Every choice you make has an end result.

Zig Ziglar

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day" - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Happy New Year ...looking forwards :)

As 2013 rushes to its inevitable conclusion, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a safe and relaxing one.
 
It's been a busy year, and like you, I haven't been sitting still:
·         I've travelled (Fiji, India, South Africa and Singapore): saw amazing places and met some really interesting people (isn't that what travel is all about?)
·         Stage 2 of our home renovations was completed (on time and on budget), and the Studio has proven to be invaluable for what came next.
·         I changed career paths, and left Priority Management (on good terms), and joined SAFE Asbestos Management, as the Business Development Manager (the office will be closed from Monday 23rd December and reopening Monday 6th January).
·         Rahi was welcomed as the newest member of our family. Rahi (whose name is Indian for traveller) is a 14 week old Tri Coloured Beagle.
 
I’m looking forward to sitting down and reflecting on what I have achieved during 2013, who I have had the pleasure of meeting throughout the year, and what I personally and professionally seek for 2014.
 
Thank you for adding to my interesting year, and I hope I have done the same for you. Take this time to relax, recharge, reflect and plan for a fabulous 2014. Be safe.
 
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

A cool simple piece of tech.

I love tech, that's very obvious. And I am always on the lookout for tech that makes my life easier and more efficient. 

I came across this piece of tech that fits perfectly in with my tech travel kit. Why? Simple...it takes up virtually no space (read credit card sized), replaces cumbersome data transfer usb cords, fits easily in my Grid-It and looks great!

Money well spent!

My thoughts for now,

Thomas

4 weeks with my BlackBerry Z10 .....my personal review

Disclosure: I was given my BlackBerry Z10 by the BlackBerry Australia Social Media Team. The comments here are my own, and not of BlackBerry.

4 weeks ago I received an email from one of the members (thanks Tori!) of the Blackberry Australia Social Media Team (@BlackBerry_AU on twitter), asking me if I would like to be provided a new BlackBerry Z10. Now I must admit, I was waiting for the BlackBerry Q10, as you know, my preference is for the physical qwerty keyboard. But this was one of those opportunities not to be turned down.

So, my new BlackBerry Z10 arrived in the mail the following day, with a little note (see photo).

So after 4 weeks of use, what do I think of the new BlackBerry Z10.... and how does it compare to my previous Blackberry handsets (7100g, 8100, 8300, 9000, 9700, 9780, 9790, 9800, 9810, and 9900)?

This review is not about specifications, facts and figures ....that's all been done before. My review is from someone who has been a user and fan of BlackBerry devices since 2004.

First and foremost, this is my first real touch screen BlackBerry handset. Yes, my wife had a BlackBerry 9860, so yes, there was one previously in the family, but I didn't use it. I was assured by a friend and long time BlackBerry supporter (thanks Gary!) that my typing would actually be quicker on the Z10's virtual keyboard, compared to my Bold 9900's physical keyboard. Having such a long history with the BlackBerry physical keyboard, I did wonder how exactly I would adapt to the Z10's virtual keyboard, but it only took literally a week for it to become almost second nature.

Keyboard:
I have used various virtual keyboards on other manufacturers' devices, and also the highly rated Swiftkey, but the things which stand out for me with the Z10's keyboard ....word prediction, learning your way of typing, and its knowledge that you will make mistakes. Unlike other keyboards, I feel that the Z10's was designed knowing people make mistakes when typing on small keyboards, and it knows it had to correct the mistakes. It does this well, and makes my typing look rather good, while not sacrificing speed. It is more than a match for the best of the BlackBerry physical keyboards so far.

Word substitution still exists! And one feature I am so very please to see. If you're looking at efficiency best practices on a smart phone, word substitution is one key element. To find it, go Settings>Language and Input>Automated Assistance>Word Substitution. If you've never used it (or it's predecessor, Auto Text), take a look: you will never look back.

Fit and feel of the BlackBerry Z10 hardware:
This feels like possibly the heaviest Blackberry yet, not surprising, considering it is the biggest. But it does fit nicely in the palm of your hand, and the textured rear facia helps out here. Even though it is bigger than an iPhone 5, but smaller than a Galaxy S3, the Z10 is definitely big enough to be effective, but still can be operated efficiently held in one hand navigating by the thumb of that hand. And it still feels right thumbing out emails, social media, etc, with the Z10 cradled within your 2 hands. I think BlackBerry got the size right (my iPhone friends have shown quite a deal of screen size envy, and my Galaxy S3 friends have been surprised the new BlackBerry is as big as it is).

Unlike the BlackBerry 9860 (the last full screen BlackBerry prior to the Z10), there is no physical buttons for calls, menu, escape and select/enter ....rather, everything is done on the screen, some of which is reminiscent of the BlackBerry PlayBook. Which is no accident, for those not in the know .....both devices run versions of QNX (BlackBerry 10 being the latest incarnation, and something the PlayBook is mooted to be receiving later this year). One thing I miss from the PlayBook is the diagonal swipe to show / hide the keyboard (hopefully BlackBerry can introduce this to the Z10 later?).

And this is the start of a common thread in my discovery of the BlackBerry Z10's traits .....it embraces what is "now, and the future" for smart phones, but with a solid dose of the the time proven best practices of previous BlackBerry devices gone by.

The BlackBerry Hub:
I was a little sceptical at first when I first read about and saw pictures of the Hub ....the centralised inbox for the BlackBerry 10. This is place where all of your emails, BBM, texts, WhatsApp & other notifications and social media arrives (note: you can choose which accounts are incorporated into the Hub). I thought I would exclude social media from the Hub, but felt I should include all and see how it flies. 4 weeks later, all accounts are still included in the Hub, with no complaints.

Productivity wise: the Hub promotes productivity due to hiding the inbox and notifications away (revealed bu swiping up from the bottom of the screen and drawing to the right (upside down L), so you aren't distracted by every single notification. And more importantly, accessible from within any and all apps.....simply peek at the hub, for a quick overview, and back to what you were doing. Ingenius!

A lot of developers and users alike are calling for more apps to be included into the Hub, and maybe this is a good thing, maybe not, so only time will tell. For now....I am a fan of the BlackBerry Hub.

Apps:
Its a fact that Blackberry users have always been behind in the number of apps available to them, when compared to Apple and Android, but things have changed for BlackBerry 10. The vast majority of the popular apps are now on BlackBerry 10, with more to arrive.

The big one for me was Skype....and while not official for the Z10 yet, I sideloaded a version onto my Z10 and it works perfectly ("sideloading" is a term used to describe the process to get a non-BlackBerry Application World app loaded onto your BlackBerry 10 device. The app file is downloaded onto your computer and via a linking program (computer and BlackBerry) is loaded onto your BlackBerry 10 device (that has been already USB connected to your computer)). I have also read my favourite fitness app, Endomondo, is coming to BlackBerry 10 as well.....happy days!

There has been quite a discussion around Android apps that have been ported to BlackBerry. While in a perfect world, all of the apps on offer would be "made for BlackBerry" the positive of the Android ported apps has been the access for the BlackBerry 10 user. And no doubt as time goes on, these apps will be updated and tweaked, making them much more "made for BlackBerry".

I've also read quite a few complaints about the cost of apps ....seriously? For the record, I am happy to pay for an app, if it gets the job done, that I have purchased it for ...no problems. If it happens to be an Android ported app, then paying for it also is not a problem.

I have felt somewhat hampered by the current twitter apps on offer .....I currently have 3 loaded (Twitter for BlackBerry10, Neatly and Blaq: the last two I paid for). The Twitter for BlackBerry10 does not have multiple account ability, but the other two do. All three are quite sluggish and sometimes unresponsive, but they are all slowly being improved.

No more rebooting after an upgrade / deletion of an app either, which is most welcomed.

Battery life:
Compared to my old Bold 9900 running OS 7.1 (where I could only just get to lunchtime), I can get to mid to late afternoon with the Z10. And still following the BlackBerry tradition of a removable battery means I can carry a spare battery to keep moving (the first accessory I purchased).

Oh yeah, and if you have to reboot the Z10, the reboot takes far less time than on a BlackBerry 7 device. And when you reboot, you are presented with a rather lovely BlackBerry symbol with the progress bar circling the symbol.

So what do I think overall?
For a brand new device and new operating system, I do believe BlackBerry have delivered a very capable smart phone, and one that is the equal or superior to many devices in the market now. More importantly, it continues to be improved, as do the applications.

Transitioning from a physical keyboarded BlackBerry to a full screen BlackBerry with no hardware buttons, and no physical keyboard has actually been rather painless and quite smooth. I've enjoyed the ride. Welcome back to the game BlackBerry.

My thoughts for now,

TferThomas

The new year is almost upon us

With 2012 almost over and 2013 about to take centre stage, but for me, and it's the perfect time to reflect on the year that was:
Decide what worked out well
Pinpoint the things that didn't come to fruitition as planned

And then plan 2013 both from personal and professional perspectives, implementing the learnings from the past 12 months, and and raising the benchmarks that much higher. After all, it's important to continue to grow.

What will I do differently in 2013? Good question, and but I won't be revealing upfront....perhaps you will see it for yourself and realise it is part of my new revised goals. Time will tell.

Let me wish you and yours the best for 2013... may good fortune smile on you and your health is great also.

Thomas