Lets start with a frank admission. I nearly forgot to file this review as I was too occupied playing Angry Birds Star Wars on the BlackBerry Z10, the first device running the BlackBerry 10 operating system (OS). Did I just say that? Yes, like most other people it surprised me that gaming on a BlackBerry can be such a lot of fun the Z10 is the perfect companion to while away the time while you wait for your client to arrive. And one gets a lot of popular games, available on other platforms earlier, on the BB 10. Looks do matter The left side of the Z10 features a microUSB port for charging, data transfer and a Micro HDMI out port to connect to larger screens. The front side has the proximity sensor, phone speaker, a 2MP fro nt camera and notification LED on top of the screen while the back is dominated by a metallic BlackBerry logo, which doubles up as the NFC antenna and the 8MP rear camera with LED flash. While the back panel has a nice brushed feel to it, I feel the Bold 9000 had the best back plate of the lot. In fact, the back cover has to be carefully pried out like most Android phone to access the SIM and the microSD card. The phone feels as solid as touch screens do, but I dont know if it can take the knocks my trusted QWERTY-based Curve has taken over the years. I guess investing in a protective shell is a prerequisite for touch screens. Switching on Those upgrading from older BlackBerry devices can transfer their contact information, notes, media and other personal data to this device. But applications built for older BlackBerry OS wont work with BB10. But one does get a list of the apps and most popular ones have BB10 versions as well but youll need to install them again. Interactive interface In standby mode, the phone displays date and time, as well as message notifications. One can also access the camera via a butt on on the screen. Swiping in and out is smooth and while the gesture interface might take some time getting used to, it saves time. Thanks to my experience with the PlayBook and Windows 8, I felt at home with this UI. The Phone, Universal Search and Camera button are always accessible on the home screen while the BlackBerry Hub icon appears on the far left of the screen. When applications are running in the background, the Active Frame icon also appears alongside the Hub icon. The four-point multi-touch display is a boon for touch junkies, though for a QWERTY fanboy like me, it takes time getting used to. Hub, peek, sharing and multi-tasking Nowadays, people love sharing practically every aspect of their lives. While I dont go beyond tweeting about an interesting article Ive read, if you love to share, the Z10 lets you share content from within an app without batting an eyelid. And if you have an NFC device, just tap and share. Cool! Multi-tasking is a joy on the device. We never seemed to feel any lag, thanks to the 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM. While the Z10 isnt a quad core like many in its price bracket, the processor gets the job done efficiently. We did face one instance of an app not responding, but then the app had crashed and an update did the trick. Keeping multiple windows open wasnt an issue, nor was it using all eight Active Frames together. The battery did tend to heat up a bit while simultaneously listening to music, browsing the web, playing a game, syncing media wirelessly and downloading an app. Keyboard nirvana If youve always wanted to own a touch phone but were too much in love with QWERTYs, this is the one. For example, this is the first touch screen phone Im typing on faster than I normally do on my trusted QWERTY keypad, thanks to the fact that the intuitive software quickly learns the way you type and offers predictions which get better with time. For example if I had to type Can I call you later, all I need to key in now are in bold: Can I call you later and I can flick the suggested words up. At this rate, I might not even miss the QWERTY keypad! Camera crazy Yappy app Work, web and world The new browser pu lls data off the web in a jiffy and is a big improvement over previous versions. And Flash videos are supported, though not by default. The biggest surprise is BlackBerry World, the BB10 version of the App World. While not as exhaustive as iTunes or Google Play Store, the store features a fair collection of apps, games, music and videos. And since the Z10 comes with 16GB of onboard memory (which can be expanded to 32GB via microSD), suffice to say you wont run out of space. The Z10 lacks an FM radio for now but there is a free app called Saregama Worldspace radio, which streams classic Hindi and regional music. The Z10 features voice recognition its not extremely accurate but should get better with time. And free Siri clones are available on BlackBerry World. Verdict The Z10 is not an iPhone or a premium Android killer. For those in the market for a premium device, they have one more choice. BB fanboys whove always stared with awe at their friends and their sleek iPhones and Androids this is your chance to get back, and for BlackBerry to put the company back on track. ![]() via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFf_IsBnJvkkkdpaC1JxEVkhkxpvQ&url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/technology/up-close-and-personal-with-the-z10-113030300288_1.html | |||
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Sunday, 3 March 2013
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