March 28, 2013
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A review of the BlackBerryZ10
A Review of the BlackBerry Z10
Technology
I have used the BlackBerry Z10 since the beginning of the month. I bought it despite reading that people say that other smart phones like the iPhone and Samsung are better. Even the guy at the counter when I went to buy it tried to convince me that the other phones are better. I had a good experience from my previous BlackBerry relative to other phones and decided to stay with the brand.
In the bottom line I am extremely happy with my Z10. The phone is firstly a communication tool The hub that they rave about is very convenient for both my work mail other mail and all the different contact points I have with a multitude of people. I have many contacts and need quick access to my communication channels. The gestures the phone use with its touch screen too a day or two to get use to… but once mastered it is a breeze to use. One criticism is some inconsistency of how applications open and close. The interface is intuitive enough but there is an inconsistency in how different apps behave when they need to be closed.
The keyboard with its advanced predictive typing is awesome but took several days of concerted effort to master. Sometimes the flipping action select another word which slows down the typing rather than increasing the speed. I can imagine it being especially difficult for people with thick fingers. However not having to type every word is cool and its suggestions for next words is often spot on. The flick requires finger dexterity that must be mastered before the phone come to its own right. Relative to other touch pad phones I had this one is a pleasure to use.
Its phone is not its primary feature. Getting to open the phone as a utility is sometimes difficult and it is best to keep the phone app open. Setting up quick dails are easy and convenient. Facebook, BBM and Whatsapp works like a charm. Unfortunately Whatsapp jumps up as a notification in the hub and is not as neatly synchronized. It was easy to sync my work e-mail with the phone but I had a problem synchronizing my contact data and calendar.
An annoying point of the phone is the position of the power cable. Since I often type left handed the power cable point of entry is too low and restricts typing on the screen. I would have preferred the cable input to be a bit higher.
The browser is fast and convenient. The reader that strips off all the unnecessary web components to render the main body text is excellent and make it easily readable is a bonus and makes it easy to scroll through websites. Facebook works perfectly and I can manage my groups, pages and personal site with ease.
The camera works well. It took me a bit of time to get used to how it zoom using two fingers but I like it that you can point the camera on what to focus. The delay photo that allows you to chose where you want the final focus works well. My success rate taking pictures of children and animals more than tripled. The video camera works well.
Not being Amarican or British the voice control is not really giving me any benefit. It does not understand my pronunciation when I dictate and it does not have a facility to learn to know my voice.
The video is clear and the sound is clear. The speakerphone of the camera works well while I am traveling in my car. I do not need to use any additional equipment to use the phone in my car.
I have not seen any games that excite me and the Blackberry world might have million of apps but there are few that truly made me excited. I love the Kindle reader app that allows me to buy kindle e-books and read it with my Z10. The Kindle reader works well and I can read all content easily. The standard pdf reader that comes with the Z10 is pathetic. It does not give the text in a nice column view and I had to download a better app. I am not a big game player so the gaming did not really put me off the Z10. My favorite game is Age of Legends and I was disappointed that the game is not yet available on the Z10.
The GPS on the Blackberry works perfectly well. The audible voice direct one well from your current position to its destination.
Overall I am happy. The Blackberry Z10 delivered what I needed and made my smart phone experience much better and improved my productivity as a business man. I will buy the Blackberry Z10 again if I am given the choice.
Comments (4)
I got my iPhone after a three-year-old seriously showed me how easy it was to use. While there are good and bad points about the new blackberry, the Samsung, and the iPhone; I think it all comes down to what is available – they are all pretty similar and have the same irritating problems which I suppose are resolved as you become used to them.
For my part, I prefer my MacBook Pro Laptop for almost everything except calling. It is nice though, to have my iPhone automatically link up to my car so that no hands-on texting and phoning is required – I was quite surprised the first time I got an incoming call over my car radio.
Consumer Reports Magazine has done a brief review of the Z10 and speaks very highly of it – ranks it as equal to or better than the iPhone and Android. They say they miss the “Home Button”those two have, though.
You mention the cable getting in your way – why do you keep the cable connected? Do you not have wifi ?
@tychecat - The cable is just needed while charging the phone. If they are looking for a home button, they dont understand the phone yet. With the X10 you are always home.
@Zeal4living - I suppose it was just what they were used to – that one button to do everything
My iPhone charges fully in less than an hour – I charge it every couple of days – even have a charger in my car (a Ford Explorer) – which has built-in blackberry as well as a USB hub. It’s strange to suddenly get a phone call through your car’s radio just because you have the iPhone in your pocket