[darkehawke]

These guys are the most impartial I have found when it comes to reviews. So I tend to listen to them. They have previewed the passport and given an honest assessment. It has done better then I thought.
Have a read and to the fanatics, there are times when they take humorous digs but they do that with all devices.

BlackBerry Passport | TechRadar

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[RubberChicken76]

Thanks. I love impartial reviews, be they positive or negative where they simply look at "the facts".

I doubt I'll even bother with Techcrunch's review. Reading Darrell Etherington's smarmy review of the keynote as it unfolded tells you how biased he is.

[bbzak]

A very good review.
Thanks for sharing here.

It is very rare that we find impartial reviews in the world of technology brands these days.

[primusd]

I doubt I'll even bother with Techcrunch's review. Reading Darrell Etherington's smarmy review of the keynote as it unfolded tells you how biased he is.

TechRadar, not TechCrunch.

Its a decent pre-review I thought...

[darkehawke]

TechRadar, not TechCrunch.

Its a decent pre-review I thought...

I don't think they were referring to the linked article in this case

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[darkehawke]

A very good review.
Thanks for sharing here.

It is very rare that we find impartial reviews in the world of technology brands these days.

It is really hard. Tech radar does the best job so far but they are not infallible. I have to say though that they never bash a product simply because of what it is unlike some sites

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[RubberChicken76]

TechRadar, not TechCrunch.

Its a decent pre-review I thought...

Quite aware.

[kazza295]

The Engadget review is also ok and the comments are also mainly positive which is very strange for a blackberry article. People seem to be genuinely intrigued by the passport which I was not expecting.

[RubberChicken76]

People seem to be genuinely intrigued by the passport which I was not expecting.

Me either. There was an interesting point by one of the analysts I read that this is potentially a good thing because it's not trying to follow everything else. Love the look/hate the look, it does stick out in a crowd of rectangular glass slabs.

[Banco]

As has been pointed out elsewhere, it's a Marmite device, so it's not going to get an array of glowing reviews when half the people can't stand the form factor. It has got attention and intrigued quite a few though.

Posted via CB10

[scottishchris]

Engadget was okay, I didn't understand some of his closing paragraph though: "That said, I have plenty of reservations: I'm not sold on BlackBerry's solution to the phone's one-handed dilemma"

BlackBerry clearly designed the Passport as a two handed device (for the most part), not as a solution to the one handed problem.

[theegoldenone]

Yeah, it seems like the reviews have not taken the consideration of this model being geared towards business use. They are most definitely stuck in the popular slab box.

Posted via CB10

[darkehawke]

Yeah, it seems like the reviews have not taken the consideration of this model being geared towards business use. They are most definitely stuck in the popular slab box.

Posted via CB10

The article clearly addressed that. They also recognised that as a result it will not appeal to all.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[YadHg]

Almost all reviews I've seen have been on the good side, except as usual The Verge. They have been really specific on the type of person that is designed for and of course the BlackBerry diehard.

Hardcore BlackBerry 'er

[KasukeSadiki]

Engadget was okay, I didn't understand some of his closing paragraph though: "That said, I have plenty of reservations: I'm not sold on BlackBerry's solution to the phone's one-handed dilemma"

BlackBerry clearly designed the Passport as a two handed device (for the most part), not as a solution to the one handed problem.

What the author meant was that he/she is not convinced by Blackberry's advice that using the phone sideways with the keyboard acting as a scroll bar is a good solution for one-handed use.

[theegoldenone]

The article clearly addressed that. They also recognised that as a result it will not appeal to all.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

I wasn't talking about this article specifically. Just most of the reviews I've seen so far.

Posted via CB10

[scottishchris]

What the author meant was that he/she is not convinced by Blackberry's advice that using the phone sideways with the keyboard acting as a scroll bar is a good solution for one-handed use.

Maybe I'm wrong but I felt their complaint was that they couldn't use one-hand to operate effectively. Perhaps the other articles that I've read today (complaining about one handed use) have me off on the wrong track.

CB10 on a Z10

[THBW]

Maybe I'm wrong but I felt their complaint was that they couldn't use one-hand to operate effectively. Perhaps the other articles that I've read today (complaining about one handed use) have me off on the wrong track.

CB10 on a Z10

I don't think one can in any seriousness claim that the iPhone 6 is designed for one handed use. Seems like a moot point.

Posted via CB10

[darkehawke]

I don't think one can in any seriousness claim that the iPhone 6 is designed for one handed use. Seems like a moot point.

Posted via CB10

It is? Or are you referring to the 6 plus?

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[ubizmo]

It's a decent review, but it's a pet peeve of mine when the word "media" is used to refer simply to video.

Media in general doesn't really hold up on the 1:1 screen. Movies are well reproduced on the 1440 x 1400 screen, chiefly because of the massive 453 pixel density. But there's no getting away from the letterbox lines that appear on the top and bottom of the screen.

Grrrr.... "Media in general"? Still photographs are media, and I see no reason (certainly nothing in the review) to indicate that viewing them on the Passport "doesn't hold up." Ebooks are media!

BlackBerry is betting that you'll be using the Passport for checking spreadsheets, office documents, ebooks, presentations and full-scale websites.

These are all media, as are music, podcasts, and audiobooks! So when they say "Media in general doesn't [sic] hold up on the 1:1 screen," they really just mean video and, by implication, video gaming. And they fail to mention that the letterboxed video will be comparable in size to what you see on a Z10 or iPhone 5--between the two, in fact. Do they claim that "media doesn't hold up" on those devices?

Yes, it's a small point, but I think one purpose of a good tech review should be to get at these points, for the benefit of prospective buyers. Absolutely they should point out that 16:9 video will be letterboxed, but they should also point out that even letterboxed that video will be comparable in size, and superior in resolution, to one of the most popular phones on the planet.

[Master of Surgery]

"And they fail to mention that the letterboxed video will be comparable in size to what you see on a Z10 or iPhone 5--between the two, in fact."


Wow. I had NO idea. Would love to see someone make that comparison.





Posted via CB10

[Bbnivende]

I don't think one can in any seriousness claim that the iPhone 6 is designed for one handed use. Seems like a moot point.

Posted via CB10

There is a iphone 6 and a 6 plus.

The iPhone 6 is 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm (5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 in)
Weight 129 g (4.55 oz)

The Z10 is 130 x 65.6 x 9 mm (5.12 x 2.58 x 0.35 in)
Weight 137.5 g (4.83 oz)

The Z30 is 140.7 x 72 x 9.4 mm (5.54 x 2.83 x 0.37 in)
Weight 170 g (6.00 oz)

The iPhone 6 Plus is 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 in)
Weight 172 g (6.07 oz)

The Passport is 128 x 90.3 x 9.3 mm (5.04 x 3.56 x 0.37 in)
Weight 194 g (6.84 oz)

It is the width and weight that poses problems for the Passport but I type and use a Nexus 7 which has these dimensions.

200 x 114 x 8.7 mm (7.87 x 4.49 x 0.34 in)
Weight 290 g (Wi-Fi), 299 g (LTE) (10.55 oz)

You adapt to what you use. Yes, no one handed action but that is not a big deal for me. The iPhone 6 is a well sized device in between the Z10 and Z30.

[Riddymon]

I agree with sentiments on the verge's review. It was horrible, like they went out their way to insult every aspect of the device.

Pimp slappin iGeeks and Droinerds with my Q10

[FobiddenRiceman]

I agree with sentiments on the verge's review. It was horrible, like they went out their way to insult every aspect of the device.

The verge is a childish and unprofessional website. A truly professional review of anything is an impartial one. The reviewer made up his mind even before he used the phone by thinking

'if it not an Iphone I won't like'.

From this viewpoint he's unfit to be reviewing anything phone related; they should have him reviewing headphones or tvs. Seriously you don't get someone who has bought every PlayStation and has never used an Xbox to review an Xbox One. Why becuase that will create a bias review, you get someone that has owned and used both systems and Nintendo systems too.

Posted via CB10

[WWBlondieDo]

<snip> And they fail to mention that the letterboxed video will be comparable in size to what you see on a Z10 or iPhone 5--between the two, in fact. Do they claim that "media doesn't hold up" on those devices?

Yes, it's a small point, but I think one purpose of a good tech review should be to get at these points, for the benefit of prospective buyers. Absolutely they should point out that 16:9 video will be letterboxed, but they should also point out that even letterboxed that video will be comparable in size, and superior in resolution, to one of the most popular phones on the planet.

This has been my issue with most reviews so far - even the pretty positive ones like Yahoo! state something similar and it is so misleading that it pisses me off.

Did anyone else read the WSJ review? It was HORRENDOUS. I can't believe that joke of a reporter put a slice of American cheese on the screen, first of all. Second of all, she mentions the camera once after complaining that Instagram isn't in Amazon (No, but iGran is in BBW) - and her throwaway sentence says the camera isn't good, anyways. Hi, did you even try it?!

Back on topic, this review is pretty impartial and well-balanced (again, except for the misleading paragraph about media/video). One thing, though - the reviewer says that some games don't fit right on the screen but Bla1ze's review mentioned a zoom option that should fix that. Do all these reviewers just jump in and write everything on the first day without even trying to learn how the OS/phone works?


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