[kbz1960]

If you have nothing different to show, how can you say this keyboard is better than all the rest?

Did they say the Q10's qwerty is better than all other qwerty kb's including their own?

[raysgrumpy]

My first 3 smartphones were Blackberry's and my last 3 have been Android. I saw some interesting things today, but I didn't see anything that would sway many people from Android or IOS to Blackberry. If this was released 3 years ago, I would probably still be using a Blackberry. I'm not trying to bash it, but waiting sooo long for a new product and not having it available in the states for 2 months is crazy. You can blame the carriers all you want, but Blackberry has had more than enough time to get this right.

[FSeverino]

On a qwerty? I don't know, my guess is maybe it doesn't.

well... if it was SHOWN TO US we would know
that was the point. lol

[FlashFlare11]

I actually found that RIM put on a pretty good show. They made it clear that this was just more than a product launch; it was a revamp of the entire company. I also liked how Heins thanked his predecessors because they laid the foundation for BB10. I was afraid that at some point during the show, Heins was going to announce a hardware partner, but I'm glad he didn't.

I didn't foresee the renaming of the the company, but I found that moment when he announced that RIM was becoming BlackBerry to be quite epic. It signalled that they really are going all-in with BB10.

[FSeverino]

I actually found that RIM put on a pretty good show. They made it clear that this was just more than a product launch; it was a revamp of the entire company. I also liked how Heins thanked his predecessors because they laid the foundation for BB10. I was afraid that at some point during the show, Heins was going to announce a hardware partner, but I'm glad he didn't.

I didn't foresee the renaming of the the company, but I found that moment when he announced that RIM was becoming BlackBerry to be quite epic. It signalled that they really are going all-in with BB10.

yea that feeling was great... but downhill fast from there.

[kbz1960]

well... if it was SHOWN TO US we would know
that was the point. lol

From reading around. The qwerty isn't ready for prime time.

[kbz1960]

I'm surprised at changing the company name to BlackBerry. In the USA if you mention BlackBerry to someone it doesn't go over well. Hope they know what they are doing.

[shemaree09]

A lot of the features you mentioned were talked about in the beginning montage.

They showed the browser and how the guy ignored a message or whatever. I mean what are they supposed to really show about it? Its fast....so are many other OS browsers too these days.

NFC is not popular yet. It would be a waste of time to go over that.

They talked about the keyboard too and showed video in BBM.

If Apple gave this exact presentation, everyone would be talking about Apple's amazing features!

Give Blackberry a break! They did a good job and a lot of people are interested (at least from what I've seen on twitter).

[shemaree09]

I'm surprised at changing the company name to BlackBerry. In the USA if you mention BlackBerry to someone it doesn't go over well. Hope they know what they are doing.

I thought this too, but many people rarely refer to them as RIM these days.

I bet most people don't even know what it stands for. Everyone knows what Blackberry is though. They have a lot of work to do to change their image in the U.S.

[FSeverino]

just want to mention that I added this to the initial post, to try and get the thread back on topic

I really think it is important to say that I think BB10 WILL WORK. Like Thor said, this is the STARTING LINE... the point of this thread was to try and get a 'what do we have to do now' in order to reach a FINISH LINE where BB is once again competitive.

[Fr3lncr]

I agree with the OP. With the amount of time they had to prepare for this thing, they could have and should have done better. Unfortunate. I wonder how future marketing efforts will be as I don't see today's as being a true success.

I guess I'll just have to get one and put it through its paces to see its strengths and weaknesses.

[anon(19759)]

I think the whole thing felt uncomfortable. How many times did Thorsten look at the other dude with a blank look like he didn't know what to do next? Did they not rehearse this at all?

They are putting too much faith in flow as opposed to just having great apps that work well, innovative features/functions. Did someone say the home button is such a bad thing on Android and iOS? Also, I can see it now - walking into Verizon and looking at these and asking the dumb reps questions about how to use it. They'll say they have no idea or that the customer should be looking at an iPhone anyhow since it's the best. Probably be even worse at Best Buy. If BlackBerry doesn't put dedicated sales people on the floor at every carrier and retail store, this will be a huge failure. It's a completely new way to operate a smartphone and the common buyer will walk away once they can't figure out how to navigate the device ui. It's not intuitive. I'm really disappointed in this entire launch effort from BlackBerry. They should have held up applause signs for the audience.

Speaking of awkward, has Kevin never been in front of a camera before? And that host? Is he friends with Billy Bush or something? Horrible showing all around, from open to close. Really disappointing.

[Majestic Lion]

I generally agree with you, but I don't think you can deny that kevin et al definitely seemed to indicate that we were going to be wowed with stuff we haven't seen yet; and not only did that not happen but there seems to be an awful lot of "wow" that we *have* already seen that wasn't shown. I've heard that understatement is a canadian virtue (and we weren't looking for something 'jobsian') but it just seemed like they could have been more . . . comprehensive (?).

As much as I've enjoyed this site and found it useful, again: strict management of expectations. To accurately do that you have to be honest with yourself. The entire site is a hype machine. Mr Michaluk's job is Chief Media Officer. It's his job to keep the hype machine going. That's all well and good, he and the other folks in charge around here have a passion for it and it shows; furthermore, what with the-company-formerly-known-as-RIM being the colossal dope in PR circles that it has insisted on being, the job cannot possibly be an easy one. Still, this isn't Blackberry.com...so all the hype-machine antics that go on around here isn't necessarily a reflection of the actual company's approach. I adjust my expectations accordingly.

As to RIM/Blackberry's "Canadian-ness"...meh. That's as may be, personally I wouldn't like to see them transform into some soulless company, but they aren't some mom-and-pop store either. You're a multinational publicly-traded company with a responsibility to not just make good products but to market them(and yourself!) effectively. That last part has yet to be seen.

[mikeo007]

On a qwerty? I don't know, my guess is maybe it doesn't.

It kind of does it: BlackBerry Q10 hands-on

Skip to the video at the bottom to see them use the keyboard.

[FSeverino]

It kind of does it: BlackBerry Q10 hands-on

Skip to the video at the bottom to see them use the keyboard.

i dont see it... what time exactly?

[kbz1960]

Why do most of these videos look like someone that is scitzo is doing them?

[mikeo007]

i dont see it... what time exactly?

Near the end, maybe around 3:00? He mentions the next word suggestion, I think it's when he's typing engadget.com

[kbz1960]

All I see is a bunch of touching the screen like a mad man bouncing around everywhere.

[njblackberry]

I was in New York for the launch event. Sat about 25' away from Kevin's awkward shearing.
The place was low intensity. WAY too much build up on all the special things that were going to be announced.
Was it a decent launch. Yes. But Thorsten Heins will never be mistaken for (gasp) Steve Jobs and the audience was not a bunch of hyped-up Apple fans (although they may be hyper-connected - sigh). It was decidedly low key. Several awkward pauses where applause was expected, I think.

The devices will have to sell themselves. Kevin can't (especially without his pony tail - just kidding folks, don't get the pitchforks out). Alicia Keys will appear to the teen age market - a very important one for RIM. BES 10 (not mentioned) will have to appeal to the Enterprise.

The Z10 is nice. It's a good start. Getting used to it. I figure a one week learning curve. The Q10 - which we were allowed to see but not touch - looks great. Seriously wish that was available now.

Was it a great launch. No. Did it meet overinflated expectations, no. After reading this thread about the browser I realized that I was busy loading music and setting the device up. I hadn't touched the browser. It is fast. Not enough time with it yet to decide if it is the greatest browser ever

[zeteo]

I watched the entire thing. It was a horrible presentation! Watch the stock fall! Thorston may be a great business man, but he is a horrific public speaker. Too little too late. I really think the presentation was pathetic. I will probably be sticking with my iPhone. Not enough there for me to give my easy access to Apple stores and service.

[dangerousfen]

How come no person from the Crackberry team has entertained any of the many threads on this issue. Come on Kevin, your input here would be useful and interesting.

[mikeo007]

All I see is a bunch of touching the screen like a mad man bouncing around everywhere.

[FSeverino]

that is nothing like the touch

[mikeo007]

that is nothing like the touch

Well what did you expect? You want the physical keys to transform into the suggested words?

[kbz1960]

How many people actually knew anything about the presentation today or even bothered to watch it? I'm thinking your average consumer knew nothing about it and probably didn't care.