[Blaccko]

Hi all,

I have a few questions regarding the Z10 which I didn't find answer for.

1. Is the screen on the Z10 a Gorilla Glass? If not, is it a similar product (as resistant as a Gorilla Glass)? Overall, is the screen on the Z10 as resistant as the one on my Bold 9780?

2. Can you set up an alarm on the phone, then close it completly, but the phone waking up for the alarm the next morning?

3. Is it possible to sync via Bluetooth with BlackBerry Link?

4. Is it possible to sync via Bluetooth contacts and tasks from Outlook without an Exchange server?

5. Regarding Gmail syncing, I don't have ActiveSync (paid account). So, I'm relying on push. If I understand, the delay for the Z10 for polling emails from Gmail will be at elast 15 minutes? Is there any Gmail alternatives to ActiveSync for free acounts that could allow me to use push (was using BIS before)? I heard of IMAP-idle (or IMAP-push), what is it exactly?

6. I saw that GoogleMaps wasn't available in the BlackBerry World as of now. Do you know if it's supposed to be available soon? Is there any information about it?

Thanks in advance for your help and your clarifications.

Blaccko

[ChibiBlackSheep]

It's not Gorilla Glass, but it's a high quality screen. Gorilla is just marketed, there are just as good alternatives out there, and this is one of them.

Not sure what you mean about the alarm? Yes you can close out of the clock app and the phone will still wake you up.

You can sideload the android version of google maps, or just use your browser

[Blaccko]

Hi,

Thanks for your input.

Regarding the alarm function, I was wondering if, once you set it, if you completly shut down the phone, will it wake up automatically to ring the alarm?

Also, about sideloading GoogleMaps from Android, I heard it wasn't as fast and as good as a native BlackBerry app. Am I wrong?

Thanks again,

Blaccko

[BannedForNoReason2]

No, because old Blackberries never actually shut down unless you remove the battery. The equivalent of that would be to just turn on airplane mode and close all apps. It does the same thing. Modern smartphones don't need an "in between" shut off mode, because they don't take 20 minutes to boot. If you turn off the phone, it is fully off, so the alarm will not wake it up. Just like all modern smartphones.

Also, about sideloading GoogleMaps from Android, I heard it wasn't as fast and as good as a native BlackBerry app. Am I wrong?

It isn't. Not even close, but it is still functional. Personally, I don't sideload at all, and I suspect most users won't, so when you see that an app isn't available, take it as that. Don't think "oh, I'll get the phone anyways because I can just sideload it." Sideloading has plenty of issues, so take it as icing on top, not a main feature by any means. For Gmaps specifically, the browser version actually works really well with the Z10 (obviously still nowhere near a native app), and for navigation, BB maps is really good.

[Blaccko]

Hi, thanks for the information.

Do you know if GoogleMaps for BlackBerry 10 is supposed to be available soon? Is there any information about it?

Blaccko

[BannedForNoReason2]

Hi, thanks for the information.

Do you know if GoogleMaps for BlackBerry 10 is supposed to be available soon? Is there any information about it?

Blaccko

There us no way Google will ever support BB10. At least not unless they somehow gain like 250 million or more users overnight

[crawlgsx]

There us no way Google will ever support BB10. At least not unless they somehow gain like 250 million or more users overnight

That should read:

Google will not support BB10 until/when BB10 reaches a large customer base. If BB10 takes off like many of us hope it will, then it will only be a matter of time. It is not going to happen over night.

Ever is a strong word.

[Xopher]

When you set up Gmail, you can set it up to use AES, if you already have your account set up to do so. Otherwise, you set it up using IMAP, which still pushes email to your device. I get Gmail very quickly.

The downside seems to be with synchronizing contacts and calendar. They sync just fine, although they do sometimes take a little while to update.

The native Maps app has navigate built in. It's not as flashy as Google Maps, but does work well.

Not sure about bluetooth, but BlackBerry Link can connect via wifi.

Posted via CB10

[tjseaman]

Hi, thanks for the information.

Do you know if GoogleMaps for BlackBerry 10 is supposed to be available soon? Is there any information about it?

Blaccko

You can use Google maps now. I have, from the browser, no app, it works for me just fine.

I personally really like the BB Maps App. Depends on needs and is truly a personal preference.

Posted via CB10

[Blaccko]

Hi,

Thank you all for your answers.

Regarding the screen, is the screen on te Z10 will be as resistant as the one on my Bold 9780 (I droped it a few times on the floor without any case and the screen is still fine)? If not, could the screen on the Z10 (and the phone in general) survive a fall to the floor as did my 97806

Also, about the syncing; is it possible to sync via Bluetooth contacts and tasks from Outlook without an Exchange server?

Finally, concerning Gmail syncing (emails only), just to be sure; if I don't have a paid account (so no ActiveSync), I will need to configure the Z10 with IMAP, right? What is IMAP-IDLE exactly? Why did Xopher said that it could still use push :

When you set up Gmail, you can set it up to use AES, if you already have your account set up to do so. Otherwise, you set it up using IMAP, which still pushes email to your device. I get Gmail very quickly.

Thanks again,

Blaccko

[Omnitech]

Also, about the syncing; is it possible to sync via Bluetooth contacts and tasks from Outlook without an Exchange server?

First of all, you don't need your own Exchange server to do wireless/internet contacts/task syncing. There are TONS of companies that provide "cloud email services" which include most or all of the classic MS Exchange features. Even free ones, like Outlook.com.

Secondly, the latest version of the Blackberry Link desktop app has the ability to import contacts and calendar items from Outlook. It is scheduled to receive another update to allow bidirectional sync with Outlook, probably within a few weeks.

Finally, concerning Gmail syncing (emails only), just to be sure; if I don't have a paid account (so no ActiveSync), I will need to configure the Z10 with IMAP, right? What is IMAP-IDLE exactly? Why did Xopher said that it could still use push :

IMAP IDLE is part of the IMAP protocol that is designed to provide nearly instantaneous notification of new messages. (Bear in mind that there are some network requirements to make that work, and some home network equipment impedes this. If you have trouble getting quick incoming message notifications via IMAP (the Z10 configuration option is "Use push if available" on an IMAP account) and you are using a WiFi connection, try switching off WiFi and see if that helps. If it doesn't, either something is configured wrong or your provider doesn't support IMAP IDLE. (Yahoo is one example of an IMAP service that does not support IMAP IDLE)

[Blaccko]

Hi,

Thank you Omnitech. I now better understand the IMAP-IDLE concept.

Regarding contacts and calendar syncing, I know it can be done online (via Outlook.com for instance), but I was wondering if it could be done locally (without send those contacts and calendars online) by wifi or Bluetooth. I must say I'm using a Mac. I tried using the BlackBerry Link software (version 1.0.1.6) on Mac to sync my contacts and calendars, but I didn't find out how to do it. I was only able to sync music, images, videos and documents. How can I do it?

I even wasn't able to import those contacts and calendars. How can I do it?

Thanks again,

Blaccko

[Thunderbuck]

I've found that BT sync is a little spotty. You CAN set Link to sync over WiFi. The Z10 needs to be connected to power, but it seems to work pretty reliably.

Posted via CB10

[niss63]

Regarding the screen, is the screen on te Z10 will be as resistant as the one on my Bold 9780 (I droped it a few times on the floor without any case and the screen is still fine)? If not, could the screen on the Z10 (and the phone in general) survive a fall to the floor as did my 97806

I haven't broken the glass on my Z10 yet, but another member has. From that account and based on my experience with the 9780 and the 9900, I would suspect that the Z10 is much more fragile than what you have been used to. I never broke the glass on my 9780, and it went through some nasty falls. I did break the glass on my 9900, but that was a particularly rough fall. Be advised that when the Z10 glass breaks, the phone will be completely unusable.

[Blaccko]

Hi,

I haven't broken the glass on my Z10 yet, but another member has. From that account and based on my experience with the 9780 and the 9900, I would suspect that the Z10 is much more fragile than what you have been used to. I never broke the glass on my 9780, and it went through some nasty falls. I did break the glass on my 9900, but that was a particularly rough fall. Be advised that when the Z10 glass breaks, the phone will be completely unusable.

Thanks for your warning, I'll keep that in mind.

Thunderbuck, how can I set BlackBerry Link to sync on wifi? I'm on a Mac version and didn't find this option? And even if it does sync with wifi, how can I sync contacts and calendars. Again, I'm on a Mac version and didn't find the option to sync contacts and calendars, only music, videos, images and documents.

Thanks again,

Blaccko

[Omnitech]

Thunderbuck, how can I set BlackBerry Link to sync on wifi? I'm on a Mac version and didn't find this option? And even if it does sync with wifi, how can I sync contacts and calendars. Again, I'm on a Mac version and didn't find the option to sync contacts and calendars, only music, videos, images and documents.

The link below outlines the basics.

Bear in mind that full bidirectional PIM sync (ie contacts/calendars) is not yet available in Blackberry Link. That feature is supposed to be released some time soon, possibly this month. At the present time you can import that data from Microsoft Outlook to the device, but not sync in both directions.

http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/KB26068

If you are concerned about the confidentiality/security of using online services for such things, I would recommend looking into a professional Microsoft Exchange hosting service, not one of the commonly-known free services. Many substantial businesses uses such services and if there were no such thing as a reliable/secure one that would certainly not be the case.

[Viper8423]

I haven't broken the glass on my Z10 yet, but another member has. From that account and based on my experience with the 9780 and the 9900, I would suspect that the Z10 is much more fragile than what you have been used to. I never broke the glass on my 9780, and it went through some nasty falls. I did break the glass on my 9900, but that was a particularly rough fall. Be advised that when the Z10 glass breaks, the phone will be completely unusable.

You cant use the fact that someone you know with a broken screen that means the z10 is fragile. You have no way of telling if any other phone had the same type of drop that it would of survived. Like any other phone on the market, if you drop the z10 there is a possibility that it may get damaged. Every time you drop your phone there are too many variances that affect if it will be damaged or not, it can be as simple as a 2 degree angle change that makes a huge difference between damage and no damage. I am not morr worried about damging my z10 than i was with every other phone that i have previously owned.



Posted via CB10

[Blaccko]

Hi,

The link below outlines the basics.

Bear in mind that full bidirectional PIM sync (ie contacts/calendars) is not yet available in Blackberry Link. That feature is supposed to be released some time soon, possibly this month. At the present time you can import that data from Microsoft Outlook to the device, but not sync in both directions.

Thank you very much, I manged to transfer files between my Mac and my BlackBerry Z10 over wifi. This is great! I know you told me the full sync (both ways) between my Mac contacts /calendars and my Z10 ones is not available yet. However, you told me it's possible to import to the device such information (contacts and calendars) from my computer to my phone. ow can I do that? I don't see where (in which folder) I could place my contacts' files for instance on my Z10 when it's connected via wifi. Also, I don't see an option to import such files in BlackBerry Link (Mac version).

Again, thanks a lot! ; )

Blaccko

[niss63]

You cant use the fact that someone you know with a broken screen that means the z10 is fragile. You have no way of telling if any other phone had the same type of drop that it would of survived. Like any other phone on the market, if you drop the z10 there is a possibility that it may get damaged. Every time you drop your phone there are too many variances that affect if it will be damaged or not, it can be as simple as a 2 degree angle change that makes a huge difference between damage and no damage. I am not morr worried about damging my z10 than i was with every other phone that i have previously owned.



Posted via CB10

Sure, every drop is different, but a general understanding of how a particular model will react to being dropped is easily deduced.

As an example, SWMBO's iPhone has been dropped several times, and unless the Otterbox is in place, it will often break the glass. My 9900, OTOH, has only had the screen broken once, in spite of many harsh drops - without any type of protective case.

The drop makes a difference, but so does the unit. I stand by my statement as I suspect time will prove my assessment to be correct.

Posted via CB10

[Omnitech]

Actually, either iFixit or Chipworks who tore down the Z10 down to the last component concluded that it has a fragile screen. This is due to (as I recall) the combination of a bonded digitizer (not that uncommon these days, helps makes the phone thinner by not having the glass piece separate from the digitizer piece) and rather thin glass. (also not that uncommon these days)

Also, one of the tech review sites did a drop test on the Z10 and it didn't fare very well.

So if I were you, I would get a good case that covers the screen. Even just due to the size of the screen, it's going to be more vulnerable to breakage than the traditional Blackberry form-factors.

[Blaccko]

Hi,

Bear in mind that full bidirectional PIM sync (ie contacts/calendars) is not yet available in Blackberry Link. That feature is supposed to be released some time soon, possibly this month. At the present time you can import that data from Microsoft Outlook to the device, but not sync in both directions.

Thanks for your help. I manged to transfer files between my Mac and my BlackBerry Z10 over wifi. This is great! I know the full sync (both ways) between my Mac contacts/calendars and my Z10 ones is not available yet. However, it's possible to import to the device such information (contacts and calendars) from a Windows computer to the Z10 with BlackBerry Link. Can I do that with a Mac? I don't see where (in which folder) I could place my contacts' files for instance on my Z10 when it's connected via wifi for them to show in the contacts of my device. Also, I don't see an option to import such files (calendar and contacts) in BlackBerry Link (Mac version). Am I missing something?

Again, thanks a lot! ; )

Blaccko

[Omnitech]

However, it's possible to import to the device such information (contacts and calendars) from a Windows computer to the Z10 with BlackBerry Link. Can I do that with a Mac? I don't see where (in which folder) I could place my contacts' files for instance on my Z10 when it's connected via wifi for them to show in the contacts of my device. Also, I don't see an option to import such files (calendar and contacts) in BlackBerry Link (Mac version). Am I missing something?

Honestly in the documentation I have seen, I couldn't find anything about contact importing with the Mac version of Link. So I'm guessing it may be a Windows-only feature at this point.

[Blaccko]

Hi Omnitech,

I see, thanks for the info. That's too bad though...

Blaccko