[the_boon]

Anyone here bought the Surface Duo? You may want check yours, the plastic around your charging port, seems Microsoft cheaped out on it:
Early adopters see cracks in the plastic around Microsoft Surface Duo's USB-C port

https://m.gsmarena.com/users_report_...news-45652.php

[IMG=1024x783]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201006/7fdd6c3325ead32a7e94881aaac0b9e2.jpg[/url]


Microsoft are really having a good laugh here, issues with lag and poor software, now build quality issues not even 2 months in at $1400, ridiculous.

That's very unfortunate, it seems like this could have easily been avoided.

[Tsepz_GP]

So I have been playing with a particular foldable for the last few days and I am loving it though it does need some work, I love where they are going with these and the Z Fold 2. Typing on it while unfolded is something I think some here would appreciate over the vertical glass slabs to.

Web browsing and reading emails has been pure joy on this to! For those who don't know it this is a Huawei Mate Xs. You can even overlay something like a Calculator or File Manager over whatever app you are in much like on pc without completely intruding your current app, really like this.





Folded vs Unfolded



Going to have the device with me for a little while so let me know if you guys have any questions!

[bh7171]

So I have been playing with a particular foldable for the last few days and I am loving it though it does need some work, I love where they are going with these and the Z Fold 2. Typing on it while unfolded is something I think some here would appreciate over the vertical glass slabs to.

Web browsing and reading emails has been pure joy on this to! For those who don't know it this is a Huawei Mate Xs. You can even overlay something like a Calculator or File Manager over whatever app you are in much like on pc without completely intruding your current app, really like this.



[IMG=4032x3024]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/769167b228c01600db9f5e98a93decc6.jpg[/url][IMG=4032x3024]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/a552aebf1fedfe6173426bd56af6c4c6.jpg[/url][IMG=2480x2200]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/d181dfa1fd5ca2fdf812d103586542c1.jpg[/url][IMG=2480x2200]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/e2f9d0d80b582115fdf5b3e96e6ce4b8.jpg[/url]

Folded vs Unfolded

[IMG=2048x1536]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/a64e1efa28f0e44c8d446efc70853282.jpg[/url][IMG=2048x1536]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/0061a3768451ef70a3991110dd28463c.jpg[/url]

Going to have the device with me for a little while so let me know if you guys have any questions!

Cool stuff! Always fun checking out new tech. Here in NA (I am in US believe you reaide in South Africa) Huawei is a no go. I definitely can see use cases for the foldable devices. Mr. Mobile and others are pretty stoked on the newly released Galaxy Fold 2.

I am curious if there are any BlackBerry fans that picked up a Duo and how things are rolling with the newly released patch and updates. When these things drop in price I would dig snagging one and rolling with it for a while.

[Tsepz_GP]

Cool stuff! Always fun checking out new stuff. Here in NA (I am in US believe you reaide in South Africa) Huawei is a no go. I definitely can see use cases for the foldable devices. Mr. Mobile and others are pretty stoked on the newly released Galaxy Fold 2.

I am curious if there are any BlackBerry fans that picked up a Duo and how things are rolling with the newly released patch and updates. When these things drop in price I would dig snagging one and rolling with it for a while.

Lol, yeah I have heard from friends staying in the USA. You may need to check Reddit maybe there are some ex BB users using the Duo there.

Erica Griffin did a good job comparing the Duo with Z Fold 2, very nicely balanced

[the_boon]

So I have been playing with a particular foldable for the last few days and I am loving it though it does need some work, I love where they are going with these and the Z Fold 2. Typing on it while unfolded is something I think some here would appreciate over the vertical glass slabs to.

Web browsing and reading emails has been pure joy on this to! For those who don't know it this is a Huawei Mate Xs. You can even overlay something like a Calculator or File Manager over whatever app you are in much like on pc without completely intruding your current app, really like this.



[IMG=4032x3024]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/769167b228c01600db9f5e98a93decc6.jpg[/url][IMG=4032x3024]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/a552aebf1fedfe6173426bd56af6c4c6.jpg[/url][IMG=2480x2200]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/d181dfa1fd5ca2fdf812d103586542c1.jpg[/url][IMG=2480x2200]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/e2f9d0d80b582115fdf5b3e96e6ce4b8.jpg[/url]

Folded vs Unfolded

[IMG=2048x1536]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/a64e1efa28f0e44c8d446efc70853282.jpg[/url][IMG=2048x1536]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201016/0061a3768451ef70a3991110dd28463c.jpg[/url]

Going to have the device with me for a little while so let me know if you guys have any questions!

Nice!

I have one big question:

Is the accuracy/typing experience when typing using 10 fingers on the big VKB even close to that of a laptop's PKB?

[bh7171]

Lol, yeah I have heard from friends staying in the USA. You may need to check Reddit maybe there are some ex BB users using the Duo there.

Erica Griffin did a good job comparing the Duo with Z Fold 2, very nicely balanced

Excellent review and comparison. So glad to see those learning to multitask with these types of devices demonstrating their strengths and foibles. Looks like the Duo has dealt successfully with issues in the pre released software. The initial set up fixed pre release and now they are honing in. I am one that likes Samsung all touch devices and owns an excellent A71 5G but if I was putting money out on a dual screen it would be the Duo type layout and build I would purchase. Now I am even more excited for price drops on the OG Duo. I find it absolutely HILARIOUS Daniel Bader just heaped massive praise on the Pixel 5G at 799 with the 765G chip like my A71 5G but early reviews on Duo were so harsh on Microsoft using the 855. The tech pundits are serious head scratchers. This gal seems to have zero lag or slowdowns in her demonstration.

[conite]

I find it absolutely HILARIOUS Daniel Bader just heaped massive praise on the Pixel 5G at 799 with the 765G chip like my A71 5G but early reviews on Duo were so harsh on Microsoft using the 855. The tech pundits are serious head scratchers. This gal seems to have zero lag or slowdowns in her demonstration.

Very different animals though. There is massive processing required to handle all of the screen resizing and orientation issues. The Duo could get bogged down pretty fast if under load. I'm not saying that the 855 shouldn't necessarily be enough - but many reviewers have had concerns.

Correction: Pixel 5 is $699 usd, and $799 can.

[bh7171]

Very different animals though. There is massive processing required to handle all of the screen resizing and orientation issues. The Duo could get bogged down pretty fast if under load. I'm not saying that the 855 shouldn't necessarily be enough - but many reviewers have had concerns.

Correction: Pixel 5 is $699 usd, and $799 can.

I didn't see any lag in that gals demo??

The Pixel 5G is a very strange value proposition with the 4a 5G at $499, like the A71 5G. One can get all the performance of the 765G for 200 less and the S20 FE is similarly priced not on sale and has been down to $549 with the 865 AND that's before any trade in value.

The Duo, unfortunately was released with bugs and in an era where the really expensive, premium devices have been drastically overpriced especially in the midst of a pandemic.

[conite]

I didn't see any lag in that gals demo??

The Pixel 5G is a very strange value proposition with the 4a 5G at $499, like the A71 5G. One can get all the performance of the 765G for 200 less and the S20 FE is similarly priced not on sale and has been down to $549 with the 865 AND that's before any trade in value.

The Duo, unfortunately was released with bugs and in an era where the really expensive, premium devices have been drastically overpriced especially in the midst of a pandemic.

The value proposition between the 4a 5G and the 5 is quite different in Canada. The two phones are $679 and $799 respectively - equivalent to $499 and $599 usd. So the 5 is only $100 usd more.

The 90Hz GG6 screen, the extra 2GB ram, the aluminum frame, and the IP rating make it a no-brainer.

I'm not a fan of Samsung personally, so the S20 FE is not on the table.

[Tsepz_GP]

I didn't see any lag in that gals demo??

The Pixel 5G is a very strange value proposition with the 4a 5G at $499, like the A71 5G. One can get all the performance of the 765G for 200 less and the S20 FE is similarly priced not on sale and has been down to $549 with the 865 AND that's before any trade in value.

The Duo, unfortunately was released with bugs and in an era where the really expensive, premium devices have been drastically overpriced especially in the midst of a pandemic.

Part of the issue I am seeing is that many Surface Duo users are using them as secondary devices, and not as their main device and this makes it harder to justify its price. I am following r/Surfaceduo on Reddit and a lot of them loving it but using it only as a secondary device. Some are even returning it despite loving it because it just isn’t correct as a main device.

It’s an interesting yet awkward device it seems.

[Chuck Finley69]

Part of the issue I am seeing is that many Surface Duo users are using them as secondary devices, and not as their main device and this makes it harder to justify its price. I am following r/Surfaceduo on Reddit and a lot of them loving it but using it only as a secondary device. Some are even returning it despite loving it because it just isn’t correct as a main device.

It’s an interesting yet awkward device it seems.

It’s like when people ask for Android Passport that seems like a good idea but then you have one and discover the law of unintended consequences.

[the_boon]

It’s like when people ask for Android Passport that seems like a good idea but then you have one and discover the law of unintended consequences.

What "consequences" would an Android Passport bring?

I didn't see much complaining about app aspect ratio incompatibility with the Unihertz Titan.

If anything, it would be even better now than a few years ago now that there are aspect ratios close to square.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

What "consequences" would an Android Passport bring?

I didn't see much complaining about app aspect ratio incompatibility with the Unihertz Titan.

If anything, it would be even better now than a few years ago now that there are aspect ratios close to square.

Better yes.... still seems to be issues though.

Any news out of Unihertz about another PKB device, been months since they talked about it. Be nice if they'd move to a Qualcomm chip and dropped the ruggedized body.

[Chuck Finley69]

What "consequences" would an Android Passport bring?

I didn't see much complaining about app aspect ratio incompatibility with the Unihertz Titan.

If anything, it would be even better now than a few years ago now that there are aspect ratios close to square.

That it would be any different results than Q10/Classic sales versus the Passport since holdouts would still complain it ran BBAndroid or it wasn't the perfect Key2 successor with the identical dimensions of Passport itself.

The KEYone and Key2 were actually the best attempts to satisfy the 9000/9900 crowd and the Q10/Classic/Passport crowd with the years of internal BlackBerry sales data.

The Unihertz Titan size and weight dimensions were practically 8700/8800 era running Android like requested.

The point is simply, every attempt fails at making enough or any profits to be worth the effort. People expect 3-4 different specd models and prices from 2005, as if BlackBerry was generating the similar revenue as back then. Imagine OM creates the best possible single PKB device for the most probable actual purchasers and then also reveals that old BlackBerry success relies on the old BlackBerry SAF model for some kind of unique Enterprise software.

Can you imagine all the grumbling and prospects hoping to avoid paying, lets say $25USD/month???

[the_boon]

That it would be any different results than Q10/Classic sales versus the Passport since holdouts would still complain it ran BBAndroid or it wasn't the perfect Key2 successor with the identical dimensions of Passport itself.

The KEYone and Key2 were actually the best attempts to satisfy the 9000/9900 crowd and the Q10/Classic/Passport crowd with the years of internal BlackBerry sales data.

The Unihertz Titan size and weight dimensions were practically 8700/8800 era running Android like requested.

The point is simply, every attempt fails at making enough or any profits to be worth the effort. People expect 3-4 different specd models and prices from 2005, as if BlackBerry was generating the similar revenue as back then. Imagine OM creates the best possible single PKB device for the most probable actual purchasers and then also reveals that old BlackBerry success relies on the old BlackBerry SAF model for some kind of unique Enterprise software.

Can you imagine all the grumbling and prospects hoping to avoid paying, lets say $25USD/month???

That's completely not what I was talking about.

I was simply saying that the 1:1 aspect ratio of the Passport would work better now than it would have 5 years ago.

[conite]

That's completely not what I was talking about.

I was simply saying that the 1:1 aspect ratio of the Passport would work better now than it would have 5 years ago.

The 1:1 acceptance by Google is built around the push for tablets and giant foldables - not for screens 3.2" tall.

If anything, Android is now worse on a tiny screen than it was 5 years ago.

[Chuck Finley69]

That's completely not what I was talking about.

I was simply saying that the 1:1 aspect ratio of the Passport would work better now than it would have 5 years ago.

Which is pretty much irrelevant since the form would sell worse than traditional PKB external dimensions. When your business model can only support one device, Enterprise and Consumer offered surplus,
it won't be the added variable of the odd dimensions making the cut. That's of course BOA or some other Enterprise funds the order so OM carries no risk. Even then, it kills the carrier support.

[Grungni]

Nice!

I have one big question:

Is the accuracy/typing experience when typing using 10 fingers on the big VKB even close to that of a laptop's PKB?

No... Typing on glass is awful I have two slabs, a Huawei Mate 20x and a Nokia 9, I have tried to use these and do sat in my house on a Saturday morning but when I am replying to emails while sat on a train travelling from Nice to San Remo the KeyOne is my goto device... I don't care what Onward Mobility release and I don't care how much it costs it will be a day one purchase for me if it has a Blackberry PKB...

[Chuck Finley69]

No... Typing on glass is awful I have two slabs, a Huawei Mate 20x and a Nokia 9, I have tried to use these and do sat in my house on a Saturday morning but when I am replying to emails while sat on a train travelling from Nice to San Remo the KeyOne is my goto device... I don't care what Onward Mobility release and I don't care how much it costs it will be a day one purchase for me if it has a Blackberry PKB...

What if just a PKB with a BlackBerry sticker to pay least amount for IP licensing?

[the_boon]

What if just a PKB with a BlackBerry sticker to pay least amount for IP licensing?

You mean like the KEYBerry's ?

[the_boon]

No... Typing on glass is awful I have two slabs, a Huawei Mate 20x and a Nokia 9, I have tried to use these and do sat in my house on a Saturday morning but when I am replying to emails while sat on a train travelling from Nice to San Remo the KeyOne is my goto device... I don't care what Onward Mobility release and I don't care how much it costs it will be a day one purchase for me if it has a Blackberry PKB...

I'm the last person to convince that typing on glass is a lousy experience compared to real keys.

I wanted to get @Tsepz_GP 's opinion on how 10-finger PC style typing on that device feels.

[Grungni]

What if just a PKB with a BlackBerry sticker to pay least amount for IP licensing?

I would rather have the BlackBerry format keyboard as I think the layout cannot be improved upon once you have trained yourself of course... I find I can type while just looking at the screen most of the time... I just hope Onward Mobility release a phone every three years that way they can maximise sales as hopefully fans will buy the new device as support ends for the old one...

[Chuck Finley69]

You mean like the KEYBerry's ?

No, because the KEYone and Key2 were real BB PKB licensed. You can see that against non-BB licensed PKB hardware of last ten years. I mean like a Unihertz Titan copy buy witb a BB sticker.

[Grungni]

I'm the last person to convince that typing on glass is a lousy experience compared to real keys.

I wanted to get @Tsepz_GP 's opinion on how 10-finger PC style typing on that device feels.

My post was one of support I have noted your preference for the PKB in these forums and elsewhere... I was thinking of buying a fold 2 in the vain hope that it might improve typing on glass... But following OM's announcement I will stick with my trusty KeyOne BE until they release their phone...

[the_boon]

My post was one of support I have noted your preference for the PKB in these forums and elsewhere... I was thinking of buying a fold 2 in the vain hope that it might improve typing on glass... But following OM's announcement I will stick with my trusty KeyOne BE until they release their phone...

Well the Fold 2 sure seems enticing as it's a new/different form factor which essentially blends smartphone and mini tablet in one single pocketable device. I've also been seriously thinking about it (as it would make for a killer dual combo) but then I'd have to sell both my KEY2's to afford it which is a big no-no for me.

I'm not sure to what extent the VKB typing experience would be improved on an opened Fold, it seems like the thumbs may have to stretch a bit to reach the virtual keys in the center.
As for the outer display, that's gonna be a one-handed swipe only type of thing, you don't want to two-hand peck at the thing, seeing how narrow it is.