All Things BlackBerry - Apps, Phones, and Discussion

I don't think that was the point. Step666 was pointing out (correctly) that "intuitive" is the opposite of "hard to get used to." I'd say the BB10 gesture system is very fluid, but not immediately intuitive.

 

Thank you! I was trying to capture that essence, somehow it did not work out.

 

Exactly, thank you.

I have used a Playbook, never owned one but used one a number of times.
I would hardly call it intuitive, I would not have been able to pick one up and instantly use it had I not had training on it.

It's too different to be intuitive, jaug's post proves that - if it were intuitive, he wouldn't be referring to it as hard to get used to, the two are incompatible.
It's so different from pretty much any other OS on the market that there's a sizeable learning curve, which is the opposite of intuitive.

iOS is intuitive, it's so simple that anyone can pick it up and do most things with it. BB10 is not.

 

Habits are hard to break. Current popular UI paradigms are exactly that... habit. Knowing HOW to use it is one thing, but breaking yourself of the habits of another UI is something completely different.

No, iOS is K-I-S-S. Keep it simple stupid. In fact, it's so KISS that it interferes with any productivity improvements that can be made to the UI functions. Nobody I know of over the age of ~25 uses the double-tap task switcher. They just go home and pick another app. Now on the iPad, you have the gestures. THAT's intuitive, but it doesn't translate to anything smaller than iPad. Blackberry's gestures can work on any form factor exactly the same.

 

Simple is intuitive.

Give a BB10 device to a random passer-by on the street and give them an iOS device, we both know which one they'll be able to pick up and use straight away.
Better yet, give them both to a young child or someone's grandparent, the difference will be even more obvious.

 

Honestly no one under the age of 25 uses the task switcher. Not any "average" person.

 

How about no?

The reason people see iPhone as simple and intuitive is due to the age it's been on the market, come on man, old people can barely use it as it is. We only hear and see iPhone's everywhere, no wonder it's so 'simple' to use, although it IS easier to use than the BB10.

I'm just saying that the new OS is simple, intuitive but needs to get used to due to the complete rework of what we are used to! I feel like we are going in circles here...

 

How about yes.

No, the reason it's simple is because it's impossible to get wrong - it's just a menu and apps, it's as basic and as easy to get to grips with as possible. It has one button, once you get to grips with that you can navigate round the entire OS. That's simplicity.
It doesn't rely upon gestures that you have to guess at or are forced to read a manual and/or look up online to be able to use it.

That's got nothing to do with it.
You could give it to someone who's never used it before and they'd be able to work it out far more quickly and easily than any other OS on the market.

Yes, I know it is, that's what I;ve been saying.

We are, mostly because you keep misusing the word 'intuitive'.
Once again, you're contradicting yourself by saying you need to get used to it, that means it's not intuitive.

 

I give up.

 

Okay guys it's been 3 weeks, and the Z10 is everything one can wish for, the screen is absolutely brilliant, and due to several OS updates the battery has become phenomenal, virtually holds 1-2 days under heavy use, 3 days under very light use.

Do take note that more and more applications are getting ported (android ports) onto the Z10 BB world store and more and more native ports are starting to appear as developers start to realize the potential this mobile has got.

 

What is the best blackberry phone that can be had for under $175, unlocked?

 

BlackBerry Bold 9650 | eBay

 

Thanks, does it allow tethering?

 

Bold 9650 for $145
or
Curve 9220 for $161

Which one would you recommend?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-B...ory-Unlocked-GSM-QUADBAND-Phone-/290873846847

 

Honestly, neither. The Bold 9650 was a well-built and nice BB at the time, but that was more than 3 years ago. Running BB 5.0 out of the box, there will be a lot of features missing (and the web browser is just bad). BB 6.0 is better, but coming from a user of the GSM Bold 9700, there will be some issues compared to a device designed for BB 6.0 out of the box.

The Curve 9220 is more up-to-date, relatively speaking, with BB 7.0. But at this point, I don't know that it'll be worth it going with it even at that low price. The Bold's keyboard is nicer than the Curve's as well.

I saw your thread, and personally I'd make the same conclusion as some of the other posters. It's more worth it spending ~$300 now and getting a quality device that can actually last 2+ years (ie: Nexus 4, which is probably the best deal on a new, unlocked phone) than it is to save a mere $100-150 to tide you over.

On a related note for BlackBerry, Google has ended Google Voice support for BlackBerries, which is a dealbreaker for me (I use GVoice for free unlimited texting). Sad to see, but not unexpected.

 

It appears the Q10's release is right around the corner.

Rogers leak pins BlackBerry Q10 Canadian launch date as April 30th

 

Pre-orders available in the UK

and it comes with a splendid 10.1 OS update (which will become available for the Z10 too ofc)

 

Yeah - unless you're security sensitive, you run the BES plan and a BESE at least (in which case you probably wouldn't be dithering over a couple of hundred for a phone), or you text one-handed constantly, I can't see any reason why you'd pick either.

 

BlackBerry A10 slide leaks highlighting specs and features - GSMArena.com news



A 5 inch screen BlackBerry is interesting, but I see it as a solution being offered for a problem that isn't there. More native apps is what this platform needs, not a 5 inch screen device that tries to draw attention alongside the current Android flagships.

 

I don't think "hardware variety" and "more native apps" are an either-or sort of thing. You need more buyers to draw the app developers, and greater selection in hardware might help you draw more buyers.

 

^ Good point. I've been playing with a Z10 and as much as I like bigger screen devices, I haven't ran into an instance where I thought "Gosh, I wish this had a bigger screen". BB10 does work quite well on smaller screens, I'll give it that.

 

Blackberry basically announced it's pulling out of the consumer market and will just be working with enterprise.

BlackBerry to retreat from consumer market, lay off 4,500 employees | The Verge

 

I can understand the logic to shift back to the enterprise market, but at the same time making the decision to return and cater to the market that sent the company in a downward spiral in the first place must be bittersweet.

 

Like I said, they won't last to 2014. Sad to see RIM go. Like the end of an era.

 

The only cause of Blackberry's collapse were Blackberry themselves.
The market caused nothing, it simply reacted to sub-par offerings.

 

This right here.

The Playbook had potential, until they just let it die with delay after delay on OS 2.0. Then there was that LONG period where it didn't even have PIM apps... at all. Then came almost a billion dollars in write-downs on the Playbook, all by itself.

Now we have the extremely unpopular Z10 because it has no apps, and another billion dollar write-down.

Blackberry did it to themselves because they completely failed to see that no one wants/wants to develop for BB10. I hate to say it, but they should have forked Android and just went from there.

 

BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis reportedly considering bid for his former company | The Verge

 

Yeah, like the board would consider putting the company back in the hands of Lizard and Ballsy.

 

Meet the Blackberry Passport, a phablet with a hardware keyboard and a 4.5" square screen (1440x1440):

The Passport is a big, blocky phablet and BlackBerry's strangest phone ever | The Verge

 

My company is ditching Blackberry and sounds like opting for iPhones. Not sure how I feel about that. And that phablet is really odd looking. Doesn't look comfortable to hold or use.

 

Looks like they took the Bold and squished it in a hydraulic press.

 

I dunno - I kind of like it. It's obviously not on trend as a tablet, but if you consider the way most people use a mini Android / iOS tablet for work (portrait, with the touch keyboard always at the bottom) it makes sense. At least BB knows where their strengths are lol

 

Yeah the Passport looks gross. Nope.avi

 

I guess no new phone for me then. I sister wanted to buy a new BB (and give me her old Z10), but now I don't see she buying that thing.

 

Necro-ing an old thread...

Has anyone here gotten the Classic? How about Passport?

Personally, I'm waiting for the Classic to be released on VZW and I'll be grabbing one.

Anyone else?

 

Hey there, fellow (future) Blackberry user!
I think Melody has the Passport.
Myself I have the Q10. It's pretty much Classic, since the two are almost identical hardware wise.

 

I'm still happy with my Bold. Having said that, it has taken one heck of a beating over the last few years and should be retired, sooner than later.

So Classic it will be...hopefully soon enough.

 

Yeah, I heard that Bold is one hell of a phone.
Wonder if your decision to get the Classic has something to do with it having the so called toolbelt.
Or maybe it's just the simple "not broken, don't fix it" case.

 

^^^^^^^^
This.

And another thing: I will (with my purchase of Classic) support BB for making what I deem to be a daring move to please its "old school" customers such as myself.

 

Well, I guess you will be able to grab it soon:
http://crackberry.com/blackberry-classic-appears-set-arrive-verizon-february-26th

 

So, RIM started to rollout 10.3.1 update today. Downloading it right now!

 

Well, I had a nice little roadblock thrown in front of me by my employer and now I'm debating what to do.

To make a very long story shorter: my current BlackBerry is issued by my employer, and my plan is paid by them.

I am due for an upgrade from my current Bold. No one debates that fact.

The replacement phone must be a BlackBerry. No one debates that either.

I was quite willing to pony up the funds for the Classic - not asking for a red cent from them - and have them register it on the company's internal network for email purposes and what not. No-go. Period. End of story.

Which leaves me with the following thoughts/questions:

a) Do I like the Classic enough to pay for *both* the phone and the plan myself, when I really don't need another service plan?

b) Do I really want to be on VZW which barely works in my house - AT&T does much better up here - if I'm paying for the plan myself?

The answer to both of these questions is most likely "no", so my purchase of Classic might just have to wait for a while.

 

^^^That's kinda dumb, not to be able to buy a phone for your own cash within company requirements.
But since your plan is paid by them, waiting a bit more is the better option.

 

I wouldn't say it's dumb since they're viewing it as a security issue, and that's not something I can argue against since it's an old company policy which has been in place three days short of forever, I just wasn't fully aware of it. No BYOD and no exceptions. Period.

My take is that I'll wait for a few months - likely until September - and see what I get as a replacement, then take it from there.

 

Still have my BB 8900 and BB 9780- can't wait to download 10.3.1 to them!

 

Please do tell us how it goes .

 

Blackberry now has a Moto G competitor, the inexpensive-yet-720p Blackberry Leap. No hardware keyboard.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/blackberry-goes-keyboardless-again-with-new-leap/

More interesting for BB fans, they teased (but did not formally unveil) a portrait slider phone:

 

^^^Curved edges. I always wondered what purpose do they serve...

 

So which model of Blackberry do they want you to have? This is one of those situations where I'm saying to your employer "I know what you DON'T want, but what DO you want?"

 

In addition to stuff like serving as an alarm clock or having some sort of edge-based toolbar, Marques Brownlee commented that swipe-from-the-left-bezel gestures just feel more natural with a curved screen (he said this in the context of the Galaxy S6; with Google's current design standards, swiping from the left bezel often opens a menu). I think BB10 relies heavily on bezel swipes, so it might just "feel good."