Upto 2007, I used to eye BlackBerry instruments in others’ hands, wondering
whether I would ever own one. Then, in 2008, my employers gave me one – and I’ve
been hooked ever since.
Over the last couple of years, however, it was difficult not to be exasperated with the obvious flaws in the operating system… Android and Windows were never options for me, so I had to be content with my Nokia phones and their Symbian drivers; I was, therefore, mightily pleased when the BB 10 finally arrived, late though it was. I passed up the Z10, since big screens have never been my thing, and picked up my Q10 in June this year, shortly after it hit the markets.
Over the last couple of years, however, it was difficult not to be exasperated with the obvious flaws in the operating system… Android and Windows were never options for me, so I had to be content with my Nokia phones and their Symbian drivers; I was, therefore, mightily pleased when the BB 10 finally arrived, late though it was. I passed up the Z10, since big screens have never been my thing, and picked up my Q10 in June this year, shortly after it hit the markets.
This, then, is a user experience discourse. I’m not going to get technical at all, you can find all the specs you want on innumerable websites. I’d just like to share my views with other BlackBerry fans, and with potential BB users who are trying to decide whether they should switch.
Here it is, then, briefly and baldly laid out:
What’s different
· Well, the operating system, naturally. The BB10 is a whole new interface with a great look and feel, and a number of interesting features. For all that, it’s not complicated, and doesn’t take too much time to learn.
·
For those of you who don’t like external memory
card, the onboard memory is a boon –
at 16 GB, you won’t need more space unless you want to convert your phone into
a camera or a music player
·
The desktop
software is completely different – no more BlackBerry Desktop Manager :
there’s BlackBerry Link instead, which does the same job, but looks a lot
sleeker and comes with additional functionality. The other good news is that
the file format is unchanged, so your older BB backups can be saved in Link
just as easily.
·
Good bye to the BlackBerry Internet Plan. Like any other smartphone, be it Android
or windows, you have to take a normal 3G or 2G plan that suits you
·
One effect of the new OS is that you get to sync all your contacts – so, when you
review your Contacts list, you will find ALL your contacts – be they from your
phone, from Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp or LinkedIn. You can even switch
off contact display functionality of some of these apps, if it suits you
What’s good
Lots of things, but I’m going to talk only about a few of the everyday stuff:
·
At last you can listen to music on your BB : the
Q10’s speaker gives you rich,
crystal-clear stereo-quality sound.
It’s not Bose, naturally, but it’s not Bad, either.
·
The Q10’s voice
clarity is far superior to all BlackBerry phones till date. In a
clear-signal area, even the lowest volume may well be too loud for you !
·
Predictive
text input, where whole words come up and the system “learns” words as you
type new ones, is a welcome imitation from the Samsung Galaxy range of phones
·
I’ve always been a BB camera fan – if you hold
the phone steady, you get a reasonably good picture. The Q10’s camera, in pixel-power, focus and
clarity, is a significant improvement, so you’re likely to always leave your
digicam at home if you’re an amateur shooter. There’s even a photo-editing software thrown
in
·
The BlackBerry
Messenger (BBM) has been enhanced to offer video chat, thereby making a
good thing even better. Naturally, you can use this feature only with other
BB10 users, but at least it has arrived.
·
With an expanded memory, the hanging problem is finally solved.
·
The appearance
is a winner – slim, sleek, beautifully contoured, with a steel frame and a
glass-weave anti-slip back, the new look beats the Bold 3 by a yard and then
some. The keyboard is completely reengineered and has a great feel, apart from
ensuring faster typing. The screen is a beautiful piece of work, allowing you
to see clearly even in bright sunlight.
What’s bad
Ah, well : it may glitter, but it’s not gold – yet ! Here
are a few of the things to get worked up about:
·
Battery
life, while vastly improved, could still have been a lot better. Active-use
time is 10 to 11 hours, which means that, if you have a standard 12-hour office
day, you’re going to run out of juice before you get home. While the Company isn’t saying this upfront,
their outlets are discreetly suggesting that buying the BB battery pack wuld be a good idea - which
is very revealing. This is one phone which you’ll have to charge for 2 hours
every morning and another 2 every night,
unless you want it going dead while you’re asleep or while you’re on the way
home.
·
The Q10 heats
up alarmingly at unpredictable moments – in fact, it actually gets so warm
that you really don’t feel comfortable holding it ! Fortunately, it cools down
pretty fast as well. I haven’t found a causative trend – but it seems to happen
more when the network is consistently poor, or when Bluetooth / NFC etc are on
·
The touchscreen
is over-sensitive – if you’re not careful, you’ll end up redialing the last
number dialed on a regular basis. This necessitates
a screen lock, which can be a bit fiddly if you need to use your phone in a
hurry.
·
While the phone doesn’t hang, it hesitates for a long couple of seconds
whenever you hit the “Settings” button. We are informed that the next update of
the software will sort this out
·
As you probably already know, the App collection isn’t really there yet.
This is not a problem, but yes, it IS a wish-list item. For example, I would
love to use my Q10 to play Scrabble or Lexulous on the go – but that’s just not
possible at the moment.
What’s the
alternative
If you’re still a diehard BlackBerry fan, you have the
option of buying the Q5. The benefits ? Different colours, a sub-Rs 25,000/- price tag, and the BlackBerry 10 system.
The downside ? The battery is “fixed”, so you can’t take it out unless you go to a service centre. Also, if you’re an appearances person, you’ll be interested to know that the BB outlet that sold me the phone observed that the Q5’s look and feel simply doesn’t have the class of the Q10.
What’s the verdict
I’m a guy who believes in using his phone to call, text
(sms, BBM, WhatsApp, whatever), take pictures, set alarms and play the
occasional basic game when I’m waiting in a line – or something. I don’t like fancy functionalities, complex
apps and large screens that allow the world and their mother to read your
private communiqués from a distance of five feet.
If you’re like me, and if you’re willing to spend what others would on an iPhone or a high-end Galaxy or Lumia, then buy the Q10, it’s as good as a Blackberry can get.
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If you’re like me, and if you’re willing to spend what others would on an iPhone or a high-end Galaxy or Lumia, then buy the Q10, it’s as good as a Blackberry can get.
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Disclaimer: This does not purport to be an accurate description of the BlackBerry Q10's functioning and attributes. This is simply a first-person account of an actual user experience and is not intended to either promote or downgrade the BlackBerry or any of its competitor products.
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