So the 30th January rolls around and I get another invite for the official launch of the phone, and again I was too curious to see what exactly would happen as I was promised for it to be quite a show. Only on reaching the venue did I realize that the phone was being launched live in NYC with a giant screen that spread the room showing us the goings on- and we were joined with such a launch taking place in a few other cities including New Delhi, Paris, Toronto and Johannesburg. I won't get into too much about the event, although it was very well organized, and instead I'll focus straight on the phone. Every one in attendance got to take home the new BlackBerry Z10 (the flagship device with the onscreen keyboard) so I've had around 24 hours to play with it and put it through its paces.
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| The BlackBerry 10 launch in Dubai |
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| 2 phones announced- the flagship Z10 and the Q10 with physical keyboard (availability date TBA) |
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| Apologies for the blurry image! This is what the Z10 looks like held |
So about the device- It looks very similar to the iPhone 5 being just a tad bit longer and wider but feels approximately to be the same weight. I actually like the feel of the Z10 a bit better as it has a rubberized back which gives it a better "grip" while you're holding and typing on the device. The device runs smoothly and feels as fast as an iPhone or top of the line Android device. The keyboard is great and works very well, much better than the stock Android keyboard but perhaps not as good as SwiftKey, my favourite app on my Samsung Note 2 which allows me to customize the keyboard. All in all, I liked it better than an iPhone keyboard too so that's saying a lot. Also, if you are multilingual you will probably love the phones ability to switch between two languages without any particular "switching" to take place. You can now go between English to French with ease!
BlackBerry (the company, formerly known as RIM) has also made sure to go out there and secure some big names for their App store. Right now I was able to download the Facebook and Twitter app which integrates very well into the phone, but others will soon be available including WhatsApp and Skype, although the latter may not be available in Dubai.
Let me highlight a few of the changes that makes the BB10 different from the other iPhone and Android devices out there-
- BBM is now much more useful as it integrates voice calling AND video chat. I've heard that video chat via BBM is available in the UAE for now (although I haven't tested it out as I don't know anyone else who has the new device yet) neither have I been able to try out voice chat as I don't know how to operate it yet. Will post further comments as and when I have more info on that front.
- Since BlackBerry has always been all about security, BBM has another great feature that the working folk may appreciate. Users of the BB10 have a way of sharing their screen with the person they are chatting to via BBM to show them pictures, documents and whatever else they have on their phone without actually sending them the device. That works brilliantly as you can imagine, when sharing information with someone without actually having to share it.
- To do this and not have people be able to glance into your crazy weekend photographs and Angry Bird game downloads, the phone allows you to have 2 modes- a work mode and a play one. I haven't played around with this too much, but I do know from the demos that this is possible.
- Another cool app is something called "Remember" which allows you to create a folder where you can put it all sorts of information that you may need to, well, remember later. The example they gave was quite useful- lets say you planning a holiday. It allows you to store contact details of the person you need to speak to regarding the holiday, any photographs you may have saved, website info, Evernote notes on the subject, all to be jointly kept in one place for future reference. Earth shattering app? No. Bloody useful? For sure.
- Ever tried to use the browser on an old BlackBerry device? You'll know how painfully slow the damn thing can be. One of the first things they made us do in the preview session is to clock the speeds of our current devices to showcase it in comparison to the new BB. Even on the test device, websites were blazing fast and I'm happy to report that the same is true of the final device. Big phew!
- The Camera is an 8 megapixel shooter that is actually quite sharp although I'm yet to review it in dim lighting conditions. The cool thing about the camera is the "Time Shift" function which when activated takes a burst of a few pictures in one shot. As the phone detects faces, what this means is if there are a bunch of people taking pictures together, the camera allows you to literally pick the best shot of the face of each person involved. If you have your eyes closed in the perfect shot of someone else? Easy, just swap it out to the second right before where your eyes are open. Very cool, and very useful.
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| Image taken from Rogers.com website |
- Since we're talking about the camera, a very cool app that comes built in is the "Story Maker" app which is very similar to "iMovie" on the iPhone (although this is free)- It quickly takes snippets of video, still pictures and music and turns it into a funky video clip/slideshow. Again, I just saw this on the demo and am yet to play around with it. Video review to follow!
- The BlackBerry guys talk about the "Blackberry Hub" a lot- which is just a place where all the msgs- be they from twitter, facebook, BBM, SMS or email all show up together, so you can access all your info from one place. I found this to be slightly more confusing than simple, and hopefully I'll just get used to that soon. Clearly there is a slight learning curve there.
Overall, despite mixed reviews published by tech blogs, I'm personally a huge fan of the BlackBerry 10. I have always been a fan of BBM and despite the bells and whistles of other smartphones, I've still kept my BlackBerry, albeit as a second phone, to do what it does best- Communicate.. that too securely.
BBM has always just worked for me. I'm able to keep in touch with the ppl in my life that matter, and while yes, WhatsApp and iMessage are available on other platforms, they just haven't been as easy, or moreover RELIABLE to use as BBM. I've never had a message not get delivered despite the phone showing it has, or other confusions I've faced on the other options.
The second biggest reason I love my BlackBerry is my ability to travel with it outside the UAE. No matter where in the world I am, I can always count on my BB to keep me in touch with my work, family and friends. That has more to do with the carriers offering special packages for the BB, and I'm hoping Etisalat and Du will have the good sense to offer reasonable rates for the BB10 as well. I'm also excited that the frustration I used to experience with ridiculously slow browsing speeds while traveling may also be a thing of the past. Add voice and (hopefully!!!) video chat to this and BAM- you've got a dream device!!
For all those writing the BlackBerry's obituary after the launch, I'd like to point out that the same could have been said about Android only a few years earlier. The difference between the two is that the BB still already has a loyal fan base in the UAE and all they need to do is make sure the phone is able to continue to cheaply and securely provide data to their customers. The device itself is a gorgeous one and I think BlackBerry has gotten more right than they have wrong. With a rapidly growing app store and promise of many more popular Apps, I think a lot of people will love their new device and not feel like they are carrying a dinosaur anymore. I dare say we might see people shift back to the BB as their sole device as well. For those who think I'm paying lip service to the brand as I sell them in my stores, there have been a slew of products I've tested out recently and not bothered doing a review as, well, I just didn't want to lie about wanting to own them myself (ahem, BB Porsche design or Surface anyone?) As of now, am loving my BlackBerry Z10 and I can't wait to see the next generation of phones the company comes out with. As they stressed repeatedly in their launch, I too think this is just the beginning for them.
This is just my initial review after 24 hours of use and in a few days hopefully I'll be back with a video review and a few more tips and tricks about the device and operating system. Stay tuned!
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The BlackBerry 10 is out everywhere in the UAE on February 10th. Due to the high demand of the product, I'd advise you to go into any of the Jumbo Stores to pre-order the device to ensure you get it on the day itself!
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