If BlackBerry is to complete the greatest comeback since Lazarus, it all depends on how it can lure back former users as well as woo new customers. Which means its fate hinges on BlackBerry 10, its new operating system and apps platform. BB10 has three things going for it. It’s technically sophisticated and well up to the …

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1. Tuesday 5th February 2013 10:22 GMT Ambivalous Crowboard
  
  Don't put all your kettles of fish in one basket
  
  Yeah, I know what you mean. I took one look at the blackberry and I was like "whoa, I can't believe they've done that. Still, plenty more eggs in the sea."
  
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Monday 4th February 2013 16:56 GMT ScissorHands

That nut was cracked

"BB10 is an attempt to unify three things: a launcher, a switcher and a messaging hub, and there are only so many ways to crack that nut. ".

Get an N9 to see how it's done.

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Monday 4th February 2013 19:48 GMT MrT

"...a little disconcerting to see it always showing capital letters..."

... just like the standard iPhone/iPad keyboard then - not exactly a deal-breaker. Are any of the ported Android apps ones for alternative keyboards?

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Monday 4th February 2013 22:42 GMT Tom 35

fix this disaster?

And Windows phone is the best thing since sliced toast?

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Monday 4th February 2013 22:42 GMT Anonymous Coward

A new (?) idea...

HTC will or has brought out a smaller Bluetooth handset (THC Mini I think) to go along with their billy silly Phablet. They're doing it wrong. All backwards.

There should be a boring 3G/4G/LTE RF gadget tucked into your backpack that contains the SIM card (or equivalent), and links to your mobile devices. A 3G stick as it were, but more. Then you could have multiple handsets (phones, phablets, tablets, etc.) devices with one-of-each OS for non-fanboi flexibility, each of them *not* financially hard-wired to your exceedingly high monthly bill.

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1. Tuesday 5th February 2013 09:20 GMT ScissorHands
  
  Re: A new (?) idea...
  
  That's called a mobile hotspot. Ask your operator about them.
  
  "So, Mr. Smartypants wants a data plan, eh?"
  
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2. Tuesday 5th February 2013 10:23 GMT Ambivalous Crowboard
  
  Re: A new (?) idea...
  
  Yeah, kind of like a BlackBerry PlayBook.
  
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3. Tuesday 5th February 2013 13:39 GMT Dave 126
  
  Re: A new (?) idea...
  
  I've previously posted a similar idea- but since minimum size of your dongle device is dictated by its battery, you might as well slap a keypad and small screen on it and have it function as a dumbphone when you haven't bought a flashy big-screened device with you. My concept was effectively: [for the pocket: cheap, compact, easy-to-use durable dumbphone with long battery life that can act as 3G hotspot] plus [for the bag or car: larger tablet device when you want it].
  
  The 'real world' issue with your concept is that devices in the bottom of rucksacks often get mislaid, and if someone is rushing out of their house, they might not grab both devices- leaving them with either only a headless dongle or an unconnected 'phone'.
  
  It is always refreshing to reads fellow commentards own ideas for how gadgets should be, though, so keep it up! : D
  
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  1. Thursday 7th February 2013 02:27 GMT Michael Wojcik
    
    Re: A new (?) idea...
    
    My concept was effectively: [for the pocket: cheap, compact, easy-to-use durable dumbphone with long battery life that can act as 3G hotspot] plus [for the bag or car: larger tablet device when you want it].
    
    Both of my laptops can connect to my Symbian phone over Bluetooth when I need to use it as a hotspot. How is that different from what you're proposing?
    
    Of course, my Symbian phone isn't exactly "dumb", but it's cheap, compact, durable, and I find it pretty easy to use. Battery life is typically a few days, and I could carry an extra battery if that was an issue.
    
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Tuesday 5th February 2013 09:20 GMT b166er

I think not having BIS is probably going to be its saving grace personally. No-one wants to pay the extra tax for getting what they can get on other platforms for free.

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1. Tuesday 5th February 2013 10:23 GMT Ambivalous Crowboard
  
  You're an idiot
  
  If you have never used BIS then you don't appreciate what it is and what it is good at, so you cannot (should not) make judgements like that.
  
  BIS is an end-to-end encryption solution and also a method of controlling and deploying a ton of phones to your organisation. Need to set up a BB7 in a BIS/BES environment? Plug it in, assign the user, unplug it. All the user's email, calendar, contacts are now assigned to the phone.
  
  Need to set up a BB10 or a BB7 in a non-BIS/BES environment? Manually enter in the Outlook profile, details, username, password etc. User changes his password on the network? No email until the phone is updated. Cue the call to the helpdesk saying the phone doesn't work any more.
  
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Tuesday 5th February 2013 09:21 GMT nick2802

Get Facts Right!!!!!

After reading your review about the New BlackBerry Z10. I find that you have not given the new operating system enough of a chance, instead you have jumped on the typical its not android or iOS bandwagon. Yes its a change from these, but its such a huge change. I have used an iPhone which is just an overrated and over-expensive iPod Touch and I have used the Android operating system, and the whole point of the new BB OS was to get rid of the need for buttons.

In your article you wrote about not having a home button, who cares, it just addes extra bulk etc to the phone, you mentioned that you had problems with the email set-up which is one of bb strongpoints, well I had no problems at all setting up my emails, and then when I signed in with my BB account, all my contacts from bbm and emails etc was all ported over. In your review you spoke about the fact that there is no nightstand mode, well if you drag the top of the screen down when it is locked, guess what appears the night stand mode, and when you put the phone on charge the little nightstand logo appears at the top and you can just drag it straight down.

You complained that the battery life is poor while mine is fantastic, and whats more if you have a problem with the battery then you can just replace it unlike iPhones. You also said in your review that there is no single point of reference, yes there is just slide the bottom of the screen up and you get to the last eight apps used. I have four apps open all the time that I use and find that the OS on the new BB is so easy to navigate.

Even the title of your Article is condemning the phone, so if anyone is looking at reviews and they see this then they will automatically assume its rubbish without trying the phone out.

All in all I think you should properly use the OS and see how easy it is to use, and you should not condemn it for things that you say it doesn't have when in fact it does have the functions, just you haven't found them.

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1. Tuesday 5th February 2013 09:29 GMT diodesign
  
  Re: Get Facts Right!!!!!
  
  "In your article you wrote about not having a home button, who cares"
  
  You need to separate opinion from fact.
  
  "guess what appears the night stand mode"
  
  Arguably it's not the same nightstand mode that stalwart BB users, such as Andrew, expect. As the article states, this is our first impression of the device. There'll be more to come.
  
  C.
  
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2. Tuesday 5th February 2013 15:47 GMT Thomas 4
  
  Re: Get Facts Right!!!!!
  
  "In your article you wrote about not having a home button, who cares, "
  
  Someone that wants a home button might.
  
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Tuesday 5th February 2013 10:21 GMT Lloyd

I love the icons

They're very Symbian 60 (v1).

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Tuesday 5th February 2013 10:23 GMT unlockworldwide

Not exactly the sweet smell of success.

If other reviews are as lukewarm as this then BlackBerry do not have the funds to survive. Only ecstasy was adequate to see BlackBerry through the hard slog that lies ahead.

After all, how long will any of these perceived advantages remain unique.

Bring on the suitors who can consummate a marriage with RIM (sorry BBRY) and make BBX (sorry, BB10) a hot commodity. After all, who could resist acquiring an intimate interest in their new Global Creative Director, Alicia Keys?

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Tuesday 5th February 2013 12:06 GMT The FunkeyGibbon

Obviously this is a first look at the handset

But for me the killer will be this:

BES10 cannot manage old devices. So I will have to maintain a separate BES and BES10 install. Since the BB10 uses ActiveSync, now is the ideal time for me to switch to an alternative. Yes BES10 can apparently manage multiple devices (BB, 'Droid, iPhone) but in the SME environment I've no need to spend that kind of money to get features that I'm largely not using. The whole point of BES has been lost because it now doesn't do anything different other than off expensive management software.

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1. Tuesday 5th February 2013 17:41 GMT Mark Dowling
  
  Re: Obviously this is a first look at the handset
  
  funkeygibbon - no BES10 no Balance. I'd think hard before making that call. I had the same thinking as you before going to BEF yesterday but the Security session (Balance operates from AES256 file system, block on data transfer from "Work" to "Personal", BBM considered "Personal" etc.) was thoughtprovoking.
  
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Tuesday 5th February 2013 16:58 GMT Mark Dowling

Should be made clear this is a consumer review

Because Balance is not mentioned. I was at Experience Forum yesterday and it was the BB10's biggest sell point for this enterprise admin. The ability to provision apps via BES10/AppWorld

Probably won't make any serious moves until April and Q10's appearance though. We just hired some iPhoners and gave them BB9900s as we never got around to certifying 9860s (they could keep their iPhones and dispose of them as they wished) - reaction of one was "well I do miss my iPhone but have to admit emails are easier on BB9900" - well, we pay you folks to type emails, so... I see the touchscreen evangelists all the time berating those who prefer keyboards and don't understand it - why not just let people use what's most productive for the use case the phone was purchased for?

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Monday 11th February 2013 09:49 GMT Henry Wertz 1

Possible reason to get rid of BIS?

One positive of not being so reliant on BIS -- if RIM were to run into significant financial difficulties, it'd be pretty bad to have just shipped all these new BB10 devices that are completely BIS-dependent, only to end up shutting the BIS server down say a year later. BB10 as it stands, it sounds like just the BlackBerry Messenger would go if BIS shut down, the overall impact would be pretty minimal.

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