First week with my BlackBerry Passport

Upfront, I am a little biased to the BlackBerry smartphone (anyone who follows me on twitter (@TferThomas) would clearly know this), but having used a variety of BlackBerry devices since 2004 (7100g - 8100 - 8300 - 9000 - 9700 - 9780 - 9810 - 9900 - 9790 - Z10 - Z30 - Q10), now I feel it the time to give my thoughts on the new Passport.

Now that's out of the way, onto the review.

(Image courtesy of Crackberry.com)

My Passport arrived on Monday last week, not through a local Carrier (my preferred Australian Carrier is not stocking the Passport at the moment ... although hopefully that will change @Telstra) but brought in from overseas. I'm afraid I've had to do this a number of times over the years for certain technology items, and living in Australia.

Protection:

The first thing I did was to place an Amzer Pudding Case over it chassis (yes, even though the Passport has gorilla glass and seems to have been sturdily built, I am clumsy, and no tech company can compensate for my clumsiness).

(Image courtesy of Crackberry.com)

The Passport is wide, and at 90.3mm it only just fit my existing car cradle ...at a squeeze. I think I will be sourcing a tablet cradle though to fit to the existing rig, but so far so good.

Operating System:

The Passport runs a version of the proprietary BlackBerry 10 operating system (a derivative of QNX) and currently sits at 10.3 (my current Z30 and Q10 were running leaked versions of 10.3.1 so I am very familiar with 10.3).

Ah yes, the old story of apps:

Not only does the BlackBerry World come preloaded, but also the Amazon Appstore, giving you immediate access to a large proportion of Android apps.

What I have noticed is the Amazon Appstore does lack a few of my favourite Android apps, so I also side-loaded Snap, which is a third party Google Play app, and from there, I have no app deficiencies (to cover my own personal/professional usage). You can also download 1Mobile Market which also does the same / similar job to Snap.

How do Android aps present on the the Passport's screen (quite unique in the current market, being 4.5" diagonal in size)? .... simple answer is all of the ones I use have so far fit the bill. You do have an option with some apps to resize (slide down from the top bezel from within the app) which can make an improvement, but I have only had to do this for two apps.

Some of the Android apps I use on my Passport:

• Feedly (RSS Reader and sharer)
• LinkedIn Pulse
• Facebook Pages Manager
• Pinterest
• Udemy
• Our Groceries
• Tweetspie
• Hootsuite
• CommBank
• Todoist
• Amazon Kindle
• Seek
• Airtasker
• Nespresso
• Shazam

Technical specifications (nope, not going to bore you here):

What I can say is the Passport is the smoothest operating BlackBerry I have used yet, and the difference between it and the Z30 (the previous flagship) is marked. Everything is quicker, smoother and more responsive. Nice one.

Battery life is good, and better than the previous benchmark, that being the Z30. Battery, like that of the Z30, is fixed and non-removable, but I can easily get through a day of heavy social media, email, and call usage, without needing to find external power.

Physical dimensions and "that" keyboard:

Yes, the name relates to a Travel Passport, and the size is essentially the same .... and that makes it an interesting device to get used to.

The Passport is a screen and 3 rows of physical keys. If you were to compare the Passport to a legacy BlackBerry device, you would quickly note the lack of the 4th row of keys (containing the space bar and some speciality keys), where as the Passport has squeezed the space bar into the 3rd row.

But where are the numbers and speciality keys? Simple really .... but it does require a little getting used to. Slide your thumb down the physical keyboard brings up the numbers and speciality keys / symbols in the form of a virtual workspace, with a downward accent to retract (alternatively, you can also press the virtual @123 key which will bring up the virtual workspace).

You do need two hands to be most efficient when using the Passport. With the earlier legacy BlackBerry devices, you cupped your hands together and thumbed out messages very rapidly (on a BlackBerry Bold 9900, I believe I was quicker at thumbing out emails, than from my laptop). With the wider device, your two hands cradle the Passport and your thumbs are positioned well productivity and reach wise. As I said, it does require a wee bit of practice, but at the end of day 1, my thumbs were starting to intuitively find each key, with a high success rate ... soon, back to typing without looking if need be.

But if you are in a hurry, looking at the keyboard brings you an added productivity angle ..... predictive words. Again, whatever has been done here has improved the quality and accuracy from previous BlackBerry 10 devices. It also learns from your typing. You can, after a few days, literally type out a sentence (or mostly thereof) by just using predictive texts and a few key selections.

The accident:

I am accident prone, and last Friday it came home to roost .... gashing my left hand in a clumsy styled accident in the laundry (the front loader won), requiring 5 stitches ....and I am left handed! While I was waiting at the Doctors, I had to message a couple of people, and by only using my right thumb, and predictive text, I was able to accomplish this reasonably quickly .... although, I could not cradle the Passport with just one hand.

The keyboard is more than just physical:

The keyboard also can become your mouse for accurate text copying (think back to the track pad on the legacy BlackBerry and how simple it was to copy large volumes of text ..... with this keyboard, the same is just as easy and just as accurate). Thank you BlackBerry for one of the legacy features I was missing (much better than copying using the touch screen).

When reading web pages, it is suggested, and I concur, tip the Passport onto its side, and use the keyboard to scroll through the website by running your finger from bottom to top over the keyboard). This same function works in all apps, including the Hub.

I felt the Passport would be top heavy, with the keyboard mounted so low, but was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't the case. The Passport easily fits into my suit jacket pockets, and a little snug in my pants pockets. Cargo shorts however, appear to have been custom made for the Passport.

A mate and I went to the Cinema on night 1 with the Passport (we see the movies that our wives aren't interested in) and when I passed the Passport over so that the barcode could be scanned from the booking email, the Attendant (lass of around 17 - 18 years of age) remarked "what a sick looking BlackBerry .... wow!"

Never. Expected. That.

There doesn't seem to be too many Passports out in the wild in Australia currently, and each time I pull mine out to work wide ..... invariably, someone asks a question about the device, and normally hones into the physical dimensions.

BlackBerry Blend:

For anyone who remembers the BlackBerry Playbook, would remember Bridge. Bridge was a way of getting your emails, contacts, tasks, calendar etc from your legacy BlackBerry to the Playbook. It enable you to work from a much bigger device on your projects, tasks as required. When the two devices were disconnected, no information was left on the Playbook.

Blend is the 2014 version of Bridge, but much better. It will connect your Passport or Porsche P'9983 (coming soon to more devices) to an Apple (Mac OSX 10.7+ or iOS 7+ Tablet), Windows (7+) or Android Tablet (4.4+). While the Passport's screen is a great size for delving deeper into more intricate tasks, sometimes a bigger screen is more welcome.

Things you can do with Blend:

• Access your photos and documents and view them on a much larger screen.
• Access your emails, texts and BBMs
• Access your calendar, contacts and tasks
• Access between devices via Wi-Fi, Mobile network or USB connection.

And like Bridge, once you disconnect, nothing is left behind. Smart and secure.

A Blend dashboard demo is here:

http://demos.blackberry.com/blackberry-passport/na/ca/gen/how-to/blackberry-blend/connect-to-computer-or-tablet/getting-around-blend-dashboard/index.html

I've been using Blend between my Passport and my Google Nexus 7 over the past week .... very handy.

Conclusion:

Now that one week has passed, I can definitely say the BlackBerry Passport is the best BlackBerry that I have used across 10 years, and there isn't really anything I found to be lacking, and in fact, the dimensions, design, access to Android apps (and BlackBerry apps), and the legacy features so sorely missed until now, of the Passport have added significantly to the BlackBerry 10 proposition. To quote one of my favourite movie titles ..... a case of "Back to the Future".

Thomas

My thoughts on the BlackBerry Z30 ... a personal review

I've had enough time with the BlackBerry Z30 (what can be categorized just as a phablet) to provide my thoughts around the current BlackBerry flagship (perhaps until the Z50 surfaces during the latter part of 2014).

Size:

Yes, as you can clearly see, the BlackBerry Z30 is a wee bit bigger than the Z10 (my last go to BlackBerry device, now residing in my drawer), and while it doesn't look substantially bigger, that bit more screen real estate makes all the difference.

It still sits nicely in your hand, and although quite weighty, doesn't feel awkward or that it's about to slip out of your grasp. I do miss the textured back of the Z10, as the Z30 is less textured, but possibly feels more upmarket.

Literally, this should have been where BlackBerry started with the full touch 10 devices, size wise. It just feels right, and not too large in your pocket.

Given its size, and no physical buttons on the front, it does command the looks, and most comment how clean it seems.

Battery:

Yes it does have a removable rear, but no it is not for a removable battery. For the first time that I am aware of (at least with the devices I have owned since 2004), the Z30 does not have a removable battery. The removable rear is for the SIM Card and the micro SD card (I'm currently using a 32gb micro SD Card).

The non-removable battery has caused me a few moments of anxiety ..... since the Bold 9780, I have always carried at least one spare battery, and would go through 2 batteries during the course of a busy day ......but unlike some smart phones, I could keep moving.

I guess my problem is that I am so used to carrying spare batteries (right up to the Z10), and now I can't. But on the positive side, the battery of the Z30 is 2,880mAh (as compared to the Z10 at 1,800 mAh), so even with the increased landscape, it is much better, and lasts a lot longer.

Where as I could almost get to lunchtime on one battery with the Z10 (no topping up of charge), with the Z30 I can easily get to late afternoon. And I don't switch off wifi or bluetooth when out and about (something I used to always do to conserve power on my previous BlackBerry devices. But I do carry an external/portable battery, just in case (old habits die hard).

Operating System:
I am currently running the leaked 10.2.1.1055 (thanks to @CrackBerry and @BerryLeaks) and I must say I am mightily impressed with the depth and thoughtfulness of this OS.

A lot of features were brought back from the legacy OS's which has made the Z30 all the more welcoming. That and the better processing power of the Z30, has made my life using BlackBerry so much easier .......Back to the Future anyone?

Sure, there are a couple of glitches and bugs in this leaked OS, but it is a leak, so what would you expect.

A couple of highlights for me:

• The quick settings (drop down menu) activated by either dragging down from the top of the screen, or simply tapping between the battery meter and the time, to quickly and efficiently adjust your BlackBerry to what you are doing (ie. adjust your alarm, turn on the flashlight (yes, flashlight), flight mode, battery strength, screen brightness, etc)
• Dark themes .....yep, love them
• Mark prior emails as read (ye ha!)
• Flashlight now built in
• Updated Android runtime ......what that means, is basically =, with the help of some savvy developers out there, you can easily run free Android apps, without the need to sideload them. My Android app market of choice is 1Mobile Market, and some of the Android apps I am running (without issues) are:

1. Pinterest
2. Feedly
3. Pulse
4. StumbleUpon
5. Springpad
6. Path
7. Qantas
8. Shazam
9. Zoho CRM
10. Nespresso
11. Kaching
12. Boomerang
13. Facebook Pages Manager

Lack of Australian Carrier / Retailer support:

I am disappointed in the Australian Carriers / Retailers and their total lack of support in providing BlackBerry Z30 accessories, even such basic accessories such as a sleeve or case ... nothing, nada, zip. And retailers wonder why Australians spend so much money online??

To purchase my Z30, I did so from a retailer as the Telco I have my plan with, didn't have any in stock, nor appeared interested in getting any in ... seriously?

Summary:

I am very happy with the progress BlackBerry has made, and the smoothness and responsiveness of the Z30, as compared to the Z10, is very noticeable and evident. There is a lot more to the eye with the Z30 ... you just need some time to explore.

Well done BlackBerry.

My thoughts for now,

TferThomas

BlackBerry Bold 9900: my initial impressions

Having used the Bold 9900 for the past 2 weeks, I thought it was about time to put pen to paper and describe my impressions thus far.

A lot has already been written about RIM's newest flagship device, both good and bad, but having used a BlackBerry of one from or another since 2004, I think it is my turn.

One of my favourite devices, size wise, especially keyboard, was the first Bold.....the 9000. and I was one of the many BlackBerry users shattered when RIM introduced the successor to the 9000, the 9700, and, for me, its cramped keyboard. That said, we are a adaptable bunch, for it wasn't long before we were all rocking the 9700 and thumbing out emails, tweets, posts and the like from its keyboard.

So I move onto the Torch 9800 and then the Bold 9780......and now the Bold 9900. And it took me all of about 2 minutes to re-accquaint back with the larger keyboard....welcome home!  And loving it! And while we are on the keyboard etc, I really do like the highlighted surrounding of the trackpad......rather cool.

The Bold 9900 is of course hefty but oh so slim (for a BlackBerry) and feels great cradled between my hands, or in one hand......but, and yes I understand the NFC requirements, but a smooth back plate??? Hmmm, not too happy about this, and already I have caught my Bold twice as it slid off a couple of places (where normally a BlackBerry would not). Unfortunately for me, I prefer my BlackBerry devices to be naked, so a skin is not the answer. Need to be a little more careful though.

OS7: well yes, it is an evolution of the BlackBerry OS and a nice one. Anyone coming from OS6 will immediately feel at home. I like the icons and colours. I also like the way you can manage the panels (yay.....now only have one panel: All).

The higher spec single core processor was both urgently needed but gratefully received. There is significantly less hour glassing than ever before, and things do seem to move around much more fluidly. Yep, happy with this. The increased RAM is also appreciated. Boot time has been reduced further....nice (not that you have to reboot the 9900 as often as previous devices, but good to know, nevertheless).

Touchscreen: I wondered whether this for me would be a redundant feature, and pleased to say I was wrong. The touch screen for me is very useful to hunt around for the needed application & to click on it to open, something easily achieved while holding the 9900 in one hand (and there are lots of times you only have one hand to operate your BlackBerry with).

Battery Life: in one word; hopeless. Sorry, but I cannot get through 2/3 of a day without running out of juice. Screen brightness is set to 10%, most apps set to either not auto-refresh, or set at a longer refresh interval, WiFi switched off (don't really use it too much anyway), and while this has made a little difference, there is still a way to go. Spare battery has been ordered and that will sort the problem for now. Perhaps later OS upgrades may/may not alleviate the problem. But in essence, running a smaller battery, than the previous 9780, but with bigger screen, and touch, etc, doesn't quite add up.

Charging: Here's a little hint. If you have a PlayBook, use the rapid charger for your Bold 9900 (charges oh so much quicker). I have also found that the previous car chargers I have been using, now no longer charge the Bold 9900. So I purchased a Motorola Rapid Charger for the car, and this one works perfectly.

But the battery life is something I can put up with, especially given the improvements to both hardware and software, that RIM have implemented.

Challenge: to all of you who went to another manufacturer: try out a Bold 9900, and see what you think. For me, staying with the BlackBerry brand has been worth it (and the sometimes pain associated with previous lesser spec devices). Try it for yourself.

Good job RIM.

TferThomas

Some time saving small applications on my BlackBerry Bold

My last blog post was all about my Social and Business Networking from my BlackBerry, and all this used fairly big memory hogging applications installed...both a necessity and a blessing.
Now, I would like to cover off a few much smaller applications that increases the BlackBerry Bold's efficiencies.
Theses applications aren't flashy, but are extremely effective in what they do, and they all do their thing, really well. It should also be noted, quite a few of these applications don't even have an icon to speak of (their application resides in the menu), and certainly none of these appear in my home screen. Without them though, I would be a little bit frustrated and nowhere near as productive.
So, in alphabetical order:

•Anagram:
A simple free application (it competitor is the pay for "Gwabbit") that captures the data contained within an email signature and assembles it into either a new contact or updates an existing contact, in your address book. Perhaps it does need a few more steps than Gwabbit, but it is free and for me, works quite well.

•AppInfoRevealed:
This application advises you of the version you are running of a particular application you are currently in (does not work with all applications mind)

•BatteryBooster:
This one is considered to be a bit controversial, as some BlackBerry users think it works, and others firmly do not. I think it does work, and approximately adds one hour to the life of my battery, which for me, is brilliant.

•BerryAddon:
A simple application that enables a whole range of things to "work" such as call blocking, vibrate and ring at the same time, logging calls to your calendar, prompting to save phone numbers not in your address book etc. I use BerryAddon to log my calls.

•CaptureIt:
Basically it does what the name implies; captures a screen shot of your BlackBerry onto your SD Card (that's where I got the included screen shots from)

•ForwardWithEdit
Ever had an email that you wanted to forward to someone else, but perhaps remove some details first? Well, this is what ForwardWithEdit does, just remember it won't forward attachments.

•LaterDudePro:
From my good friend @FabianMH comes a really neat application that gives you a prompt after missing a call to remind you by a number of different methods, to action it at a later time/date.

•LedReset:
Occasionally you will have a random LED flash, for no apparent reason, and this application simply sorts that annoyance out.

•MagicMail:
Do you send regular "similar" emails from your BlackBerry? Would a template or number of templates make things easier? If so, look no further. Although you have to set up the templates yourself, once done, it is amazing how many emails in very little time, you can thumb out.

•MemoryUp:
Again, similar to BatteryBooster, another controversial application. With applications like the new BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 weighing in at 2.4mb, SocialScope, Facebook, Viigo, SugarSync and BlackBerry Application World each over 1mb, your BlackBerry memory can be a thing of the past. This attempts to continually free up memory. I don't have any hard evidence either way, of it effectiveness, but from a comfort level, I am happy for it to be installed.

•MessageSchedule:
Similar to LaterDudePro is what it tries to do. I am trialing it comparing the two, and then deciding.

•QuickLaunch:
When you start getting quite a few applications, your home screen starts overflowing with icons, and thus slow down finding an application you need. QuickLaunch alleviates this by creating a list of applications (you decide what is/isn't included in the list) accessible anywhere by the use of one of convenience keys. And...the list is key letter sensitive and organisable. It also contains a very handy device info screen (showing version of Operating System, memory, battery life, etc).

•SaveNumberAs:
My original prior to BerryAddon, but haven't had the heart to remove. Simply instead of using the native "save number" which always saves a number as business, this one, like BerryAddon, allows you select the type of number (work, home, mobile).

•TimelySMS:
Ever forgotten a friend's birthday? No more...load up a customised SMS and date and time activate it.

So there you go. A few applications that make my mobilised life on my BlackBerry Bold that much more efficient and time effective.

Hope this helps some of you.