Alright, so there’s a lot of hubbub going on surrounding BlackBerry 10 and the official announcement that came from BlackBerry (not RIM!) today. I’ve been keeping up on the live blogs and announcements and while most of the info comes as no surprise, I had a few thoughts during the presentation that I thought I would share with you guys regarding my feelings on BlackBerry 10.
Earlier, Taylor asked if BlackBerry 10 is arriving too little too late; in short, the answer is yes. We already know we have more stable platforms that are stomping the competition, but so does BlackBerry. They’re probably not going to start off with much of a bang as a lot of phone users gave up on BlackBerry a long time ago and have moved on to bigger and better things. On the one hand, that can seem crippling to the company. On the other hand, it can also give them a leg up.
Companies that were once on top but became yesterday’s news still hold some ground when it comes to recognition, if nothing else. BlackBerry isn’t some no-name company trying to come out of nowhere and take the throne for the first time. Even people who used to use BlackBerry probably have a special place in their heart for them – I know I do. BlackBerry was once my go-to phone and if they can be innovative once I have faith that they can do it again. Would I consider the Z10 innovative? Not really, but there are some unique features about it that I’m excited to try out in person. It’s one thing to read about how BlackBerry Hub, Flow, and Peek will work, but to actually try it out is what I’ll base my real decision on.
As little attention people might pay to the BlackBerry Q10, I’m glad to see that BlackBerry is still keeping the physical keyboard factor. While for a lot of us the traditional BlackBerry design is outdated and not something we want to go back to, to other people it might be essential that their phone have a physical keyboard. Why should people who want a physical keyboard be punished just because it’s not the cool thing to have anymore? Somebody has to step up to the task, and it looks like BlackBerry will continue to take one for the team.
Presumably the Q10 style device won’t be BlackBerry’s main focus as they shift towards a more modern approach to mobile tech, which brings us to take a look at the Z10. I’m glad that the device isn’t going to be a behemoth of a device as it only has a 4.2 inch screen, but as much as I generally can’t stand giant devices there’s no denying that a larger form factor is what a lot of people prefer. I assume some time in the future BlackBerry will release a phablet (or tablone) of their very own if the platform gains enough popularity. Enough about that, let’s get back to the Z10. While the phone is certainly no powerhouse with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, the first thing you might think is that BlackBerry is already starting off on the wrong foot by introducing a device with considerably common specs. Personally, I’m okay with this as long as the interface runs smoothly and there isn’t too many hiccups. The specs aren’t too bad and the device is technically HD with a resolution of 768x1280 pixels (356 ppi). While it’s not Full HD, it’s still sharp visibility considering the smaller screen on the device.
I’m trying to give BlackBerry the benefit of the doubt here because I’m interested in seeing where this goes. If they’re willing to put this much effort into getting their company back off the ground then I’m willing to give them the time of day to show me what they’ve got. It’s easy to hold resentment for a company that was so unwilling to keep up with what the rest of the mobile world was doing, but for me it’s better late than never.
