[WorkStation 0]

Having the "hardware" is like saying a bigger motor wins the race - it doesn't work like that. Apple is supposed to have a faster processor yet the z10 loads Web pages and games at a faster speed.

Posted via CB10

Hardware like why does the z10 remind me of 2011 Android phones. Large bezels around a tiny screen. Standard candy bar styling with no aesthetic appeal. Larger/ bulkier than it should be.

Specs don't mean everything but the Moto G is competitive with the z10 for half the price unlocked. I bought one for my son and it's rock solid. You can buy a nexus 5 straight from Google for less than the cost of a z10 from BlackBerry. Nothing about BlackBerry is premium, they cannot continue to expect premium prices for underspeced (cheaper components) products.

[WorkStation 0]

I am a former BlackBerry user but never loyalist. I always carried a BlackBerry for work along with a personal device.

I would say I'm a consumer despite the fact that I rely on my phone heavily for work.

I'm a current android user looking to switch soon (ubuntu would be nice).

It irks me that people are dismissive of software on smartphones. Apps are solutions to enhance or add functionality to a device just like on pc. There are some that I install on every device I own. Drive just works best for me. I have box, Dropbox, mega, mediafire, SkyDrive accounts but drive just works best for me. Point being, I can't conceive that it's better to have fewer solutions.

I won't move to BlackBerry to repurchase apps. If they release an Android device with Google Play I'd switch. Unfortunately this seems to be the only scenario I could support. I'm not buying a BlackBerry just to have them fold a few months later.

Keyboard is a non issue.

Security Is a non issue, AOKP with app ops. Outside of that I don't think anyone is naive enough to believe that what you do on the internet is private.

[Tre Lawrence]

He has a point - iphone was cool when it came out. Apple pays/paid ppl to talk about the iPhone to catch attention and the marketing was done at a younger crowd. Most ppl are afraid to do something different from all the rest and certain gadgets do mean a better "status quo".

Posted via CB10

I readily concede that for many people, the iPhone epitomizes cool. But the same pressures that folks face now existed then with regards to people be unwilling to change the status quo.

Apple's biggest win might not have been getting people to try the iPhone; more impressive is the ability to keep them coming back with so much competition. If they are resistant to change, then kudos to Apple for creating and nourishing said resistance. And let's not forget that the iPhone, based on its ecosystem, is an all-encompassing communication tool.

BBRY was in that position (market leader with customers enjoying the status quo) and ceded it. It's biggest issue, IMHO, is it's inability to convert it's own legacy users -- people that arguably are the best informed if it's offerings -- to BB10.

[Tre Lawrence]

So companies spend millions upon billions of dollars researching trends for no apparent reason then?

I said in the beginning most people I ask BY FAR don't care if their phone is good for them or not, they're just happy to look like everyone ekse. Why do you think I messages show up blue? Do you really need to know you're texting another iPhone? Take my brother for instance, thinks my BlackBerry is awesome, I offered to GIVE him my q10 to replace his 4s and he said no bc no one else he knows uses BlackBerry and bc he DOESN'T WANT TO LOSE THE BLUE BUBBLE FOR IMEESAGES. He wants everyone to know he has an iPhone because he wants to fit in.

I'm not saying one phone is better than another in personally think you could pick up almost any smart phone on today's market and do just fine, regardless of who you are and what you're trying to do. But people don't even look for what their preferences are. They walk into the store and buy what everyone else has.

LOL @ your brother... yes, there are folks like that. And I agree: I think I could make it with any smartphone. I like trying stuff. Heck, with enough motivation, I think I could overcome my irrational hatred for iTunes and my inability to use the iOS keyboard.

But that brings me back to my original point: why change if I don't have to? People won't change workflow for something new if they don't perceive the benefit.

[Tre Lawrence]

My daughter has an iphone 5c and I think it's the apps...she used my Q10 the other day and said my phone sucked because she was looking for certain apps and it wasn't there...she screamed she would never get a Blackberry:-(

Posted via CB10

I think for a lot of people, it's this simple.

[Calvin Chin]

1. A good reception antenna, Paratek Antenna
2. Unique OS, BlackBerry 10 QNX! I'm surrounded by mostly Android and IOS users
3. BlackBerry Hub
4. "Keep on moving" good battery life from BlackBerry Z30
5. Secure, secure and secure
6. The feeling of reliability...
7. Swipe gesture, no need to press any button at all..

Posted via CB10

[Shadowyugi]

Money/Pricing.

[Skateman1972]

What would convince you to switch to a BlackBerry phone?...

-- Not having to use iOS
-- Not having to use Android
-- Not having to use WindHo`s phone

[lang007]

It has to be marketing and apps.

[Sargon123]

Other . I want to come back to BlackBerry but they have Got to fix the stupid reboots.
Apps I don't mind not having all because I'm not that big on games nor social media apps like Instagram, Pinterest, twitter.

Oh and I am a 31 year old consumer.

The stupid reboots r fixed

Posted via CB10

[togarika]

Price and availablility

[BoldPreza]

What would convince me? A cheaper phone that I can buy outright and unlocked direct from the company.

Seriously, they price their phones like they're the only game in town rather than being struggling for 3rd or 4th place. I'd love a Q5 or Q10. I want to try out BB10, but I'd want a QWERTY phone if I get one because to me that's the 'true Blackberry experience'.

I quite like my iPhone 5S but I really want to try a BB10. Let me buy one unlocked at a reasonable price without a 3 year contract, and I'll give it a shot.

FWIW I am in Canada, where 3-year contracts are the status quo, and the only place I can find BB10 phones for outright purchase & unlocked is eBay, and they seem overpriced considering the risks of buying on eBay.

Um across Canada now it's no longer allowed to have three year contracts.

Also I believe for most carriers up her after two years as a consumer you can walk away without penalty.

Further if you were open to the all touch version the Z10 was available unlocked for $199 for several weeks in BlackBerry's site.

Posted via CB10

[dc9super80]

All the major apps I use and need. And if possible syncing my contacts/calendar etc with my iCloud account. I don�t plan on changing email.

[Tim Heard]

I agree with the multiple comments that people generally get comfortable with whatever they are using, and are slow to change. hat's one reason why a lot of people are still using legacy BlackBerry phones, even when newer, faster BB10 phones are available. They like things the way they are, and BB10 is not what they are used to.

Having said that, the presumption in this question is that there are people (like me) who are inclined to want to switch to BlackBerry, or switch back to BlackBerry, but they are unwilling to make the move.

If someone loves his or her iPhone or Android and feels no compulsion to switch to anything else, then convincing him/her is an entirely different process. This is trying to get at why BlackBerry hasn't yet been able to sway those of us who are the "low hanging fruit" so to speak.

My position is simple. If a Microsoft partner produces a reasonably good portrait slider phone, I'll go with them. I'm already used to the OS. If BlackBerry produces one first, I'll go with BlackBerry. If a good Android portrait slider becomes available in the next month or so, I might even grit my teeth and make that move, as much as I prefer not to based on the principle that I'd rather go with more secure business-oriented phones.

I'd think that BlackBerry has to be doing some focus group studies, so I'm asking this question as a way of trying to predict the feedback that they have been getting ... which might give us insights into what the next phones will be like.

I just had an additional thought. Windows phones have a really good contact management tool that brings together contacts from multiple sources and allows you to combine them. I hope that BB10 offers something equally useful.

[ajst222]

All the major apps I use and need. And if possible syncing my contacts/calendar etc with my iCloud account. I don�t plan on changing email.

You can sync that with your iCloud account.

Photo a Day Channel: C002B5A07

[BoldPreza]

The only thing that would get me to switch, as things stand today, would be if I suddenly needed enterprise-level security and control over my phone.

Otherwise, I use Google for everything, and am fully invested in Google's apps and ecosystem, which are the best for me and my needs. I ran my last company with Google services VERY successfully, and with excellent support on both iOS and Android, all of my techs could get their work (custom app for Android and iOS to get electronic work orders, which can be completed in real-time on the device), send their job pics (G+ Photos, formerly Picasa), use Maps to get to the next customer or meet another tech, take credit card payments on the device, and do everything we needed to do. There were a couple of other custom apps (DishPointer being one) that my techs used all the time, only available on iOS and Android. The one tech with a legacy BB quickly switched once he saw what my other techs could do.

Google's services aren't really available on BB, so, for me, the platform is of little use to me. I use GMail, Maps, G+, Hangouts, Now, and Drive extensively, and between iOS and Android, that means there's a 95+% chance that any new person is already going to be supported on their existing phone, tablet, laptop, and/or desktop. While BB10 might have been able to do some of these things, and a few more of them once 10.2.1 (or 10.3) is eventually rolled out, my techs were able to do all of this 2-3 years ago on the other platforms.

For a small business, ease of use and low cost is absolutely key, and BB just doesn't have anything that can compete right now.

You my friend should issue a challenge to the bloggers of this site.

Posted via CB10

[Steven Bolen]

I'll add my two cents from my daughter's points of view. I have two of them ages 11 and 7. I am a BB user for many years and really came to a tough decisions to stay or move over to Apple. I chose the Z10 and with the updates from Crackberry have been a very happy user. If not for the updates I might be unhappy.
I live in a family of Apple users where my wife has a 4S from work, my oldest received my wife's 4S she personally had. My youngest received an itouch. Now both daughters learned and really like the gestures of the BB10. I have loaded the BBM on all devices and only message them with that. My personal force of the hand and they all like it. As most of you had said, its what everyone else has is what kids want. And who is buying most of them, the parents. As such the parents buy a similar device as they think it keeps them in touch best in many ways with thier kids. More than the gestures my oldest thinks that the Z10 handles gaming better, messaging better and operates faster. However there is the lack of aps (yawn...).
I have now downloaded recently the Android Instagram app which runs for me perfectly and I can keep up with my family. I have not run into what this app verion can't do but some have mentioned the video upload. I don't take much video but my Z10 does a fantastic job of it. Pictures come out excellent for me too. I haven't seen where the iphones in my house take any better photos than my Z10.
If you really need an awesome photo which you plan to use I would use a camera which was designed for that specific purpose.
In practice I don't use my Honda Accord to haul around sheets of plywood. It could do it on a roof rack, but I would rather borrow a truck.
I agree that if image could be well improved add some additional apps and advertise to the younger crowd sky is the limit.

[Geaux#CB]

I would still be on blackberry if the company I work for support any of the bb10 devices. As of now they use legacy bb or Cisco Xenmobile with does not support blackberry. Another factor, although not a primary one, my bank app doesn't support blackberry. If I could resolve the corporate issue I would move back to blackberry when my contract expires.

I am both a business user and consumer.

[texazzpete]

Having the "hardware" is like saying a bigger motor wins the race - it doesn't work like that. Apple is supposed to have a faster processor yet the z10 loads Web pages and games at a faster speed.

Posted via CB10

Yeah, evidence from a few dodgy youtube videos.

Sadly, the Z10's SoC is handily beaten in any browser rendering speed related benchmark out there.

Hardware encompasses many things also. Screen resolution, Camera and battery are also part of hardware specs.


For 2014, I hope BlackBerry remembers to spec their high end devices comparably to the high end Android devices.

[Donvald]

I voted other. For me, its a combination of factors, not any one thing.

Smartphones have become handheld computers and with my desktop and laptops, they are to some extent investments; bought for the purpose of flexibility and power, able to run application and perform tasks for many years to come should there be a requirement to do so.

This means support is vital; solid software packages, applications that work and are varied to reflect my choice and taste are required minimums. Having the hardware to support this software for years to come, is again a minimum. Having the hardware attractive to me aesthetic-wise, again important.

In addition, value for money and current specifications available are important for most tech; it promotes longevity. Customisation enables personalisation which for me is vital.

For me I need;
1) Customisation - I want to be able to if I wanted, to customise the layout in anyway I choose for personal reasons and ease of use.
2) Hardware specs - its immaterial whether the current software works well with it; what about 2 years in the future? For the OS and apps? Smartphone are expensive and restricting potential use to an OS limits it
3) Aesthetics
4) Value for money - I don't expect to pay more for less. Anywhere. For anything.
5) Future support - will there be an OS 11? and OS 14 even? Will my phone be able to run it? I don't want to have to ask these legitimate questions.

Finally, Blackberry has a poor reputation. Its a reputation that is well earned. They need to improve this by the delivery of working software and product and effective support i.e bug fixing in a timely manner and distribution of these fixes.

[kthhrrsn]

How dare you post a review that favors the BB10's camera! Don't you know that the iPhone 5 has a magical ISP and better software?! Just knowing that should be enough to discredit the BB10 camera! Who needs real world tests! Bah!

LOL! How silly of me!!

[kthhrrsn]

It irks me that people are dismissive of software on smartphones. Apps are solutions to enhance or add functionality to a device just like on pc. There are some that I install on every device I own.

I agree completely. I get annoyed when people on this forum are dismissive of the huge app gap that BB10 devices have. I wouldn't use a computer if the OS didn't support MS Office products, Adobe products, etc., etc.

The people pretending like apps are a non factor, in my opinion, have their heads in the sand.

I won't move to BlackBerry to repurchase apps. If they release an Android device with Google Play I'd switch. Unfortunately this seems to be the only scenario I could support.

Another valid point that's come up over and over. People have invested a lot of money in their platforms. For an iOS user to switch to either BlackBerry or Android would require them to re-purchase a lot of apps. It would be great if these apps could be ported across platforms (once you buy for one device, it's good on another platform if you switch).

BlackBerry is getting closer to launching devices that support Google Play. As it stands now, with OS 10.2.1.1925 and the Snap app, you can access and download free apps from Google Play. With BlackBerry official support, that should make a tremendous difference.

[DrBoomBotz]

Having the "hardware" is like saying a bigger motor wins the race - it doesn't work like that. Apple is supposed to have a faster processor yet the z10 loads Web pages and games at a faster speed.

Posted via CB10

How does it work?
Can you direct me to any benchmarks to support your anecdote about Apple versus the z10?
Also lets not forget price/performance.
I played with a z10 in the store last spring and it did not strike me as being any faster than my Galaxy Nexus, that's my anecdote.

z30
1.7 ghz dual core
2 gigs ram
5 inch 295 ppi screen
8 megapixel rear camera
2880 mAH battery
16 gigs storage
CDN$ 669.00 (amazon)

Nexus 5
2.26 ghz quad core
2 gigs ram
4.95 inch 445 ppi screen
8 megapixel rear camera
2300 mAH battery
16 gigs storage
CDN$ 349.00 (google play)

Xperia Z Ultra
2.2 ghz quad core
2 gigs ram
6.44 inch 342 ppi screen
8 megapixel rear camera
3050 mAH battery
16 gigs storage
CDN$709.10 (google play US) todays exchange rate

The Xperia Z ultra could replace my tablet and my smartphone.
I like BB10 but not enough to buy a phone with a inferior ecosystem from a shaky company that has a whiff of douchebaggery.

[Dougie011]

My reasoning for not using blackberry really doesn't have anything to do with blackberry. I have an iPhone and have used it for 3 years, I have purchased a few apps and gotten a lot of free ones. I don't want to have to download all of the apps I want or repurchase apps I have already bought. I guess the bottom line is that I am so invested in apples eco system, it makes switching nearly impossible for me.

[gary690]

I did my own convincing and tried out the platform for myself.

That's how i knew it was for me.