[Raestloz]

First off:
I'm a BlackBerry fan

My first BlackBerry was Bold 9700, fell with it after a few days and I pre-ordered my Z10, despite the warnings from my sisters that I should get an S4. I used to use iPhone 3GS for 3 days, and to me it was an utter pile of excrement compared to Bold 9700. Considering that Bold 9700 only had 624 MHz CPU without any GPU whatsoever, that's saying something

I'm not an iSheep or Fandroid or whatever it is you call others this time. I hate iPhone, and I don't like Android.

A few months ago, my mom bought an iPad Mini. She wants to Skype, and our laptop, HP Presario V3000, is so sh**ty, HP offered recall on it. You can't Skype comfortably without WiFi, is what I'm saying. My mom doesn't understand English, let alone how to set up an iPad, so I obviously use it too.

So, here I am, a few months later, having used iPad Mini for quite some time, and I can tell you things I noticed why they sell very well:

1. BlackBerry is a TOOL box. iOS is a TOY STORE CHAIN
   Let's not bulls**t each other: Apple App Store looks gorgeous. BlackBerry World on BlackBerry 10 just doesn't look good: it's bland and not categorized well. I can certainly attribute things to "not enough screen space", but really, go find a friend of yours that owns an iPad. Have a look at their App Store, it just looks... tidy. It even has things like "Editor's Choice" and small tips. Things like that makes the App Store looks less like soulless machine and more like a machine operated by a human.
   
   Take a look at BlackBerry World. After about 50 apps or so, the chinese apps start to pour in, and if there's ONE thing I can tell you about the Chinese, the average people in China don't understand English well, resulting in half-assed English that is hard to understand and looks very unprofessional.
   
   Built for BlackBerry? Good luck trying to find them manually, coz you can't filter apps by "Built for BlackBerry", while you can filter by star rating. Go figure. Oh, there is a big picture at the main menu in which you can find Built for BlackBerry apps, about 20 of them, out of... how many? There are lots of Built for BlackBerry apps out there, it's a shame you can't filter to only see Built for BlackBerry apps.
   
   
2. They have apps you don't need, We don't have apps you need
   I'm not going to lie: I don't use Instagram. I don't pay attention to Instagram, I don't want to see Instagram, and I certainly will kick Instagram's trash bin if it ever dared to be my neighbor. I couldn't care less about Instagram, is what I'm saying. And Netflix, Kindle, Angry Birds, Google Maps, Bank of America, etc etc etc. Hell, I don't even use Facebook, and the fact that a young man just a few years older than me is a billionaire right now means I'm the one in the wrong.
   
   But really, we all have said the same thing: I don't need it, therefore, it's not important. I couldn't care less if Instagram company suddenly implodes in a black hole (well, okay, I'll care a bit in that scenario), to me Instagram is as important as looking twice at my excrement in the toilet, but we have to admit that Instagram is kind of a big deal when we see the same complaints everywhere: where's my Instagram? So much that we see tips springing everywhere on how to sideload Instagram, and many other apps. Point is, the iSheeps are grazing on quality grass
   
   On the other hand, we have thousands upon thousands of "city guide" apps. In case you're wondering, Shepard, that's actually an understatement. The apps that we DO have, are mostly of lower version, and most lack multiplayer support.
   
   Major Mayhem, Asphalt 7, Ice Age Village, Jetpack Joyride, just to name a few, are all outdated versions compared to their iOS/Android counterpart. Autumn Dynasty, on the other hand, lacks multiplayer present on its Android counterpart, along with the aforementioned Ice Age Village.
   
   
3. BlackBerry 10 is a race car, others are MPVs
   BlackBerry 10 has QNX as its core, and it runs Android alongside it and it's still buttery smooth, it's a testament of how great a pure QNX can be, once the Android ghost haunting it sheds away
   
   BlackBerry 10 is a race car: it's super fast and it looks great; but like a race car, you just can't use it on everyday life comfortably.
   
   I went on a vacation just last week, I had to use HDR mode and Night scene AND adjust the lighting by refocusing on the dark parts to get a decent-looking photo, and I had to keep the phone staying still for a few seconds after shooting to get the HDR photo, otherwise either it's blurry or the Camera app crashes. My brother-in-law, using a Galaxy Tab, used the vanilla mode on his camera and it still looks better, while doing it faster.
   
   My mother recorded our trip with her iPad Mini, and it looks great compared to my Z10's camera
   
   I know, I know, people kept saying hardware is not important, but they always said it all keeping CPU/GPU/RAM in mind. It's the little things: Camera, Display Screen, stuff like that also matters. My brother-in-law told my mother "once you have a GalaxyS4, you don't need a dedicated camera". That's how good the camera is on the other side. You obviously can't rely on gimmicky camera to conduct professional photography, but it improves the quality of life significantly for the normal folks. Now my father said I should've waited, that I've wasted my money, and all that stuff your technophobe grandma says about all those junkie whippersnappers.

We've said it all: "I don't need it", "I need a tool, not a toy", "They also have flaws", etc etc etc. Different strokes for different folks, I can say that and keep a straight face.

But we also need to consider the other side: "What makes them succeed?". Obviously, there are other things such as brand awareness and marketing, but when you have a Z10 standing face-to-face with other flagship phones from the Big 2, you can't say "Well, we're pretty much equal"

Oh, and lastly, now I've downloaded 8 games on my mom's iPad. They look great, and I frequently play them

[heymaggie]

Your observations are correct but you are trying too hard to make iOS sound bad ("iOS is a toy store...they have apps you don't need") and apologize for BB10 ("it's a race car...you just can't use it on everyday life comfortably"). Even the title of your thread "US vs Them" frames the issue from the start. It's OK to like iOS.

[the_igg]

Autumn Dynasty does not have an Android version.. Only iOS and BB10. The dev is here on the forums and he has mentioned that. But yes, you are right. No multiplayer support. The dev has said that they do not have the resources to bring multiplayer to BB10 as of now.

[bbfanboi007]

I get some amazing shots on my Z's camera. 'tis a poor carpenter who blames their tools.

[Raestloz]

I get some amazing shots on my Z's camera. 'tis a poor carpenter who blames their tools.

A poor carpenter blames their tool, an even poorer carpenter can't see how the tool their competitors have are better and make them better at their job, promptly losing jobs in the process. I never said Z10's camera is bad: I said the camera competitors have are way better, a statement which even Thorsten Heins would not dare to challenge. TimeShift is software, and no software can make up for hardware quality in photography.

iOS App Store is a Toy Store Chain, and only a successful store can be a store chain, and it shows. Trying to compare BlackBerry World and App Store visually is just suicide.

As for Autumn Dynasty, that was a slip on my part, but the point still stands

STL 100-1 10.1.0.273

[ranzabar]

You're not incorrect.

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[bradu1]

I don't have a problem with most of what you said, but the camera thing has been debated over and over in these threads, with no clear winner. I myself have tried the S3, S4, note 2, and iPhone 5 cameras against my Z, and looking at the pictures on the screen of the phone which they were taken, I much prefer my Z. I'd have no idea how good any of those pics would look printed out though.

At the same time, it really does come down to the 'carpenter'. My co-worker with the iPhone 5 can't take a clear picture to save his life, yet I know for a fact the camera can take much better pictures than he is getting. I was hiking in the woods a couple days ago, and tried to get a friend to take a picture of me next to a giant sequoia, after about 3 minutes of him not being able to get a pic that didn't look like the background of an anime fight scene, I just took my Z back and gave up. Meanwhile, I got several beautiful pictures from up there, just not any with me in them. Lol

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[Bbnivende]

OP: " I hate iPhone."

Such an immature silly statement to make.

[CrackedBarry]

The "QNX is a race car" statement isn't very realistic in regards to QNX, now is it?

It needs 2GB RAM when competing devices get by just fine and zippy with 1GB or 512MB RAM, or heck even 256MB in some cases... (iOS 5&6 run smooth and fast on an iphone3GS or ipad1)

It's quite a testament to what a big, fat, heavy resource hog QNX is, that they couldn't get BB10 to run satisfactorily on tablet with 1Ghz dual core CPU and 1GB RAM!

I mean, it may run fast on a Q10, but it's certainly no small and nimble fast race car. More like an 18 wheeler, loaded with 30 tons of lard, that just got up to a highway cruise speed of 60 m/h...

[Eric Ton]

About the Z10 camera:
Conclusion and Gallery: BlackBerry's back: Z10 camera review: Connect
"DXOMark Image Quality Assessment
The Blackberry Z10 achieves a DxO Mark score of 67 which means it is very slightly ahead of the HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 920 but trailing behind the iPhones 4s and 5 and the Samsung devices Galaxy S3 and Note II in DxO's list of the best smartphone cameras.

Image results show good detail in all light conditions, with good color in natural light. Auto exposure, autofocus and white balance work generally well. In low light the BlackBerry output suffers from strong luminance noise and color casts in tungsten lighting. White balance is struggling when using the flash.

In video mode, the Z10's autofocus performs well but the footage shows "visible color non-uniformities" and "perfectible texture reproduction". DxO also found the video image stabilization to be inefficient. For a more detailed analysis, visit www.dxomark.com."

[CrackedBarry]

As for Blackberry World, the selection is just really poor. The vast majority of apps I see there, are downright ugly, and most likely made to score a quick and easy Playbook.

I think BBRY/RIM made the mistake of firstly, alienating all the old Java developers, and more or less kick them out on the street.

And secondly, they didn't try hard enough to woo talented developers. They tried to woo a bunch of guys who WANT to be developers (big difference there!) with free tablets to get the numbers in the store, without any regard to quality.
That was just too superficial and stingy effort. (Which quality developer would be excited to get a 500$ tablet, when he usually charges a minimum of 10.000$ for an app? Seriously? Don't get me wrong, a free tablet is nice. But it won't make you put in the weeks of work a good app costs to make...)

[Aljean Thein]

You know what's a fact about China? There are more English speakers there than in the US (:

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[ajst222]

Wow...that was an excellent post OP. Great job with putting everything in perspective so nicely. I think that your best point is: "They have apps you don't need, We don't have apps you need". The last part about the Z10 vs the competition not being equal I might have to disagree on though. There are some things that the Z10 does do better, however the things that the Z10 does do better, most consumers could care less about.

[R Field]

I agree with you a hundred percent on BlackBerry world it needs a overhaul of navigation and layout. Trying to find the quality apps shouldn't be hard. As far as the camera goes it's great I've taken photos of the same thing compared to my friends iphone 5 and its performed better. In low light it's not the best but that will improve with 10.2 low light settings. Don't tell me this is a bad camera. It's no DSLR but it's a phone camera



CB10- BlackBerry Z10
Attachment 194545

[MasterOfBinary]

I get some amazing shots on my Z's camera. 'tis a poor carpenter who blames their tools.

But a good carpenter picks the best tool to help him with his work instead of buying crappy ones.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using the CB Forums app

[RH1Pearl]

I don't have a problem with most of what you said, but the camera thing has been debated over and over in these threads, with no clear winner. I myself have tried the S3, S4, note 2, and iPhone 5 cameras against my Z, and looking at the pictures on the screen of the phone which they were taken, I much prefer my Z. I'd have no idea how good any of those pics would look printed out though.

At the same time, it really does come down to the 'carpenter'. My co-worker with the iPhone 5 can't take a clear picture to save his life, yet I know for a fact the camera can take much better pictures than he is getting. I was hiking in the woods a couple days ago, and tried to get a friend to take a picture of me next to a giant sequoia, after about 3 minutes of him not being able to get a pic that didn't look like the background of an anime fight scene, I just took my Z back and gave up. Meanwhile, I got several beautiful pictures from up there, just not any with me in them. Lol

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And this is the reason why the Z30 will have an 8 megapixel camera, the same as the Z10 because it's already good? No need to bump up the specs. This will only give the press and reviewers another 'negative' article to write about.

[Araslan]

you like the word excrement huh ?

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

[Speedygi]

Well, some people don't care for apps and don't care for a good camera...They just like a good old fashioned keyboard...

I feel a failure to have apps or a good camera doesn't constitute a failure as a whole. But that's just me. I think it's a hard mountain to climb to get an app store as good as iOS' in the short time Blackberry has BB10 going. It is fair to say it's an unrealistic expectation, but a valid one.


However, I think people just already have a bad impression that Blackberry is complicated on top of all these weird problems in not nailing the camera, one of the most fundamental things the iPhone has got right since the beginning...it's hard to shake people out of that complex...

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[kevxn]

OP: " I hate iPhone."

Such an immature silly statement to make.

I hate iPhone too. Just so many ISheeps in this planet.

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[fearmantis]

My Z10 camera takes awesome pictures, they are sharp and crisp hd. The same with the videos i take.

BB Z10 Rocks!

[bradu1]

And this is the reason why the Z30 will have an 8 megapixel camera, the same as the Z10 because it's already good? No need to bump up the specs. This will only give the press and reviewers another 'negative' article to write about.

Uhm..that makes no sense, and was not what I was saying. But sure.... go with that if it makes you happy.

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[amazinglygraceless]

I hate iPhone too. Just so many ISheeps in this planet.

This is hilarious in that you are dismissing iPhone users based on the stupid theory that they don't think for themselves by parroting a hackneyed phrase that is only employed by people lacking the wherewithal to ...you guessed it...think for themselves.

[bradu1]

OP: " I hate iPhone."

Such an immature silly statement to make.

Personally, I hate Apple. But since iPhone is the most successful thing they've done, I could agree with I hate iPhone.

Strange... I feel pretty good getting that off my chest, not the slightest bit immature or silly.

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[Speedygi]

This is hilarious in that you are dismissing iPhone users based on the stupid theory that they don't think for themselves by parroting a hackneyed phrase that is only employed by people lacking the wherewithal to ...you guessed it...think for themselves.

It's the same when Blackberry folks are referred to as business people who are boring though, isn't it?


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[kevxn]

This is hilarious in that you are dismissing iPhone users based on the stupid theory that they don't think for themselves by parroting a hackneyed phrase that is only employed by people lacking the wherewithal to ...you guessed it...think for themselves.

I used to be a iSheep, there is nothing to be shamed for; I woke up after I learned that that basically there was no difference between my previous 4 and 4s and I just don't want to contribute more money any more.

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