[slagman5]

Alright, after reading about it and watching many videos, nothing really compares to actually going hands on. And here are some of my observations.

The store I went to, the display was nice looking, but was at the back of the store where the only other Blackberry have always been, the Bold 9900. The sales staff didn't seem too overly excited over the phone, but they didn't say anything bad about it either. So at least it's not one of those where the staff trashes the phone because it's not "cool" enough for them...

Here is where I can tell problems will arise. An older man walked in to look at the Z10 as well. Apparently he wants to get into the smartphone market but does not want an iPhone. He said a friend of his told him about the new Blackberry. A sale's person asked him if he needed help. His first question was whether there is a Sirius Radio app for the Z10. The rep didn't know and didn't even know how to find out. I stepped in and did a quick search in BB World to find out. Of course, there isn't one...

Then the older guy tries to navigate through the phone, and he's basically just randomly pressing stuff and randomly swiping his thumb around the screen. Basically, he can't figure it out. And frankly, I don't blame him. Even though I've been watching all of the videos and talking about it here, and reading all of the articles, when I first picked it up, I had to try to get used to it. And while trying to help the guy, I found navigating around within the BB World app slightly confusing. But luckily I quickly figured it out so it wouldn't look too bad for the guy... But honestly, if nobody is there that knows about the phone, there's no way someone who has not been keeping up with the phone will walk in and be impressed by the Z10 by itself. Not that it's a bad phone, but it's not like an iphone where anyone can pick it up and use it. You have to learn the gestures, when to do what, and what features to look for that the Z10 has that others do not. And like I said, if nobody is there to show people walking in, they'll all just end up doing what this guy did in the beginning and then continue to look at other phones. After I showed him how to go back to the main active tiles screen just by flicking up from the bottom of the phone, he was doing it, but yah, imagine if I wasn't there. He wouldn't have stayed looking at the phone for very long...

If Blackberry intends to do well in the USA, they need to be much more aggressive about making sure the carriers selling their phones are properly training their retail stores on how the phone works and how they need to demonstrate the phones to potential customers.

Lastly, I know I'm going to get heat for this, I liked the device, the build feels good, and the screen is super sharp, but for all of the people trying to convince us that the keyboard on the Z10 is so good we'll be willing to give up our physical keyboards, you're dead wrong. The keyboard is great and is definitely better than other touchscreen keyboards I've used, but it's nowhere near as good as typing on a real keyboard. At least for me... And I'm disappointed that while typing a url, space doesn't automatically insert a dot like it does on my 9900.. I hope the Q10 adds this feature back among many other things...

[SpiralBorg]

The people working at the At&t stores don't work for Blackberry.
And maybe they need to use the device more, to know more about it.

[slagman5]

The people working at the At&t stores don't work for Blackberry.
And maybe they need to use the device more, to know more about it.

Really? The people working in the AT&T store don't work for a total different company with a total different name? Man, thanks for pointing that out to me, I would have never figured it out on my own... LOL :-P

No, but seriously though, I never implied that they do, I'm saying they need to make sure the American carriers and their retail locations actually carry out training for their staff about their new devices.

[Spykedjadedragon]

This was said in another forum thread, but when I worked at AT&T, they actually had an Apple rep for a couple of MONTHS exclusively to show off the phone. I understand that this is probably a huge expense but like SpiralBorg said... the normal reps *don't* work for Blackberry... so it's Blackberry that NEEDS to step up and get some specialized reps in the stores!

ESPECIALLY since this is a brand spankin' new OS and its a little different than the current offerings. Sure it may be expensive, but are you telling me a company of their size can't spare a few reps in some high profile AT&T stores for a week or so to educate customers AND reps!?

[ThaMunsta]

I think saying AT&T doesn't work for BlackBerry is a bit of a cop out. They are a mobile phone carrier and should represent and stand behind the brands they sell. Rogers did a great job. The sales staff were trained and knowledgeable at the location I bought mine from. Being a crackberry addict I simply asked for the phone and walked out, but the process I saw for the 6 people in line ahead of me was activate the phone for them, go through setup of BlackBerry ID and install the update. They also took the time to show basic gestures and functionality. Once the users had it in their hand for a few minutes the reps asked if they had any questions and helped them as much as they needed and never sent them away to serve the next customer.

Sounds like they could be doing a better job. Not for BlackBerrys sake but if they want to be considered a professional phone carrier.

Posted via CB10

[DuexNoir]

No one is going to give you heat for not liking the Z10 keyboard (or they shouldn't). The all-touch keyboard won't be for everyone no matter how good it is. Diversity is a beautiful thing. However, it will be good enough for many people who were physical keyboard users, such as myself. Also, you need to use the all-touch for at least a few days to get used to the new interface before you can be a "pro" at it. I was quite afraid when I took the risk to get the Z10 because my experience with an all-touch keyboard on my sibling's iPod and in-store iPhone/iPad demos really soured my impression of a non-physical keyboard. However, like many others I couldn't wait another day to get BB10...and the idea of flicking words was too awesome to pass-up...so I took a risk and got the Z10, and really I absolutely love it. I type just as well on it as I did on my old curve. Took me about half a week to reach that confident level but now I can never go back to a physical keyboard. I tried typing on my old curve days earlier and it felt awkward.

But I'm not saying this to persuade you to get a Z10...no. Get the phone that you're most comfortable with and that will work perfectly for you. I do admit that the Q10 is a very beautiful phone that I am very tempted to get too...if only I can find a use for carrying 2 phones. lol. Anyway, have fun with the Q10 and show it off to the CB community when you get it.

[nathan62969]

I was fortunate that there was one rep who had used the Z10 and had figured some things out. However, I agree, it is disappointing that none of the other staff had any experience with it. No promotional materials, it was off the side on one of the racks. My general impression is that they didn't really give much care about whether it sold or not.

But having said that, once the few swipe features were clear, then I was on my own, as any time I was trying out a blackberry model before (v. other phone) for a few hours. VERY eager to get one. On the other hand, no one else that came in wanted to check it -- the sole model on display, which I was checking -- out.

[wasabiGT]

As someone who works for a phone company up in the great white north.. (Toronto to be exact), I do see your point and I also do agree with you about the concerns you have.

Luckily for me, Im a phone nerd and I love using all phones and have had first had experience with iOS, Android, W7/W8, BB7 and now BB10. My knowledge comes from me actually playing with the phones itself and experiencing things so that I can better inform my customers that ask me..."Oh which phone do you recommend?"

Nothing beats a hands on test of the phone for a customer. Unfortunately at my store the only working demo we have is an iPhone 5. When the Z10 came out in Canada, I had the phone in my hand the same day. I was playing around with it to get used to how it was so that I could better understand the workings of the gestures, the hub and the typing. Having knowledge of such things for me is imperative in my eyes to be able to provide a working solution for my customers. I mean as you pointed out, how would you feel if you went to a store and you asked for help or their opinion and all they can come up with is.. i dont know... im not sure... or, thats a bad phone.. this one (put manufacturers name in) is better...

The customers that I have let try out my phone have all loved the experience. Of course the 15-30mins I have with them is not even close to experiencing the full workings of the phone, but with what they see initially and how it flows... they are all impressed with it. I have not had one person that I have either sold the phone/or upgraded them on the hardware, come back to me and return the phone. The ones I have helped have emailed me or came into the store and had nothing but rave reviews of the phone.

But again, this phone is not for everyone. If you are app intensive and app hungry then this is not the OS for you. If customizing to the T the OS to use it how YOU prefer, then this is not the OS for you. BB10 is somewhere in the middle of that. Customizable, has apps with more coming and helps to get things done in a streamlined fashion (HUB)

I myself have been happy with my phone and have a hard time thinking about going back to another OS. I was at the Sony Experia ZL training session and the whole time I kept trying to swipe up to unlock the phone.

Try the Z10. If its for you, then dive right in. If its not for you, there are many other choices out there in the industry. Just dont be close minded and say the Z10 is bad, especially if you have not taken it for a test drive longer than 20 minutes.

Alright, after reading about it and watching many videos, nothing really compares to actually going hands on. And here are some of my observations.

The store I went to, the display was nice looking, but was at the back of the store where the only other Blackberry have always been, the Bold 9900. The sales staff didn't seem too overly excited over the phone, but they didn't say anything bad about it either. So at least it's not one of those where the staff trashes the phone because it's not "cool" enough for them...

Here is where I can tell problems will arise. An older man walked in to look at the Z10 as well. Apparently he wants to get into the smartphone market but does not want an iPhone. He said a friend of his told him about the new Blackberry. A sale's person asked him if he needed help. His first question was whether there is a Sirius Radio app for the Z10. The rep didn't know and didn't even know how to find out. I stepped in and did a quick search in BB World to find out. Of course, there isn't one...

Then the older guy tries to navigate through the phone, and he's basically just randomly pressing stuff and randomly swiping his thumb around the screen. Basically, he can't figure it out. And frankly, I don't blame him. Even though I've been watching all of the videos and talking about it here, and reading all of the articles, when I first picked it up, I had to try to get used to it. And while trying to help the guy, I found navigating around within the BB World app slightly confusing. But luckily I quickly figured it out so it wouldn't look too bad for the guy... But honestly, if nobody is there that knows about the phone, there's no way someone who has not been keeping up with the phone will walk in and be impressed by the Z10 by itself. Not that it's a bad phone, but it's not like an iphone where anyone can pick it up and use it. You have to learn the gestures, when to do what, and what features to look for that the Z10 has that others do not. And like I said, if nobody is there to show people walking in, they'll all just end up doing what this guy did in the beginning and then continue to look at other phones. After I showed him how to go back to the main active tiles screen just by flicking up from the bottom of the phone, he was doing it, but yah, imagine if I wasn't there. He wouldn't have stayed looking at the phone for very long...

If Blackberry intends to do well in the USA, they need to be much more aggressive about getting the sales team properly trained for the device and willing to show customers the basics...

Lastly, I know I'm going to get heat for this, I liked the device, the build feels good, and the screen is super sharp, but for all of the people trying to convince us that the keyboard on the Z10 is so good we'll be willing to give up our physical keyboards, you're dead wrong. The keyboard is great and is definitely better than other touchscreen keyboards I've used, but it's nowhere near as good as typing on a real keyboard. At least for me... And I'm disappointed that while typing a url, space doesn't automatically insert a dot like it does on my 9900.. I hope the Q10 adds this feature back among many other things...

[mset]

Lastly, I know I'm going to get heat for this, I liked the device, the build feels good, and the screen is super sharp, but for all of the people trying to convince us that the keyboard on the Z10 is so good we'll be willing to give up our physical keyboards, you're dead wrong. The keyboard is great and is definitely better than other touchscreen keyboards I've used, but it's nowhere near as good as typing on a real keyboard...

I don't think you should get heat for it. I just think it's irrelevant. The touchscreen is so deeply entrenched in the smartphone world that only old people like me (and you, I'm betting) care about the debate any more. In fact I was a BBRY guy for 7 years before being forced off the platform. I have become accustomed to touchscreen and if the Z10 SwiftKey implementation is anywhere near as good as what I have on my Nexus 4, you should be able to get used to it as well. I just want to state for the record - you can type way faster on a touchscreen than on a physical keyboard. If you don't believe me, watch a 14 year old girl with an iPhone texting with her friends.

[slagman5]

I don't think you should get heat for it. I just think it's irrelevant. The touchscreen is so deeply entrenched in the smartphone world that only old people like me (and you, I'm betting) care about the debate any more. In fact I was a BBRY guy for 7 years before being forced off the platform. I have become accustomed to touchscreen and if the Z10 SwiftKey implementation is anywhere near as good as what I have on my Nexus 4, you should be able to get used to it as well. I just want to state for the record - you can type way faster on a touchscreen than on a physical keyboard. If you don't believe me, watch a 14 year old girl with an iPhone texting with her friends.

Watch a 14 year-old girl typing on a physical keyboard... It's not that it's touchscreen, it's that she's a 14 year-old girl. I saw a girl on a BB Curve type faster than I've ever seen any kind of typing in my life...

[Edit: It's a good thing she didn't notice me staring because she would have though I was a pedophile, but seriously, I don't even remember how she looked like, I was staring in awe of her typing. I could barely see her fingers moving but the text was popping up on the screen like words at a time...]

And no, I will never get "used" to a touchscreen keyboard because it's more than simply the speed of my typing. So no matter how "used" to it I get, it's not really about that. The fact is, I spend a lot of time typing on my BB without looking at it. You pretty much need a physical keyboard for that... Also, the main thing I like about my Bold is the universal search, keyboard shortcuts in apps, one button speed dialing, and how I can start typing right away without having to open anything or wait for the keyboard to pop up, etc. These are things that no matter how good the software is, it'll never be able to duplicate these attributes. Even a slide-away keyboard cannot be as efficient. Part of it is how it's always there, there's 0 things to do before I can start typing or hold a button on the keyboard to speed dial someone right from the home screen without having to open contacts, a speed dial list, the phone dialier, anything... It's take my phone out of my holster, hold a button, and the phone is already ringing by the time someone with a touchscreen phone gets their screen unlocked... Sorry, I hear about how I'll "get used to" a touchscreen about a million times a day. I've used touchscreen phones for extended periods of time. As "cool" as they are, the productivity of an always there physical keyboard can never be duplicated... I'd rather give up a little bit of what I might want for what I need than to give up a little bit of what I need for what I want... That's just me though.

Edit: Oh, but you're right about one thing, I am old, lol. Ok, not old-old, but I'm definitely not one of these young kids anymore...

[pandapurple]

BlackBerry as a company, isn't doing enough to support its own launch. I had to educate the sales staff at one of the retail stores how to use the Z10. Shocking that the first question I was asked, was does it have enough apps? And is it true that there are no free apps? Why didn't BlackBerry get out some of the accessories ready for the launch? It makes early adopters of the Z10 feel so alone. Luckily for me, I don't need any hand holding as a customer. But I can imagine new customers to BlackBerry are feeling sorry for themselves.

Posted via CB10

[kbz1960]

Alright, after reading about it and watching many videos, nothing really compares to actually going hands on. And here are some of my observations.

The store I went to, the display was nice looking, but was at the back of the store where the only other Blackberry have always been, the Bold 9900. The sales staff didn't seem too overly excited over the phone, but they didn't say anything bad about it either. So at least it's not one of those where the staff trashes the phone because it's not "cool" enough for them...

Here is where I can tell problems will arise. An older man walked in to look at the Z10 as well. Apparently he wants to get into the smartphone market but does not want an iPhone. He said a friend of his told him about the new Blackberry. A sale's person asked him if he needed help. His first question was whether there is a Sirius Radio app for the Z10. The rep didn't know and didn't even know how to find out. I stepped in and did a quick search in BB World to find out. Of course, there isn't one...

Then the older guy tries to navigate through the phone, and he's basically just randomly pressing stuff and randomly swiping his thumb around the screen. Basically, he can't figure it out. And frankly, I don't blame him. Even though I've been watching all of the videos and talking about it here, and reading all of the articles, when I first picked it up, I had to try to get used to it. And while trying to help the guy, I found navigating around within the BB World app slightly confusing. But luckily I quickly figured it out so it wouldn't look too bad for the guy... But honestly, if nobody is there that knows about the phone, there's no way someone who has not been keeping up with the phone will walk in and be impressed by the Z10 by itself. Not that it's a bad phone, but it's not like an iphone where anyone can pick it up and use it. You have to learn the gestures, when to do what, and what features to look for that the Z10 has that others do not. And like I said, if nobody is there to show people walking in, they'll all just end up doing what this guy did in the beginning and then continue to look at other phones. After I showed him how to go back to the main active tiles screen just by flicking up from the bottom of the phone, he was doing it, but yah, imagine if I wasn't there. He wouldn't have stayed looking at the phone for very long...

If Blackberry intends to do well in the USA, they need to be much more aggressive about getting the sales team properly trained for the device and willing to show customers the basics...

Lastly, I know I'm going to get heat for this, I liked the device, the build feels good, and the screen is super sharp, but for all of the people trying to convince us that the keyboard on the Z10 is so good we'll be willing to give up our physical keyboards, you're dead wrong. The keyboard is great and is definitely better than other touchscreen keyboards I've used, but it's nowhere near as good as typing on a real keyboard. At least for me... And I'm disappointed that while typing a url, space doesn't automatically insert a dot like it does on my 9900.. I hope the Q10 adds this feature back among many other things...

Some good points but for the part I put in bold..........the first time I picked an android I had the same issues so why is android doing so well? Because all it takes is someone show it and explaining it along with it really isn't that difficult once you know. The reps do need to at least know how to get around and it's a fail of that store if they don't.

[ibpluto]

Seems to be such a different experience in other countries... ~sigh~

Posted via CB10 from my awesome Z10

[Oscar_E]

No carrier employee is going to boost BB10, so what the BB team should do is to hire at least one well trained promoter per store, with a BB Z10 uniform people will immediately approach that person who is going to guide customers properly.

[mset]

Watch a 14 year-old girl typing on a physical keyboard... It's not that it's touchscreen, it's that she's a 14 year-old girl. I saw a girl on a BB Curve type faster than I've ever seen any kind of typing in my life..

Edit: Oh, but you're right about one thing, I am old, lol. Ok, not old-old, but I'm definitely not one of these young kids anymore...

Understood. You did add the caveat 'for me, anyway' in your comments about they virtual keyboard, but it sounds to me like your belief is slightly stronger than that.

I would strongly disagree about the the first sentence quoted above. I think that it is the touchscreen. I think that if they had a World Championship of smartphone typing, the winner would be a 15 year-old girl on a virtual keyboard. I think this because of my experience on it. Way more physical work is required to depress a key than to tap a screen.

Anyhow, this is taking away from the more important point of your post, with which I fully agree. A lot of people are reporting no BBRY presence in-store. I'm waiting to see if they at least got some people in big visible stores in the big cities.

[wasabiGT]

thats not true. before i moved to touch screen phones, i had the BB curve and BB Bold 9000. the speed I could type on this thing was ridiculous. not only that but it got to the point that i could type on the phones keyboard without even looking at the keys.

Understood. You did add the caveat 'for me, anyway' in your comments about they virtual keyboard, but it sounds to me like your belief is slightly stronger than that.

I would strongly disagree about the the first sentence quoted above. I think that it is the touchscreen. I think that if they had a World Championship of smartphone typing, the winner would be a 15 year-old girl on a virtual keyboard. I think this because of my experience on it. Way more physical work is required to depress a key than to tap a screen.

Anyhow, this is taking away from the more important point of your post, with which I fully agree. A lot of people are reporting no BBRY presence in-store. I'm waiting to see if they at least got some people in big visible stores in the big cities.

[reeneebob]

One thing I never understood is that with the sheer number of handsets they gave away to people who attended launches (which promptly ended up on ebay heh) why BB didn't give phones to retail staff in wireless corporate locations. Let them have one to activate on their personal lines (since we don't get incentives off hardware, unless we have an upgrade available we won't be getting the phone). We are the front line people. I can tell you that owning a GS3 and having it in my pocket is the best weapon for me to sell a gs3, and if someone is interested in the 3 it's out of my pocket pretty darn quick. I would love a z10 and would have no issue activating one on my account, but I'm not signing up for a new contract for one.

New phone launch means it's gonna be a loooooong weekend on the forums. *duck and cover using Tapatalk2*

[wasabiGT]

Totally agree with you. It helps to sell devices so much easier with a working model in hand. I used to do the same thing when I had my SGS3. Now I do it with my Z10

One thing I never understood is that with the sheer number of handsets they gave away to people who attended launches (which promptly ended up on ebay heh) why BB didn't give phones to retail staff in wireless corporate locations. Let them have one to activate on their personal lines (since we don't get incentives off hardware, unless we have an upgrade available we won't be getting the phone). We are the front line people. I can tell you that owning a GS3 and having it in my pocket is the best weapon for me to sell a gs3, and if someone is interested in the 3 it's out of my pocket pretty darn quick. I would love a z10 and would have no issue activating one on my account, but I'm not signing up for a new contract for one.

New phone launch means it's gonna be a loooooong weekend on the forums. *duck and cover using Tapatalk2*

[foxce]

As I was declining my purchase of the Z10 ( because it only holds 30 days of emails) a "Blackberry" rep came into the AT&T store. When I asked him about this deal breaking concern of mine he said "30 days of email is not a big concern for us". As the AT&T sales rep and myself were asking him questions he did not seem very knowledgeable about the product. In fact he suddenly had to be somewhere else to be. As he was leaving the store this the AT&T sales rep said "we must have scared him off".

[Wilsonia Goldens]

"If Blackberry intends to do well in the USA, they need to be much more aggressive about getting the sales team properly trained for the device and willing to show customers the basics..."
It is not Blackberry it is the carriers who need to send their CEO on "Undercover Boss" so that they can actually see what is going on in their stores.
I am disappointed with the Z10 keyboard. Try typing "Bowater" and then add a space and go on to the next word. Blocking out the space key and trying to make you type a word that you do not want is a useless and time consuming feature. I hope in an OS update they fix it or let the user turn it off.

[kupfernigk]

This is a good point about sliders. I was disappointed with the 9810 which turned out to be nowhere as good as my webOS Pre 3, and I would have got a 9900 but for the lack of autofocus on the camera (I use the camera a lot to record notes) and the screen size.
I'm waiting to get some hands on time with a Q10, because I think it should work really well. The screen is the same size as the one on a professional camera like a Hasselblad, which should be big enough, the keyboard is much bigger than the ones on the Torch or the Pre, and the thing just isn't as oversized as the new Androids.
Video? I have a tablet for that.

[kjvella]

Went to the store in Ridgeland, Ms. One person was activating a Z10. Another was shopping for one. Tried the device. Awesome screen and very easy to use!

[len5]

I've never encountered a wireless provider store staffer that knew anything more than the very basic operation of any phone unless that staffer personally owns said phone. Today's store employees just don't take any pride in knowing the products they sell. Heck, I've even encountered Apple Store "geniuses" that didn't even know how much memory comes standard in a laptop they sell.

Like I've said before, the buyer should do all their research BEFORE going to one of these stores and not depend on anything the store employee tells them.

[mdlissner]

Finally got my hands on the z10. Very nice build - liked the touch screen keyboard very much. Don't have an upgrade until September, will depend on where the infrastructure of apps is for BB10 at that time.

Device seems very well made, screen is excellent, good browser.

[johnprague]

I got my Z10 yesterday at a local Best Buy. No rep, no one knew anything about the phone, no nothing. Got the phone activated and was on my way to learn it on my own. Yesterday was the first day for BB10 in Atlanta. Best Buy had 5 phones to sell. I ordered mine a week ago and had an appointment to get it. I seriously thought there would be others there to get theirs but no. I was THE only customer there and the very first to purchase a 10. Blackberry's marketing is really off. Apple and Samsung are everywhere but I've only seen one random Blackberry ad on TV, nothing in print that I've seen and neither Best Buy nor AT&T have anything on display. If BB is to survive they need to pick up the pace. I would think that the US market will or could be their biggest market so why not advertise more?

Regarding the device it is good so far except for the incredible lack of apps. The touch screen is fine and the keyboard is better than I thought and frankly I find it easier than the iPhone keyboard.

I'm not crazy about all the swiping - up, down, side to side. I prefer the touch screen on my Torch for that. Highlighting multiple emails to delete at one time was easier. On the 10 it's touch, slide, touch, go back to highlight, delete. Time consuming to say the least. And not having the delete from handheld option scares me a bit. I'm just leaving everything there for the time being.