[ceckland]

So, I was in the city today (NYC), and I figured that I'd stop by the Verizon outlet by Times Square to see the Z30 in person (alright, I've been planning on this and couldn't help myself), figuring that if any of the outlets had one on display, or any in stock, this would be the one.

I was greeted as I walked in, as is expected, by a sales rep. She informed me that they only had the Z10 and the Q10-- I don't even think she knew what the Z30 was (she definitely didn't know that it was launch day), and she told me that, since this was the flagship store, none of the others would have it-- she also informed me that both "10 series" devices (my term, not hers) would be in back. Well, since I'm well aware of just how knowledgeable reps tend to be about BlackBerry devices, I decided to check it out for myself. There it was, sitting on the back shelf, without so much as a poster--or even a sticker labeling it as new-- right next to the Q10 (They had no Z10s on display). There's both a dummy and a real model on the shelf.

First thing's first:
Model: STA 100-3
Software: 10.2.0.262
OS: 10.2.0.1233

My impressions:
It's big. I have very small hands (short fingers would be more accurate). It was tough to get an accurate feel for the one-handed typing experience because of the tether and lock on the back, but even so, I was able to manage. The leftmost row was a bit of a reach, though. I would have liked to have been able to try it without the tether system, but I was told I'd need to purchase it first. Personally, for one-handed use, my Z10 feels better, but I want to emphasize that the tether was in the way and very annoying and that I have short fingers. For two-handed typing, it was better than the Z10.

The screen is nice, in my opinion -- contrary to some posts on here, and I did do aide by side comparisons with my Z10. It's not quite as clear as the one on the Z10, but it's infinitely close. I played around with the brightness as well, and it didn't get as bright either. That being said, I think the "whiteness settings" on the 10.2.1.xxxx OS might solve this. My impression was also thrown off by the size of the tiles for running apps-- they're much bigger than on the Z10, and that and the Hub (still white with this OS) were the only ppi comparisons I did (this is why it would have been nice to play with the whiteness settings). I'd like to point out that the color depth/contrast was significantly better.

The GPU and processor changea definitely make a difference, though. It was snappy and buttery smooth and it made me jealous.

The form factor felt great, and the build quality was excellent. It didn't seem as heavy as some reviews would have you believe.

Looks like a great device. If I had an upgrade and wasn't stuck on AT&T I might have grabbed one, although I do like slightly smaller phones like the Z10 rather than bigger ones.

Also -- someone else was interested in buying one!

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[pkcable]

[mrfreeze]

Thanks for your story. I get mine in the next 2 Bus days, I had to order it. I will be keeping my Z10 for testing leaks and to work with on some minor Apps I am building.

I am tall guy and have fairly long fingered hands and feel like the Z30 is a better fit in my hand. The Z10 would be a better fit in my wifes hands, so I understand that. Too bad she likes her iPhone 5s....

[Karan Mohal]

Regarding your experience in the Verison outlet; I have to say im not surprised... Im in Canada, and I frequent cellphone outlets while walking around on a break from work etc; I always like to check out whats new etc... I would say 9 times out of 10, the sales reps are absolutely clueless about blackberry... every now and then you'll get the odd rep that knows a little about it, but the vast majority of the time, nothing. If you walk into a store and pretend to know nothing about cell phones, they'll talk to you about the iphone, android, sometimes windows phone... they'll never mention blackberry... if you ASK about a berry, most of the time you get an almost suprised look on their face (keep in mind these are usually 16 - 15 year old kids) and then a look of almost "why are you asking me about blackberry's?" And naturally, they have very little to say about them, as they're likely not too informed about them...

I think blackberry needs to be sending out reps to these outlets and talking to the sales people, showing the sales people what the phones can do. I think this would have a real impact on sales. I'll explain why. I used to work in a commission sales job, I sold home appliances (washing machines etc) ... I basically had no clue about these products when I started this job, and as such, when selling these units, I basically always recommeded the most popular (highest selling) unit to everyone... my logic was, its selling well, not many returns, it must be a good product. A few months into my job, a sales rep from Panasonic came to talk to us (the sales crew) about their new line of products. He showed us what was different about them, and explained their features... Now, armed with some good info on these products, I found myself recommending (and selling) much more Panasonic product... Same went for the other sales reps. That Panasonic rep took 1 hour to talk to us, and the result was immediate and profound in Panasonic sales from our outlet. Thats impressive for an hour of work. I think if these sales reps were more informed, it could go a long way... People quite often take the advice from sales reps as if the sales reps were authorities on whatever they are selling (which, trust me, they usually are not) ... People LISTEN to sales reps. My co worker came in yesterday with a new iPhone... when i asked her why she chose that phone? Her response: "The guy said it was the best one."

Inform and butter up the sales reps, blackberry... it could help... def cant hurt.

[mopar_fxr]

Thanks for your story. I get mine in the next 2 Bus days, I had to order it. I will be keeping my Z10 for testing leaks and to work with on some minor Apps I am building.

I am tall guy and have fairly long fingered hands and feel like the Z30 is a better fit in my hand. The Z10 would be a better fit in my wifes hands, so I understand that. Too bad she likes her iPhone 5s....

Same boat... so ordered a white z10 to try and help her sway hahaha... we shall see in a few business days

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