[expat42451]

Hello

I am writing from Quito Ecuador. A month ago my 3 year old Motorola Atrix 4G was stolen on the metro here. Not the normal Atrix- I rooted it and installed another Android version (CWM) and for a 3 year old phone it was excellent. After the theft I purchased a Samsung s3 mini with stock Android and a ton of bloatware from Samsung.

Currently I am pretty thoroughly disgusted with the S3 mini....and with Android in general After reading todays' comments on the Z30 on Wired I am impressed. There are quite a few people here in Ecuador and also South America that use Backberry. That having been said I am going to try to find out what one costs here but before I get much farther into this I have several questions-

I read about side loading various Android apps. Critical for me are a couple of applications- PowerAmp to play my music- when traveling on public transportation it helps me keep my sanity. Second and more critical is MapFactor Navigator or an equivalent- it uses Open Street maps - and is able with maps stored on the SD card and the GPS receiver in the phone, to navigate when outside of cellular range.

Also I am curious about how - crackable- the OS is. I know some about Android (long time Linux/ Unix user and know my way around SDK) and read elsewhere here about people loading different versions of the radio firmware on the Z30 --and wonder how much more can be done with the OS.

The Z 30 is a beautiful phone- however I know nothing about the OS ...but I like "messing around" with the innards. Side loading apps does not intimidate me..... the S3 mini has been a bad experience- seemingly more slow than my Atrix- and I am considering the change to the Z30.

Thanks to all for reading this post from a newbie. Any comments or advice is most welcome.

Regards from Quito

Expat42451

[Dave Drisk]

I just bought the Z10 here in Salinas Ecuador. You can buy a new factory unlocked Z10 for about $400 or so
through Mercadolibre. I have only seen 1 Z30 there and the asking price is $920. Can't help with side loading because I just started using BlackBerry again.

Posted via CB10

[diegonei]

2am here, but I'll come back and reply properly in about 6-8 hours!

EDIT: Ok, this took longer than expected. Here we go...

Hello

I am writing from Quito Ecuador. A month ago my 3 year old Motorola Atrix 4G was stolen on the metro here. Not the normal Atrix- I rooted it and installed another Android version (CWM) and for a 3 year old phone it was excellent. After the theft I purchased a Samsung s3 mini with stock Android and a ton of bloatware from Samsung.

Sorry to hear... The stolen part that is.

Currently I am pretty thoroughly disgusted with the S3 mini....and with Android in general After reading todays' comments on the Z30 on Wired I am impressed. There are quite a few people here in Ecuador and also South America that use Backberry. That having been said I am going to try to find out what one costs here but before I get much farther into this I have several questions-

But thouse would be legacy devices mostly, right? You want to get BlackBerry10 devices (Q10, Q5, Z10, Z30). BBOS was good, but BlackBerry10 is where it really pivots.

I read about side loading various Android apps. Critical for me are a couple of applications- PowerAmp to play my music- when traveling on public transportation it helps me keep my sanity. Second and more critical is MapFactor Navigator or an equivalent- it uses Open Street maps - and is able with maps stored on the SD card and the GPS receiver in the phone, to navigate when outside of cellular range.

There are plenty native options for maps, but with inpending 10.2.1 release, you will not need to worry: Just grab the apk file and install directly from the device. Pretty much all android stuff will work, provided it does not rely on Google Services.

Also I am curious about how - crackable- the OS is. I know some about Android (long time Linux/ Unix user and know my way around SDK) and read elsewhere here about people loading different versions of the radio firmware on the Z30 --and wonder how much more can be done with the OS.

It's not. Period. If you want to have you phone, go back to android. You can load different OS versions and different radio versions, but ONLY stuff issued by BlackBerry. It's a secure platform.

The Z 30 is a beautiful phone- however I know nothing about the OS ...but I like "messing around" with the innards. Side loading apps does not intimidate me..... the S3 mini has been a bad experience- seemingly more slow than my Atrix- and I am considering the change to the Z30.

The hardware is powerful and the software responsive, you won't have any issues. It's a beast. Gestures are VERY easy to get the hang of and quickly become second nature. That too won't be an issue. You'll be used to the device within the week!

Thanks to all for reading this post from a newbie. Any comments or advice is most welcome.

Regards from Quito

Expat42451

Now let's read the next one...

[BBZ10wannabe]

Welcome to Crackberry! I hope you get to enjoy the Z30. I know very little about side loading but enough that I have about 10 Android apps on my z10. I think your level of skill would be most suited to loading the latest leaked OS's as they come out. The latest 10.2.1.1295 is a real beauty. With direct APK installing your don't even need to side load except for an app store like Amazon or the like. I can't help regarding the map question but if you get the Z30, I'm sure you'll love it! My Z10 is great but I am curious about the z30.

Posted via CB10

[anon(5906760)]

It's ridiculously easy to load a leaked OS onto your device, and once you have 10.2.1 you can install snap and have the whole android app store on your z30. (95% of the apps work).

As for messing with the OS, it's secure so the "tampering" is limited to what BlackBerry let's you do. Basically leaked OSes and side loading bar files. Android apps are extremely easy to install once you get 10.2.1 (like I said above).

Posted via CB10

[expat42451]

Vincent Romani, BBZ10Wannabe, diegonei and Dave Drisk thanks to all of you for the kindness and interest. Dave, hello in Salinas, hope it is warmer and less rain than the last few days in Quito--

Understand about the leaked OS'es. I did not know about snap but-- with that, and access to the Android store- that is a big positive for me. I like the idea of the leaked OS'es as well. The Z 30 is beautiful-- one of the prime gripes with the Samsung- aside from the god button being on the side of the case where I inadvertently put the phone to sleep when handling it--is the Samsung bloatware that, short of rooting and installing another version of Android, seems impossible to eliminate. I don't use social networking at all and it seems like the current version of Android is heavily accented for that.... social networking and chat. Other than SMS and the telephone and what I state below, thats about it for my use.

I use the phone for listening to a lot of music- also I use a word processor to do the occasional journaling when I don't have the laptop along. Rarely ever use the camera(carry an Olympus EM5 for that) and navigation is important- I have used the Androids with Map Factor navigator for navigation in the cities and smaller towns- and when outside of the cities I carry a Garmin for more serious work with topo maps loaded on it. And its nice to have the phone as a backup. The Atrix 4G when in sleep mode would keep a current position with Navigator but the Samsung crashes the program when it sleeps and Navigator runs in the background which requires me stopping, re starting Navigator and waiting for the satellites to lock up. One capability of the Samsung which the Atrix did not have is that the Samsung gets the Russian GLONASS satellites as well as GPS. I also am in the habit of carrying a spare battery for the Samsung (did for the Motorola as well) and assume that I would do the same for the Z 30 although the battery life reports I see are impressive. A z 30, spare battery and an Otterbox or the like sounds like the best of a lot of worlds.....

Many thanks to you all again--

Expat

[BadGoliath42]

I just tried Poweramp and it works perfectly, except only with headphones, no speakers. I didn't investigate more than that.

Also tried Map Factor, and it works perfectly, at least from what I can tell downloading Equator maps since I didn't want to download 0,4 GB for Canada maps to check out. It found my position correctly and could start navigation.

Just be aware that as of now you can't download paid apps with Snap, but the developer is currently working on that so you can download already-paid apps.

Also, you can't remove the battery on the Z30, just charge it through the USB port. But it is one hell of a battery, 2880 mAh. Still, I keep a portable 3000 mAh battery in my pocket all the time, but almost never use it.

Posted via CB10 on my Z30

[qbnkelt]

Hi OP!!!

Welcome to Crackberry! I'm sure you will find a great amount of information regarding "tweaking" options for your Z30. Browse through our forums. The link below should be particularly useful in finding information pertinent to BB10, the Z30, and sideloading and Android APKs in particular.

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackberry-10-hub-f273/

[expat42451]

BadGoliath &qbnkelt

Many thanks for the great information and greetings

Next problem is to try to find one here in Ecuador. We have a Blackberry shop (I think) here in Quito so I am going to try to look there. The price may be frightening though.

BadGoliath- thanks very much for trying the apps ! That again is a big plus for me. Interesting that Android apps will run, that makes me think that the OS'es are similar or that their might be some emulation possibly like WINE under Linux.....

qbnkelt many thanks for the link to the tweaks......


Regards and many thanks again.

Expat

[BadGoliath42]

In fact, this is no emulator, it is an actual Android kernel running on top of BB10. So you can run almost any Android app, and because this QNX Android is sandboxed, you prevent bad apps to access your core OS.

Glad you like it! I do as well, very much.

Posted via CB10 on my Z30

[middbrew]

Welcome to CrackBerry! Glad you are asking questions before you jump in. That being said I'm sure you will love the Z30 if you get it. Expect to run even more apps as the OS's come out.

[hamsterwheel]

Welcome to CrackBerry! Always a great idea to research first!

[expat42451]

BadGoliath42- Thats pretty fascinating thanks for the information and additionally another huge thanks for the assist with testing the apps I mentioned- that is deeply appreciated-

middbrew and hamster wheel- many kind thanks for the very warm welcome ! I am helping friends here in Ecuador with networking problems and while at lunch a litte while ago decided I would hack out some notes on the Samscreetch--- after the first 10 sentences or so I was (and am) ready to throw the (&^% thing under a bus......

I did go by a couple of places while I was out...the only thing I found even close was a Z10....and they want $600 for that. So I am going to consider other ways of purchasing and getting the phone here since, well, everything electronic is awfully expensive. Interestingly enough was looking at network switches today and from a local supplier they are double in cost what one would pay buying one off either Amazon or through another outlet like NewEgg or TigerDirect. Its unbelievable sometimes......

I like the Z30. Never having used Blackberry I am curious about the os- the idea of being able to run 'Droid programs is very attractive..... plus I have a number of friends both here and in the US and elsewhere who have Blackberries- many of which they have used for years and the phones simply keep on operating. So I am currently inclined (particularly after trying to generate notes on the Samscreech during lunch) to make the move. Purchasing however is another thing entirely given the price of the Z10 here in Quito......the search does go on however....

Again thanks to all for the kindness and information

Expat42451
Quito

[diegonei]

Vincent Romani, BBZ10Wannabe, diegonei and Dave Drisk thanks to all of you for the kindness and interest. Dave, hello in Salinas, hope it is warmer and less rain than the last few days in Quito--

Here, you are close enough to know how Brasil is...

Understand about the leaked OS'es. I did not know about snap but-- with that, and access to the Android store- that is a big positive for me. I like the idea of the leaked OS'es as well. The Z 30 is beautiful-- one of the prime gripes with the Samsung- aside from the god button being on the side of the case where I inadvertently put the phone to sleep when handling it--is the Samsung bloatware that, short of rooting and installing another version of Android, seems impossible to eliminate. I don't use social networking at all and it seems like the current version of Android is heavily accented for that.... social networking and chat. Other than SMS and the telephone and what I state below, thats about it for my use.

Well, leaks are alway coming. I usually tell people to stick to official software due to bugs... But if 10.2.1 isn't official by the time you get your Z30, install 10.2.1.1925 - it's th most stable leak I've seen and allows for direct apk installation. That's why we have Snap lol. To make full use of .1055/.12xx/.1925!

Bloadt ware? We have some. Some carrier pushed, some BB forced to make (like the HUB/SMS/Camera icons that you just don't need). Stick them in a folder and forget about them. Easy fix.

BB10 is for communicators. If you communicate with people, you'll be OK.

I use the phone for listening to a lot of music- also I use a word processor to do the occasional journaling when I don't have the laptop along. Rarely ever use the camera(carry an Olympus EM5 for that) and navigation is important- I have used the Androids with Map Factor navigator for navigation in the cities and smaller towns- and when outside of the cities I carry a Garmin for more serious work with topo maps loaded on it. And its nice to have the phone as a backup.

Well, Wired just proved you can blog a huge event from a Z30 so you shouldn't be worried. The stock music app is good enough if you ask me, but people sideload other apps all the time (and there are at least three very good alternatives in BlackBerry world). BlackBerry Maps does turn by turn voice guided navigation. If that's not good, there is Waze, if that's not good, there are options on BlackBerry World, if that's not good, sideload something. Lol. You got OPTIONS.

The Atrix 4G when in sleep mode would keep a current position with Navigator but the Samsung crashes the program when it sleeps and Navigator runs in the background which requires me stopping, re starting Navigator and waiting for the satellites to lock up. One capability of the Samsung which the Atrix did not have is that the Samsung gets the Russian GLONASS satellites as well as GPS.

You can minimize (turn into an active frame) both BlackBerry Maps and Waze and they just resume working when you go back into the apps, if you close the app for good, you'll have to request whatever it is again. No worries there as you can have 8 apps open at once.

I also am in the habit of carrying a spare battery for the Samsung (did for the Motorola as well) and assume that I would do the same for the Z 30 although the battery life reports I see are impressive. A z 30, spare battery and an Otterbox or the like sounds like the best of a lot of worlds.....

There are no spare batteries for the Z30 as it does not sport a removable battery. You ca buy a portabel charger though. BlackBerry has a 2100mAh (the Z30 is 2880mAh). I got myself a Ventev 3000mAh for my Z10. Thid shoul probably do the trick for you. No extra bulk and you can use it with any case you pick.

Many thanks to you all again--

Expat

I want pictures of that Z30 when you get it!

[Dave Drisk]

Hi expat,
The weather in Salinas is almost always warm or hot with very little rain.
Be sure to look online at www.mercadolibre.com.ec
It is the ebay more or less of ecuador. It is showing a few Z30 for sale but be sure to ask questions before buying to make sure they have it available or if they have to have it sent to them first. Also make sure "new" is never used or if it is just like new. Good luck in your search if you have not already found one.

Posted via CB10

[expat42451]

Hi Dave

Many thanks for the information. I will check Mercado Libre later tonight.

So far have not purchased one-- been spending the week on re design of a network that friends of mine with a hotel have for wifi for their clients....doing a little volunteer work and the type that I enjoy. Been cold and wet in Quito- I could use some hot with no rain--

Again many thanks for your kindness in mentioning this.

Regards from the mountains

Expat

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums!!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using CB Forums mobile app

[pkcable]

Welcome to CrackBerry.com!