10.11.2013

If you want a smart phone that prioritises communication over using apps, playing games and watching movies then this is the one for you. But it also does the other stuff and there are now enough apps to satisfy you too. The Q10 is a blazingly fast, efficient micro computer in your pocket with the full QWERTY keyboard that is its crowning glory.This year, I explored my wife's Iphone 5 for hours trying to understand what is so great about it, but I failed because it felt more about form than function and also it tied you into the Apple ecosystem way too much. Then, for a time, I really enjoyed my excellent Sony Xperia Acro S (an imported early stable-mate of the Xperia Z that runs Android jelly Bean)but despite being typically Sony excellent for multimedia and Android friendly open to developers, I felt frustrated by it's power hungry and un-intuitive interface. Coming back to Blackberry's Q10 after these and my previous Bold 9900 and 8900, I have been blown away for lots of reasons. BlackBerry has come a long way and is back:1. It does what any modern smart phone should do in terms of web browsing, multimedia and utilities and it does them well enough on its relatively small (but only 0.4 of an inch smaller that the Iphone 3 to 4s, which everyone thought was huge on release) but much more vibrant 3.1 inch screen. However, it absolutely excels at being a brilliant phone, email client (as you'd expect from BB), organiser and social networking device.2. You can probably forget serious gaming as this is more of a business tool but there are lots of excellent games for the 'commuter gamer' with fewer demands.3. You simply can't replace this prestigious physical keyboard with a touch screen keyboard and the user interface is very intuitive and precise without being too fancy or complicated. The union of this keyboard and clever gesture based touch screen UI is completely different from anything else and it just works very well and will no doubt be improved from this early iteration of it. OS 10.2 is already significantly better.4. Battery life is also excellent and will easily see out your busy day of calls, browsing, emailing and texting. But you'll still have battery to spare for evening browsing or tapping out a piece of office work from home or on the train.5. Size is pocket friendly and is great to hold and use with one hand.6. Radio and wifi reception are outstanding as is sound quality of the mic and the booming built-in speaker which blew me away; it sounds very rich for its size, even in bass. Who needs a hands free kit?7. Build quality is superb but be aware that the glass is not as tough as your flagship Sony and Samsung phones that use durable Gorilla or Dragontrail glass, but there are lots of cases out there and I use an Otterbox which has saved my screen from accidental drops many times. The rest of the device does feel quality and bullet proof however and is beautifully designed and crafted in painted metal, hard plastic and a durable and grippy glass weave material on the back.8. App World is very under rated for some reason but most of the popular apps are there in some form or other: Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Office apps and Sat Nav apps all work well. The Neutron music player app turns your BlackBerry into an excellent music system, especially if you use the loudspeaker, if you Bluetooth or Wifi connect it to a set of speakers or connect it by DNLA to a surround sound system. There are a multitude of other apps that cater for the masses, although I'm sure not of Iphone magnitude given Apple's head start.9. You can also play music, video and photos in glorious high definition to your TV using the mini HDMI port; something even the newest Iphones can't do. Results are excellent.10. The camera is great, but definitely not the best; an obvious compromise, but it still surpasses most modern lower-end digital cameras and most mid-ranged smartphones. Both front and rear cameras produce pretty good HD video too. The quality of photos or video definitely won't be the reason to put you off this phone. You can BBM live video very well but I'm not sure about Skype video or other apps.11. The ONLY other compromise for ME is the smaller, but by no means small screen which is bettered by today's big 'phablet' smart phones that will also happily suck your battery dry in half a day. Honestly, the apps are now very good, so don't let that put you off. If it does, then remember, with some tweaking (not to be confused with twerking), you can also use many Android apps to enhance your experience.Buy!Charlie

6.6.2013

[Edit Note]I've copy/pasted my review below from the Black Q10. I will add that my sister owns a Q10 in White and the I like it very much due to the two tone steel/white finish(the sides for instance are steel finish, very effective and perhaps adds yet more class to the device over the slightly more monotone Black version. The only thing that isn't as nice IMO is the back which is more a straight plastic different from the glassweave soft touch back of the Black version.I've owned this phone for a little over a week now and really loving it so far. The build quality is fantastic, love the feel of the back and the rest of the device is solid. I've owned a few Blackberrys in the past including the original Bold and the 9700,the original Bold was always my favourite qwerty keypad of all the phones I've owned(I've owned a great many qwertys from various brands, they're becoming something of a rarity these days though) but this is definitely the best of the best IMO. I've read reviews and many comment there isn't really much need for physical qwerty's now that the touch screen virtual keyboards are so good, while I agree they're leagues better than they used to be I still feel you can't beat having actual keys to press when hammering out a message.The BB10 OS is a real joy to use, not quite up there with MeeGo from the Nokia N9, but at the same time it has its similarities and since Nokia decided to ditch MeeGo and move over to WindowsPhone then BB10 is certainly one of the better operating systems for Nokia fans that aren't fans of WP to move on to. Everything runs nice and slick and I'm yet to have any lock-ups or crashes as yet. The Amoled screen is beautiful to the eye, although the blacks aren't quite up there with Nokia CBD found on devices such as the E7 or the 808, put the phone onto the clock mode while on charge and at night you'll discover the Q10 background is still kind of lit and not completely black as you might expect, minor detail though.Battery life is very good, I have been a bit spoiled having come from the Symbian powered 808 which could easily see me through 3 days of fairly intense use(despite it's 1400mah battery!) but with the Q10 I can comfortably get through 2 complete days on a full charge, with I would say above average use, better than most smatphones out there and far better than my wifes iphone 4S. It's great that the battery is removable meaning you can carry a spare if you're away for a weekend, rather carry a spare battery than need to take a charger with me.The camera is one area of disappointment for me, I know it isn't a key feauture of the phone and let's face it, us Blackberry owners are used to making a sacrifice when it comes to the camera we're gifted with, but still I would say it's average to good at best. Don't get me wrong, it's miles better than the old EDOF camera's and it can take some decent enough pics, but most seem to have this washed out bright haze to them(as if the lense is letting in too much light). I'm hoping the camera can be improved with a future software update because if it wasn't for this light blur the camera would pretty good.As for Blackberry World, it's plenty good enough for me even in its current state, most of the stuff I need is on there and the catalogue and Q10 compatibility is improving all the time. The best new discovery for me is Mireo DON'T PANIC, an offline navigation app that uses TomTom map data, it runs beautifully on the Q10's screen and is far far better than the default maps/navigation app, highly recommend the free 7 day trial(oh and don't forget to switch it to night view to take advantage of the power saving black backgrounds bring to Amoled screens, I used it for 5 hours the other day and the battery was still going!).All in all a brilliant device and will likely continue to improve with future updates. If you miss qwerty devices and hate these new massive fabula type phones then give the Q10 some serious consideration, it's a beauty :-)

22.8.2013

My comments will have to be limited to the phone's looks and stated capabilities as I am still awaiting a new SIM card from O2!The phone looks and feels tremendous, somehow sleeker than the BB Bold 9700 with a larger screen area but still the familiar (and, for me, indispensable) BB keyboard. The use of up and side swipes to control access to different, frequently used areas of the phone's software is a great idea and, from what I've read, the new OS is also an improvement upon the 9700. I look forward to coming back and editing this entry once I've been able to use the Q10 in real life! (It's currently a very expensive desk ornament - are you listening O2?).Revision: I've now got a micro G4 SIM card and been able to put the phone through its paces for over a month so,on with the proper review.Firstly, set-up: Blackberry have probably the best in-built set up system I know of (I've never used an iPhone and, for ideological reasons, never will), my previous Blackberry (9700 Bold) was pretty good and the Q10 follows in the same vein. Simply enter your main details, preferences and any email addresses you wish to access with the phone and it sets them - no murmur of complaint, no extra questions, very little waiting, it just does it.Usage: The phone is actually a dual touch screen (3.1" super AMOLED) and, for me, the essential QWERTY keypad - the mix works beautifully (though the diagrammatic instruction sheet could be a little clearer on what gestures to use). The phone as a phone is comfortable in the hand, quality of call (barring carrier supplier vagaries) is excellent. The phone as a mini computer is also exceptionally well laid out, using the "Hub" as a base for all operations, and easy to master. In operating mode this is a thing of beauty as well as a practical tool.The dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is extremely fast and it does feel much more responsive than the 9700, the 16Gb of internal memory is more than adequate for my needs (not that this matters as the phone is linked to my various cloud storage accounts) and a joy to use. The Blackberry App store is getting better and there are more useful (rather than half formed, cribbed or plain useless) app's to choose from, many free.The connect and backup software have been updated and are a light year improvement upon the old (pre v10 O/S) version. Load it on your laptop or PC, connect the phone, activate your Blackberry account and sit back for about 30 seconds, Sync will have completed and a back-up can be performed which (dependent upon your laptop/PC spec') will add about another 30 to 60 seconds to your day.Activate Blackberry Protect on the phone, by entering your Blackberry account details, and the phone is now Geo-tracked in case of loss or theft. Dedicated Blackberry AV, from the App store for about £8.00, if desired and you're good to go.As with, I suspect, most smartphone users I feel an emotional attachment to my phones - not surprising as they do, to some extent, become an extension of your id - some have left me feeling a bit unsatisfied (some have been given away as soon as possible as being just plain terrible), a couple felt nearly there, the Bold felt "right" from day one and the Q10 feels like an old friend with a few new tricks.I only have two negative comments: using the phone hard (not a daily occurrence) will make a severe dent in battery life (as will leaving the phone on WiFi roaming mode - embarrassed look) but I haven't actually drained it - yet. The second is a bit more of a problem for those of us who fall into the large (or buttered) finger group - it is a little too easy to touch the wrong screen icon or cover two at the same time - something I've practised at now and have got to a minimum (even using my thumb).I'm willing to forgive that though as the Q10 is so deliciously attractive and efficient at everything it does.

16.1.2014

I like this phone. It's one of the only new ones in the market with proper buttons instead of those virtual keyboards while still retaining all the internet functionality. I have owned it for 4 days so far.I like the clickiness of the buttons on this phone. It's intuitive and has satisfying feedback to the fingers. Perhaps I would like more button travel but it's perfectly useable the way that it is. The curvature on the buttons got me by surprise at first. It felt like I was pressing the wrong buttons but as I looked at what I wrote, it was correct. I got used to it in a couple of days though. Also, the Shift buttons are a bit difficult to reach sometimes and the alternate key functions (the various symbols)are a bit tedious to use when I want to write many of them in sequence. The buttons on the side prove more useful than on any other phone that I've ever used before. Though I would like to have a trackpad of some sort, like the older BlackBerries and physical Back and Home buttons.The touchscreen is also quite slick. It responds to every touch so fluently and effortlessly. I am impressed, actually. The BlackBerry Hub and all the gestures seem a bit overwhelming at first, but they greatly ease the life with this phone and improve the multi-tasking ability.Coming from Symbian and Android, the OS is a bit unfamiliar, though rather easy to get into. I had trouble at first with contacts on the phone. It wouldn't create new contacts or update the existing ones with additional info that I've added. No error messages, too. After a bit of research and trial & error, I figured a way to fix it. It turns out that Facebook was messing with the OS because of all the contacts from FB. I simply logged out of FB and got rid of all the local contacts from it, then added all the new contacts and updated their details. Now I've signed in with my FB account again and everything works like it should. No problems anymore.I am impressed by the battery life of this phone. In every review that I've read or watched, it was said that the phone can barely make it through the day without charging up, even without any massive useage. However, from what I've experienced so far, it's even difficult to intentionally use up all of its battery in one day. With Bluetooth, NFC, Mobile Internet, Wi-Fi and all that stuff constantly turned on, hours of YouTube videos and chatting, it still has about 40% of battery left by the evening. That is great for me.One flaw that perhaps stands out the most for me is the width of the thing. It just feels too wide. It's difficult to firmly hold it in one hand. Height-wise it's decently sized and not too big (I don't like big phones) but the width makes it seem relatively massive. Also, its weight is a bit too much for me. It's on the heavy-side, for sure.I also like the speaker. By phone standards, it's very loud at max volume and the quality is not bad either. In most cases, 60-70% volume is sufficiently loud with crisp sound. Of course, there's not much in the bass department, but that's how every phone is. Though it manages to send it's vibrations through the whole phone and you can feel the quite powerful mid-frequency kicks and snares. It's especially satisfying when you are doing something with the phone with both hands while music is playing. Not only do you hear the music, but you also feel it through your fingers.Overall, I am rather satisfied with this phone. I hope it does not play any tricks on me in the future because I plan to keep using it for 3-5 years.

2.6.2013

I've owned this phone for a little over a week now and really loving it so far. The build quality is fantastic, love the feel of the back and the rest of the device is solid. I've owned a few Blackberrys in the past including the original Bold and the 9700, the original Bold was always my favourite qwerty keypad of all the phones I've owned(I've owned a great many qwertys from various brands, they're becoming something of a rarity these days though) but this is definitely the best of the best IMO. I've read reviews and many comment there isn't really much need for physical qwerty's now that the touch screen virtual keyboards are so good,while I agree they're leagues better than they used to be I still feel you can't beat having actual keys to press when hammering out a message.The BB10 OS is a real joy to use, not quite up there with MeeGo from the Nokia N9, but at the same time it has its similarities and since Nokia decided to ditch MeeGo and move over to WindowsPhone then BB10 is certainly one of the better operating systems for Nokia fans that aren't fans of WP to move on to. Everything runs nice and slick and I'm yet to have any lock-ups or crashes as yet. The Amoled screen is beautiful to the eye, although the blacks aren't quite up there with Nokia CBD found on devices such as the E7 or the 808, put the phone onto the clock mode while on charge and at night you'll discover the Q10 background is still kind of lit and not completely black as you might expect, minor detail though.Battery life is very good, I have been a bit spoiled having come from the Symbian powered 808 which could easily see me through 3 days of fairly intense use(despite it's 1400mah battery!) but with the Q10 I can comfortably get through 2 complete days on a full charge, with I would say above average use, better than most smatphones out there and far better than my wifes iphone 4S. It's great that the battery is removable meaning you can carry a spare if you're away for a weekend, rather carry a spare battery than need to take a charger with me.The camera is one area of disappointment for me, I know it isn't a key feauture of the phone and let's face it, us Blackberry owners are used to making a sacrifice when it comes to the camera we're gifted with, but still I would say it's average to good at best. Don't get me wrong, it's miles better than the old EDOF camera's and it can take some decent enough pics, but most seem to have this washed out bright haze to them(as if the lense is letting in too much light). I'm hoping the camera can be improved with a future software update because if it wasn't for this light blur the camera would pretty good.As for Blackberry World, it's plenty good enough for me even in its current state, most of the stuff I need is on there and the catalogue and Q10 compatibility is improving all the time. The best new discovery for me is Mireo DON'T PANIC, an offline navigation app that uses TomTom map data, it runs beautifully on the Q10's screen and is far far better than the default maps/navigation app, highly recommend the free 7 day trial(oh and don't forget to switch it to night view to take advantage of the power saving black backgrounds bring to Amoled screens, I used it for 5 hours the other day and the battery was still going!).All in all a brilliant device and will likely continue to improve with future updates. If you miss qwerty devices and hate these new massive fabula type phones then give the Q10 some serious consideration, it's a beauty :-)

29.7.2013

The Q10 is very different from every other smartphone (other than the cheaper BB Q5). You have to accept that no matter what you had before (unless you had a webOS phone) there will be a learning curve. You also need to realise that it is a new user interface, and that it is still in development. There are things missing from old BBs, and fewer apps than for Android or iOS.This is a serious business communications machine that appears to be very solidly built indeed, with a stainless steel frame, a glass fibre reinforced back, and a substantial heft for its size. Its outstanding virtues are the long battery life (over 2 days on mine), the 4G connectivity, the expandability (64G SD cards work,

4.4.2015

I love this phone! Being a lover of BlackBerry with some not-so-good models previously, this phone is a breath of fresh air. I love the keyboard (which, let's face it, is what keeps any BlackBerry user loyal) - it's got a soft key feel. I also got used to the rest of it being touchscreen much quicker than I anticipated (though I was terrified about giving up the back button and the menu button). The BlackBerry hub is great. The speed of loading pages is fantastic and the phone works actively to switch to Wifi whenever it's in range or available, decreasing the amount of data you use through your phone network.

31.5.2013

After having had the phone for a few days I found my way around the new hardware and software without any major headaches after upgrading from a Blackberry Torch. The great news is it's much faster and hasn't been prone to the lock ups that plagued my old phone. The main immediate difference to anyone used to the older Blackberries is the lack of trackpad, something those of us who have been with the bberry since the side wheel have got used to. The touchscreen is very responsive and they have obviously put a lot of time and research into the new navigation system which is a familiar selection of app icons along with direct access to the 'hub' which gives access to emails and social media updates.

18.9.2013

The BlackBerry Q10 is not for everyone. It's well known that BlackBerry has nowhere near the same range of apps available as its competitors. However if that is not important to you, then the Q10 really is an excellent phone.THE OPERATING SYSTEM: This is no-nonsense and reasonably intuitive to use. As is the way of things these days you don't get an instruction manual and thus there's a lot you have to suss out for yourself. I've had my Q10 for three months now, never having had a BlackBerry before, and I'm still finding out new things about it - and I suspect there's more to come. I have experienced the odd glitch but nothing too disturbing. The unit runs warm if you keep apps running in the background so my advice would be turn these off,

25.5.2013

I'm a long-time Apple fan, and still love their produts. But after two years of the iPhone 4, I was ready for a change in phone. When my upgrade came I asked my phone provider to recommend a different handset, and the Q10 came up as something that suited my needs. I didn't know anything about Blackberry but I thought the specs looked good, and so I accepted. I am so glad I did!I'm not a business user but I am very wired, so I use my phone for social networking (Facebook and Twitter), emails, and texting. The interface is a tiny bit reminiscent of the iOS, which works well with the touchscreen interface and also made it quite easy to navigate. I love the idea of the Hub, where at a flick I can see all my new emails,

17.8.2013

Bought it because I wanted a real keyboard again after a year of frustrated all-touchscreen sms'ing, e-mailing and browsing. I am very happy with the medium sized keyboard on this one and never make mistakes anymore while typing! There is also squiggly line spell checking and word prediction that also comes very handy. I just feel that a keyboard phone enables me to do much more than a screen phone, which I consider to better for someone that just wants to "consume" content.I was also surprised by the software, the standard OS install contains a very complete and high quality software package, the powerful browser, type-and-go, and the BlackBerry Hub (all your communication in one smart,

2.8.2013

I ordered this phone yesterday and got it delivered today from amazon as the seller and it was unlocked as promised (so I'm glad i didnt order from a market seller). I have spent all day playing about with this phone and the battery noticeably lasts longer than the Z10 even with 3G constantly on. I prefer this over the Z10 because the keyboard is amazing to use and faster for typing. The Z10 touchscreen did text well and i loved how it predicted what word to swipe up next but me and full touchscreens dont mix well. I did miss the trackpad but only for 10mins as surfing the internet and using the touchscreen above the keyboard to navigate is less fiddly imo.I have invested in a case because altho it feels well built,

16.7.2013

I have tried both the Z10 and the Q10 and both are superb devices. I settled for the QS because of the keyboard though the Z10 has the advantage of having a larger screen. The q10 is a superb device in so many ways. The keyboard is fantastic, easy to speed type. The OS is excellent. Easy to use. Quick and smooth. It comes with word and excel on it and it is easy to download PowerPoint. People have commented on the lack of home button but I have not found this a problem at all. The screen is crystal clear. i have found it easy to link with emails etc. The lack of apps seems the biggest gripe against blackberries. However, these are growing in number.

23.7.2013

Moving from a blackberry curve to this is like going from economy in a plane to first class!The phone is well made and feels solid in use. Keyboard is brilliant and typing long emails isn't tiresome.I use this primarily for work, in my view this is the best business phone out there.Leisure wise the camera is good enough and shoots videos fine. Music I have downloaded neutron which beats my sisters iPhone 5 for playback quality.Battery lasts me just 2 days which is fine as I do make a lot of calls and send/receive emails from 4 inboxes as well as browsing news sites and use a Bluetooth headset.My cousin used to have the Bold 9900 moved to HTC and now wants to come back to blackberry.If your more of a leisure/games user then apple/android is for you.

22.12.2015

The Q10 on BOS 10.1 is not easy to setup but once you update to 10.3 it becomes another phone. For a phone that came out in April 2013 it is surprisingly good to use, fast, no lag and very user friendly. I have all my apps from BBW or Amazon appstore and they're good enough for me.With Cobalt 's help on Crackberry it's very easy to setup Googleplay. The qwerty keyboard is easy to use and I love it, coming from an iPhone 5s. I get two days on normal use and more than 24 hours with some gaming on a single charge. Great phone. The Hub and swipes make this the best phone experience I've had in a long time. Phone came unlocked. If you're hesitant don't be it's agreat phone and it won't lock you in its environment forever like Apple does.NB.

BlackBerry Q10 - Reviews

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