[hollywoodricky]

Today my girlfriend switched from a Z30 to an iPhone 6, and I encouraged her to do so.

As disappointing as that sounds, I had no choice. I have been a longtime BlackBerry user, and about a year ago I saw an opportunity to introduce her to the BlackBerry goodness. She was growing tired of her iPhone X at the time, and hates Android, so there was my chance. I bought her a Z10 and side loaded the 'basic' apps a modern girl would want, Instagram, Pandora, Netflix, and a few others. She's not a gamer, at all.

After months of growing pains, the BlackBerry OS maturing, and me installing stable OS upgrades, and side loading apps. She stuck with it, albeit frustrated. Then I bought her the Passport, but never clicked with her. She has small hands and it felt too massive. I kept the Passport for myself and bought her the Z30 and promised her the Android issue of apps suddenly closing and not responding was a thing of the past, 10.3.1 was here afterall (e.g. Amazon App Store, improved Android Runtime, etc)

Still no magic bullet. Apps continued to act up, despite multiple efforts to get them stable, I'm not a computer novice either. Today she asked me if she can buy an iPhone, and I couldn't, for the life of me say no. She's had three different BlackBerry phones in the last year, multiple OS, and still doesn't get the experience she wants from a phone, and again, she's a 'normal' user.

I, on the other hand, love my Passport, but then again don't have a single Android application. If I don't find it in BlackBerry World, I'm not downloading it. I'm a very simple user with productivity in mind, she's a user with some social media needs, and BlackBerry has failed to provide that. I can honestly say that they have a long way to go to sell phones to the masses. For one simple reason, a user will not stick around for a year hoping his issues are resolved, afterall, my girlfriend said, "I just want a Phone that works."

I couldn't deny her that.

Posted via CB10

[jaydee5799]

Too bad you didn't buy her a Z30.
She would have stayed. I have 10.3.1 on it and no issues. It just works. Oh and I have every app I want, including Android apps.
Maybe she will be happier now.

[anon(2313227)]

He said he gave her a Z30 and had issues.

[nglfmark]

Oh at least she tried. BlackBerry's are not for everyone. Just like I will never use an iPhone. I have a MacBook and iPad mini, but iPhone does nothing for some. Each to their own.

Posted via CB10

[nhanken]

Pardon queen Jaydee, she's high on crackberry this morning

Too bad the masses only want APPS. I wonder how productive those people are when they use so many apps daily. I don't use apps extensively but I do sideload certain apps like Viber, Kakaotalk, Line etc. I always limit myself from spending too much time on apps as it makes me less productive on my work and studies. The only app that I'm opening like 100x a day is CB10. Perhaps I'm trying to knock Jaydee out of the #1 spot for the most posts? I'm thinking about that actually! *can't watch*

Too bad you didn't buy her a Z30.
She would have stayed. I have 10.3.1 on it and no issues. It just works. Oh and I have every app I want, including Android apps.
Maybe she will be happier now.

Once you go black, you can't turn back! Posted via CB10

[AUDAY]

I have been using the Z30 for a year now. Still on 10.2.1.
Waiting for official 10.3.1.
I can fully understand her frustration with the apps. Even for productivity as a medic, some apps do work, others don't. Viber, Endomondo, Skype, few other apps are so glitch and frustrating. My last hope is that the 10.3.1 will offer some improvement in performance. I live the interface of BlackBerry but the running of the apps is just frustrating!

Posted via CB10

[treaker]

If you want the cute , useless little apps, then BlackBerry is not the OS for you.

Posted via CB10

[BrentRoss]

I absolutely agree! I love the BB10 experience but it certainly needs work, and like Chen and everyone says, it works for the enterprise but it doesn't for consumers, i am a consumer and it's a miracle I am still using BB10, if it wasn't for this amazing vk keyboard and the hub, id be on Android & IOS by now

Posted via CB10

[H_O_Boomaye]

I 100% understand your frustrations as well as your loyalty. I think the problem with our community is so many people are afraid/refuse to admit that there are some major frustrations/annoyances with our beloved brand, that for now, are a hindrance to us being a 'major' player in the consumer market.

I love my Z10, but I'll be the last person to tell you that it's perfect. Lately, over the past 2 weeks - it's been driving me absolutely crazy. I have apps that were created exclusively for Blackberry & they are making my Z10 crazy & sometimes causing my phone to crash (Blaq, Igrann). I've performed more battery pulls since Thanksgiving than I have since I got the phone. This wouldn't be too much of a problem, if they weren't the two social apps I frequent the most.

I was watching someone use their iphone yesterday during a meeting at work, the most interesting thing to me about the phone was that it just worked, All The Time. Every App opened quickly, & the transitions were somewhat visually stimulating; there was a little bit of a cool factor.

I really hope Blackberry can soon find a way to marry productivity with 'cool' wow factor. People can say it's all about productivity and function all you want - but to deny that these other phones are close on BBs heels when it comes to productivity would be foolish. You can say it's not about specs, which it really isn't but, it's about making money (specs make money) we need some more. I'm optimistic - if I wasn't I'd have bought a new phone by now.

Now before people kick me out of Blackberry land, & yell at me to go get an iphone; I'm not here to proclaim I'm going to switch to an iphone. I'm just empathizing with a community member who voiced some frustration. I love my Z10 & if VZW would have the Passport, I'd a had it by now. Not sure if I can justify paying for a Z30 outright at this moment - I'll just wait for the official 10.3 update, & hope they make a new TS flagship device next year.

* Not going to sideload so please don't suggest that.

[Cynycl]

If you want the cute , useless little apps, then BlackBerry is not the OS for you.

Posted via CB10

Ah yes........the inevitable "if Blackberry doesn't offer it, it must be cute and useless" retort.

How refreshing.

[gallopiton]

I don't want to be rude, but I find strange reading posts like this one where the wife/girlfriend seems to need permission from the husband/boyfriend to get something that she wants... many times I read: I bought her this, or like in this post, she asked me to buy an iphone etc... I mean, what kind of relationship is that where one side needs permission to get something so personal as a phone?... how does the man know better what the woman need in her day to day use? Even if I am paying, I would say: my wife/girlfriend got this... oh well, maybe I am too open minded... I hope she enjoys the iphone you allow her to get... end of rant

Posted via CB10

[AUDAY]

I don't want to be rude, but I find strange reading posts like this one where the wife/girlfriend seems to need permission from the husband/boyfriend to get something that she wants... many times I read: I bought her this, or like in this post, she asked me to buy an iphone etc... I mean, what kind of relationship is that where one side needs permission to get something so personal as a phone?... how does the man know better what the woman need in her day to day use? Even if I am paying, I would say: my wife/girlfriend got this... oh well, maybe I am too open minded... I hope she enjoys the iphone you allow her to get... end of rant

Posted via CB10

The point is not about partners, wife's and GFs. We are talking about a platform that is superior in presentation and "looks", but a "drag" when it comes to function! I have used BlackBerry since 2006, and had to opt for an iPhone after my torch. I was very excited to know about the BB10 OS when it came out, but waited in the hope that problems are ironed out. Despite the wait which brought the excitement of the 10.2.1 and and all the excitement of "snap" and the amazon app store....etc, the system is still not living up to the expectations. Various versions of 10.3.1 are there for side loading, but we are yet to hear a broad base satisfaction on the performance. And hence the pessimism about the official 10.3.1.
BlackBerry keeps bragging about security and management, and productivity. Health employers in the UK opted for windows and iOS, after abandoning BlackBerry. Their IT systems uses encryption technology to secure these devices with no problems in the last 3 years.
As users, we are entitled to vent our frustration about the brand, and this is certainly because we care and love the brand for its ethics and some other features. But users also need to have a nice smooth, vibrant and stimulating experience.

Posted via CB10

[anon(2313227)]

It's not about permission it is called a relationship and if the husband is the tech that ends up supporting the phone when the gf/wife needs it, this is why she would ask.

Fortunately, i have a S5 at home and my wife can't get the hang of that. She can;t understand why Android is so popular either. She rather have a Z30 or a Passport but since the PP requires a nano I am waiting on TMO to have a free or cheap nano sim before I upgrade her.

[gallopiton]

Let me be clear, I am not judging other relationships... but it is weird to put the situation as the other person need to ask to get something... even if I pay, even if I am the techny person, even then I would say: my wife got this... it's just grammar maybe but I find it strange... on the other hand, I am not disputing the validity of iphone over BlackBerry or any opinion in that regard... I think every person should get the device that suits his/her needs better... I was more talking about the way it was expressed, that's all

Posted via CB10

[eddy_berry]

I would think that my girlfriend would absolutely enjoy a BlackBerry, but that's based on her smartphone usage. My girlfriend's mom asked me what new phone she should get a few years back. I told her to get an iPhone. Both her daughters have iPhones, they are easy to use and if she has trouble she can ask anyone at home for help. Salesperson talked her into the latest Samsung. Guess who is the only one who knows how to fix all the self-induced problems that keep popping up on her phone? Every week she hands me her phone and says something is wrong and it simply turns out she turned on/off one of a myriad of options on the phone and had no idea how she did it.

So everyone has different needs. Your girl needed something simple that worked well and had native apps. That's definitely not a BlackBerry. They work mostly well and have very few native apps. That's a big deal breaker for a lot of people. Pushing one on her was valiant but was most likely going to end badly if the device didn't suit her needs. Also I would have kept her device on official software. 10.3.1 is not official yet for a good reason.

I just have to say I'm not disappointed with BlackBerry. I just know they aren't for everyone. My sister (iPhone user) just today needed a file on her laptop and made me email it to her. The laptop was left on and I said "hey, if you had a BlackBerry we wouldn't be having this conversation." and her first response was "I don't like using the cloud for work stuff." Let's just say she didn't have the time for me to explain that you could access your files from anywhere via Link and the native file browser and it wasn't cloud based. There are things BlackBerry is good at and there are things that an iPhone is good at. I'm sure your girl is going to love her iPhone. It's what suits her needs.

Posted via CB10

[Old_Mil]

promised her the Android issue of apps suddenly closing and not responding was a thing of the past, 10.3.1 was here afterall (e.g. Amazon App Store, improved Android Runtime, etc)
phones to the masses.

10.3.1 isn't here. Did you download and install a pre release leak to her phone?

Posted via CB10

[BlackBerry Guy]

BlackBerry has basically come out and said they are going to be enterprise focused going forward. I don't think that's going to change for the foreseeable future.

[app_Developer]

BlackBerry has basically come out and said they are going to be enterprise focused going forward. I don't think that's going to change for the foreseeable future.

I think Chen could tattoo that to his forehead and people will still refuse to believe it.

The Passport is a great device, but it couldn't be my primary phone. I'm like the OP's GF in that my primary phone just has to work with no fuss, no workarounds, compatible with everything, and requiring no maintenance.



Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

[mmk1954]

If someone wants an apple product because they want the apple social experience, they should go for it. Just as BlackBerry is not for everyone neither is apple or Android. If every phone was the same wouldn't life be boring?

Mary Margaret From my Z-10

[VeryBumpy]

I'm guessing the OP didn't go Windows Phone for the same Blackberry reasons.

[anon(13322)]

She'll love the iPhone 6! I had the 6 Plus, and it was the best phone I've ever used. Now, I'm rocking strictly BlackBerry until the Apple Watch comes out, then back to the iPhone. I figured I would give B10 a try.

[targnik]

Getting someone a ph just b/c someone else in family has it hasn't worked in my families situation ^^

sis-in-law has a Samsung Galaxy 4+ and they (+ma-in-law/other sis-in-law) thought like some, get their dad a new ph i.e. S4+ the same as hers

I should have received commission for all the trouble shooting I was offering while he was learning how to use new ph! He actually swore at it once in front of the Grand kids. Every time after, that one of the little cherubs forgot their P's & Q's we all blamed granddad.

Sis-in-law thinks she's a bit of a ph expert b/c she uses a lot of social media on her ph... I was surprised I wasn't consulted re, ph choice for GD. I've been modding ph's for well over a decade.

I would have suggested BlackBerry o/c, or maybe a vanilla version of Android handset, Nexus 5 maybe...

Samsung overlay is sh!te!! I may end up custom rom'in it for him yet, as he's clearly frustrated & is tech illiterate.

Mobile ph's are very personal things... you can't just choose one for someone and expect them to love it just because you do...

PS - they didn't even set him up with a Google account!? So, he's really only got half a ph + he doesn't want a Gmail account either... definitely needs rooted and rom'ed

Z10STL100-2/10.2.2.1531

[blackguy07]

At least she tried it. No harm no foul. I love bb10 but it's not perfect but people need to realize that BlackBerry isn't as big as apple or Google. Do you guys understand how mature bb10 would be if they had a team that size with more money in the bank?? At the end of the day it's all preference. I've owned my fair share of iPhones and androids but I've gotten so use to bb10 that as an OS that even with the app gap I couldn't go back. IOS is boring to me and even with how pretty lollipop is they're still some things I'm not a fan of with android. I find bb10 to be a happy medium. I feel like you get a mix of others os coupled with qnx and bam I get bb10.

Posted via CB10

[Aljean Thein]

Android apps will always be a problem.

Posted via CB10

[initialsBB]

I don't care for apps either, all I need is a browser, the hub, a text editor and a music player. For anything fancier I'd rather use a computer.