Originally Posted by
AAG64 Having been a Blackberry users for many years until I bought my first iPhone (second generation), I was hugely excited at the prospect of going back to Blackberry with the release of Z10.
I liked what I heard in pre-release reports so much, I actually bought a few RIMM stock.
I should note I am a geek at heart and love technology. I am also a Canadian and badly want Blackberry to flourish again as it is a hugely important to the Canadian technology sector.
I live in the UK now and was able to get one of the first new Z10 units on their release.
This post is to explain why I think that the Z10 will struggle to entice iPhone users and might alienate some current Blackberry users.
To explain my conclusion, let me describe my experience with the device:
The Z10 is well built and feels great. The back cover seems very thin but it is a good surface that does not slide around which is a bonus.
Set up was easy. I was able to connect to Exchange server (owa) as well as a couple of IMAP accounts. All work well. My .me account (or iCloud) set up easily too but I am experiencing a problem with it... the Z10 keeps asking for me to re-enter the password several times a day and it is an annoying issue as you can not do anything with the device until you re-enter the password. The password bug seems to happen on the PlayBook as well, and with Gmail. Common fix is to delete the account and re-add it to the device. It happens to a small percentage of individuals, and I havent seen any clear reason as to why.
A significant limitation is the maximum of 30 days sync email accounts including Exchange. This is a show stopper. My IPhone also connects over owa but can access all emails on the server so I do not know why Blackberry has this limitation. I believe that once my company’s BES server is upgraded, I will be able to access older emails; not sure if I am stuck with 30 days with other email accounts. This is very similar to the pre-population limit on BES. This was previously set to 14 days, now set much higher. While it is certainly possible to sync more than 30 days of E-mails, I would wager that most people archive past that (I know I have to archive my Exchange mailbox every 7 days to keep it under the limit). This was likely a decision from BB to decrease the load on the server/device when activating a new BB10 device.
The address book is a wonder. It sucked photos, Twitter accounts, LinkedIn and other information automatically. Very impressive, although the down side is that my address book suddenly included those I follow on Twitter and LinkedIn connections which made it very crowded. I have now changed the settings to exclude contact sources I don't want so this is not an issue but an option which some might like. This is a valid point, but when going into the address book settings you can customize exactly what will show. You can also check the "Use cloud services" box to have your address book aggregate even more information.
The calendar is clever too. It aggregates information about meetings (related emails etc) which is handy. Impressive. This ties in very well to the HUB and Contact applications as well. I love it.
The browser is fast but not faster than the iPhone. The iPhone seems to fill the real estate better when playing videos and the Reader option on the iPhone is a great feature that makes reading some web pages easier than on the Z10. There is a reader option, and the Z10 shows more "true to form" pages, at least in my experience. The iPhone does render slightly faster, but with both on the same wifi you are talking a second at most in difference. I will wait a second for a better picture of the web. (I would suspect the javascript performance to be the differentiating factor here)
The virtual keyboard takes a while to get used to. Flicking words is an innovation but I find that it can slow you down as you pause to look for the right word to show up (if they show up). I am sure it gets better with use. I think as an iPhone user, it is an improvement but I wonder if those current Blackberry users will find it a suitable substitute to their beloved Blackberry physical keyboard. Of course they have the Q10 as an alternative but that device will have a smaller screen so it might be a compromise for some. On screen keyboards are generally slower than the physical keys. I can type 91 wpm (450-455cpm) on my physical keyboard devices, I am only around 60 wpm (300cpm) on a virtual keyboard. Still quite fast and that is without using predictive text. The device does learn how you type, and it will get much better at detecting letter presses and predicting words. Give it time.
Screen rotation lag on the Z10 is huge. It is so slow to be annoying. Blackberry needs to fix this fast. Fixed in an upcoming build. SIGNIFICANTLY faster
Bluetooth; paired with my car easily enough but it drops every 10 minutes (same car with iPhone = no issues). Seems to be a bug that needs to be fixed. I am also dropping calls but I can not blame the Z10 in good conscious. It might be a coincidence that I am experiencing more dropped calls. No issues with Bluetooth. Make sure it is trusted, and check your BT device for if it supports encryption. Worst case, delete and recreate the BT connection. Also call dropping I am not experiencing. Try reseating your SIM in the device as well as a hard reboot.
Some attachments (which happily open on the emails received on my iPhone) do not open on the Z10. Sometimes it is photos and sometimes it is Office documents. Same format files open on other occasions so I am not sure what the issue is. I have opened multiple attachments of all common types on the Z10, as well as VERY large ZIP file (238mb) over the network through the BES10 and work drives.
Battery life is woeful. Noticeably worse that the iPhone. I had hoped it will get better after a few cycles but it has not improved. I know you can replace the battery but it is pain to be worried about how much juice you have left by lunch time and have to carry a second battery. The battery gets better after a few days/weeks of use. Also make sure you use a high quality charger, the old BB chargers dont charge nearly as well.
Blackberry Link is temperamental. It fails to connect to the device frequently and transferring files is awkward. I found myself reaching for the iPhone instead to take a photo I need to transfer to my laptop rather than the Z10 because with the iPhone photos sync automatically. iTune match and cloud based access to my music, books etc is something I miss as well. Luckily, there is a Dropbox app for the Z10 so that helps somewhat. This has been addressed over the many posts. You can OTA sync these, sync via USB, or use network browsing to copy/move/etc your media files on the device.
I could not find a podcast app. Maybe one is coming but it is an issue in the short term for me. Also, I miss Skype (which I know is also coming). In fact the lack of apps is the biggest problem for me. I have many apps which I use infrequently but when I need them, they are much better than going through a browser. App world has podcast apps and Skype is coming as you said
I have many friends who have Blackberrys and they all tell me that they have all of the apps they need. But when I ask what apps they actually have and use, mostly they answer is very few. Perhaps the reason they do not use many apps is the limited choice they have in the first place. Perhaps they truly have no use for as many apps as I do but having used an iPhone for years now, I find this a huge gap on the Z10. For now. There IS an app difference absolutely, and the *same* apps may not be available. But BB is committed to bringing these to the platform, and hundreds/thousands release all the time. Browse through app world, install from PC to BB wirelessly and try out apps, you may find some that do what you need.
If you are not bothered with apps that much then what does the Z10 offer compared to older Blackberrys? As a mainly email device, the Z10 is not as good as any of the older, cheaper devices, in my view. You will have to explain this. I think the HUB is a huge step up, and being able to have all your information aggregated is fantastic.
BBM is a huge Blackberry feature. I used to use it and loved it. Now I have it back... but has it changed my life? No. I find no difference in using it compared to iMessage or texting (perhaps unlimited text plans are more of a European thing but that is what I have). BBM, today, is yet another ‘account’ in the tray and as not all of my contacts are on Blackberry, why would I use BBM for Blackberry users and text or iMessage for others? And my texts show when they are delivered and read... a feature that was a BBM exclusive at one time. WhatsApp is coming for cross platform messaging. iMessage is glorified texting to other devices, and copied many of the features of BBM. BBM also has voice and video chat over 3G/4G and WiFi now, and voice chat to other BB devices.
Maps. Not as good as the iPhone Google Maps app. Probably better than the native iPhone mapping app which is a beautifully rendered but inaccurate. There are MANY map updates coming this year alone. It was a basic release at first, but BB and the company are working on it.
Voice control. Probably as good as Siri but neither is a feature I find I used extensively. I agree with this, it recognizes my voice well, but not something I really use unless driving.
Camera. The burst feature is clever but as I find it messy to get photos off the Z10, I am not using the Z10 much for taking photos. Please see the transfer of media above
So... a device that does many things well. In some cases it does some things better. If I was not an iPhone user, I would find it a viable, quality device. But for iPhone users, especially those who use the Apple family of products, it does not do enough things better to compensate for the lack of apps and the added complexity of managing music, photos and documents outside the iCloud eco-system. This is entirely personal preference
Apple’s closed system brings a safety net that ensures that apps work, and means you can easily move from one device to another with your content following you. If you have a philosophical problem with Apple’s approach then this is not an issue for you... but if Blackberry is looking to attract Apple users back, I think it will struggle in this regard. BB is working on this, and their ecosystem wont be limited to desktop/tablet/smartphone, but I agree, as of now it seems very limited. When PB gets BB10 it will start to feel more complete.
With this device, Blackberry has caught up with the best available smart phones. But has it surpassed the, enough to attract someone like me? I think not. Personal preference
For current Blackberry users, I think many will love the device many will miss a few things from older Blackberrys. This is a power hungry device. It also uses much more data than older Blackberrys that use compression to transmit data did. They might also miss their physical keyboard until the Q10 comes out. But the Q10 will likely suffer from the same issues (power, data) so I am not convinced that they will love the Q10 either. Maybe they will. Q10 has a bigger battery, battery conscious theme setting and more screen real estate than any other QWERTY BB
For Blackberrys huge markets in emerging markets, this might be an expensive device that will eat up a lot of expensive data to be a big seller. BB7 devices will be sold here, as well as the lower cost BB10 devices coming
Overall, Blackberry did a good job with the Z10 and I wish the company all the best. Most of the issues I have outlined here will be fixed, I have no doubt, in future updates... except a critical mass point in terms of app choice will take a long time. I partially agree here, BB faces the same issue as Windows Phone here, and time will tell if they can keep up. Being able to port android apps quickly is helping BB alot.
Having come to a point where I have to decide which device to keep, I came to the conclusion that the most important thing for me is the overall experience. I do not want to side load apps or manually transfer photos and music... the convenience and safety offered by Apple is slick... I do not need more hassle in my life so I think I will stick with the iPhone. I am happy that Blackberry fans now have a device worthy of Blackberry’s heritage and innovation. Enjoy the Z10. BlackBerry Link does automatically sync your media to your PC, either wirelessly or when the device is connected via USB. And as for overall experience, that is a matter of personal preference, no one here can/should try to force you to take their point of view.
One Z10 used for 10 days is coming soon to an eBay store near you. Post your link in the buy sell trade forum for extra exposure, be sure to read the guidelines first!