of the hardware device even. I'm optimistic that it can become a great platform, but BB is going to have to keep working flat out to get there. They are still way behind, and will fall even further back when Apple and Samsung launch their next round of phones this year.

[Tony2255]

How many calendars do you have? Maybe it's because you only have one calendar? Though I would think it would sync at least the primary calendar for me.

Yes, I tried the settings above. I've tried every set of settings I can find online. Sadly, none of it worked. And I've not heard back from BlackBerry at all.

So today I finalized the decision and went back to the iPhone 4S. But it's not an unhappy ending for the Z10!

My wife has taken it over and she loves it! She is a much more basic user who expects far less out of her phone. She primarily uses it for e-mail, messaging and browsing. For this limited set of functionality BB10 and the Z10 excel. She likes the screen size, she likes the gesture based UI, she likes the Hub, and she's happy with the Weather apps.

I enjoyed all of those things too, but my needs are so much more. I look to sync multiple calendars, I play games, I use more apps for: travel; banking; buying movie tickets; making notes (I use Evernote extensively and the native Evernote in Z10 is nearly useless to a power user with established notebooks); I buy and sell things on Kijiji; I use it to assist shopping (Canadian Tire, LCBO, Groupon); and I use it to watch movies that are tied to iTunes. The Z10 may get there some day, but I can't take the productivity hit until then.

I still love the UI though, and the feel of the hardware device even. I'm optimistic that it can become a great platform, but BB is going to have to keep working flat out to get there. They are still way behind, and will fall even further back when Apple and Samsung launch their next round of phones this year.

Sorry to hear that. It is a great thread though. I tend to agree with your final statement about Android but not about Apple. They are stuck in their ways and have not come out with anything new since 2007. That is why I left the locked in apple ecosystem...i spent a few hours transferring all my videos and over 10000 songs into normal standards and now I can move between android apple or blackberry. Maybe if they ever come out with something that is actually usefull for what I do, mainly communicating which I find the iphone very poor at, I will try them again but for now I will work through the issues you have described and keep trying the Z10.

The only reason I may leave is the same as yours that is for apps like Kijjiji. I find that app much easier than the website also.




Posted using CrackBerry App on BB10

[RoverSpitfire]

Down but not out.

I may have gone back to the iPhone, but my wife is using the Z10 and loving it. I finished setting up all of her accounts on it yesterday. Some of her initial comments:
* I LOVE it.
* Man the battery on this sucks. (I told her how to manage it, and she easily doubled the life, but she agrees you really need to stay on top of it.
* I LOVE it.
* How do I delete multiple things in the hub? It's taking forever getting rid of the Hotmail crap that's plugging it up.
Tip: To delete multiple items in the Hub, tap the menu key, then "Select more" or whatever it is at the bottom. Takes you back to the Hub and you can select away. When you're ready, menu again, then delete. Easy as pie.
Tip: To not show one account in your Hub to go menu, settings, and choose which accounts to show. You can still access the others, but you have to specifically select the filter for it. My wife gets all her coupons to her Hotmail, and by doing this she can still access them, but doesn't have them getting in the way.
* I want a picture for my BBM profile. (This was both easier and harder than it seems. Where Apple is better: if you see an image, you can copy it, including in contacts, not so with Z10. Where BB is better, much better... if you receive an e-mail with an attachment, you can just save the attachment. I know, seems simple right? But you can't do it on Apple because the file system is closed. If it's a known type you can copy it to an app, but not just drop it in a folder.)

Hi BlackBerry, long time no chat!
* I got an e-mail from the BlackBerry tech support person I've been dealing with. The connection to iCloud CalDAV issue is being escalated at BlackBerry.
* Over on BB's own support discussion groups, there's been a lot of hate pouring out about the iCal issue - not from me, I'm being pretty patient. (It's not like I ran back to the store like a baby whining about how the Z10 isn't perfection as some of the posters here have. I kept the Z10, and I'm going to keep working with it as long as BB continues to work with it. Even if it's not my daily device. Don't take that as hating!)

[prokopy]

Not sure if this is true or not but this might be my reasoning for ical not working properly.

In my experience and thought, apple hates when you try to use apple products with non apple devices. I set my calendar up on the 5th when the z10 was initially released. I wonder if apple changed a setting on their server to make it that ical doesn't function properly once they noticed people were switching. Could be a way for Apple to try and deter people from switching.

I imagine they have people at Apple reading all blackberry forums and are laughing (evilly) at this whole ical fiascal.

This would explain poor ability to change Icloud server options for iclouds imap settings.

If you have one apple product, they want you to bend over, grab your ankles, and conform religiously to apple or nothing will work properly.

[RoverSpitfire]

Not sure if this is true or not but this might be my reasoning for ical not working properly.

In my experience and thought, apple hates when you try to use apple products with non apple devices. I set my calendar up on the 5th when the z10 was initially released. I wonder if apple changed a setting on their server to make it that ical doesn't function properly once they noticed people were switching. Could be a way for Apple to try and deter people from switching.

I imagine they have people at Apple reading all blackberry forums and are laughing (evilly) at this whole ical fiascal.

This would explain poor ability to change Icloud server options for iclouds imap settings.

If you have one apple product, they want you to bend over, grab your ankles, and conform religiously to apple or nothing will work properly.

Nope, have to disagree here. I tried on the 5th as well and it didn't work. There are numerous how-to's online about connecting to iCal. Apple uses the CalDAV standard and have for some time. Where they are a closed system they are very clear about being a closed system.

They made DRM deals with content providers to get the to agree to give them the content. Back in the 90's the recording industry was trying to make digital content just go away. The music companies are all on board, but the movie companies are still trying to make it go away. I must point out that when I downloaded a movie from BlackBerry World, there's DRM on it. This isn't tech companies alone.

Other places Apple closes the system is so that they can control the experience. For better or worse. Yes it limits some flexibility, but generally it means that all their stuff 'just works'.

I'd say Google is worse. They actually took away ActiveSync functionality in a very blatant retaliation. They clearly put up a wall.

No, sadly the iCloud Calendar issue is a bug. It's hit or miss. It works for some people, and not for others. There is obviously some set of very specific parameters that makes it fail for some. We just don't know what that is.

[prokopy]

Why would you setup your icloud calendars on the iphone as calDAV? I just went into the iPhones settings and under icloud entered my icloud email and password and everything sync'd on its own. I never needed to setup calDAV or cardDAV separately when I used my iPhone.

[Boots4283]

Man this thread just proves why you shouldn't have your stuff in a closed ecosystem.