The long awaited BlackBerry Z10, featuring the new BB10 operating system, has finally launched in the UK. The question is, has it done enough to appease both the BlackBerry devotees and tempt the Android and iOS lovers away from their smartphones?
Were it not for the branding, you be forgiven for initially not being to able to place the Z10 as a BlackBerry handset. RIM have intentionally moved away from the classic QWERTY keyboard design and created a full touchscreen handset with which smartphone users will be far more familiar. However, the functionality and operating system is still distinctly BlackBerry, tweaked with some very interesting and intuitive innovations in their biggest redesign to date.
Featuring a Snapdragon S4 processor, 8MP camera with LED flash and HD video recording, 4G connectivity and a 4.2″ touchscreen, the Z10 is very different to the handsets we’ve come to know and love from BlackBerry. It has been completely redesigned and re-engineered, featuring a metal casing and high end technology to cope with the stressed of everyday life, both in reality and online.
With the new BlackBerry 10 software, everything is interlinked, from apps to internet to email, allowing you to smoothly and easily transition between numerous different activities without slowing down. Coined as ‘BlackBerry Flow’, you’re able to open running apps with a simple swipe, rather than the usual process of exiting and opening we’re all used to. ‘Peek’ is also a fun but useful feature BlackBerry have devised; a slight rightward movement of the thumb and you’re able to see if that email that has just come through is from a client with an urgent request, or a marketing email that you can ignore until later. In true BlackBerry style, all of your different feeds are linked seamlessly in one place, so you’ll never miss an update again. Unless you want to.
The biggest challenge BlackBerry faced by giving up their physical keyboard and embracing full touchscreen was keeping the ease of use BlackBerry users are so accustomed to, and it’s fair to say that they have certainly stepped up to the plate with BlackBerry Keyboard. It remains obviously BlackBerry, featuring the frets we all know in their new virtual form, but with clever little details which distinguish it from other touchscreen keyboards on the market, the most notable being the predictive text. BlackBerry Keyboard learns your writing style and commonly used words and phrases, displaying potential next words above the letters which the user can then ‘flick’ into the message in a very cool and slick way. Messaging has never been faster, easier and more intuitive.
Conclusion
Overall, the BlackBerry Z10 is an interesting, adaptable and intuitive device which will help you organise your life and multi-task in whole new ways. Whether you’ve had a BlackBerry before or not, the Z10 will be a valuable tool in the day-to-day running of your business.
Available from Carphone Warehouse Business free from £36 per month.
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