BlackBerry going Android

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417 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1431721 20-Nov-2015 14:07

I _just_ purchased a Q5, and I love bb10.3, so no I wouldn't buy one.

I don't like the idea of a slider either, I'd rather have the keys just there and have a smaller screen. If I want an _actually_ decent sized screen I'll use an eight inch tablet, not a five inch smart phone, the only purpose of smart features on a phone for me are ultra-accessibility/portability, not a lush user experience - if I find myself watching movies on my phone, or surfing FB all day, just shoot me!

Seriously though bb10.3 is better than android, and can run 90% of android apps, so I don't really see the point in this.

All the same, its getting rave reviews all over the place, and I can see it being very popular. Mostly for die hard android users than really miss hard keys.

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Dreal

417 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1431726 20-Nov-2015 14:15

NikT:
mdf:

Thanks, I appreciate the reply. I can easily justify one (maybe two if she's not paying attention) but I think she'll notice a crate of 400 phones.

I can't help but feel that Blackberry has missed a trick with the price. The specs are good but not outstanding (and perhaps even only average), so I'm not sure the keyboard + battery (+ maybe security) justifies the price. Which is probably exactly the same calculus led to VF's decision.

If the Priv/Android doesn't work, the future looks pretty bleak for BB. :(

There's a lot of factors involved in ranging decisions. Consumer perspective is 'Why wouldn't it be sold in NZ if it's a good product?' but the commercial reality is that everyone has good products.

What's needed is co-operative marketing funds for retail training, dummy handsets, live demo units, TVCs, compelling gifts with purchase, preorder bonuses, and most importantly, to fund a handset to $0 on a given plan. Plans have a fixed subsidy, and the funding over and above that fixed subsidy has to come from somewhere.

Smaller brands aren't usually willing to invest in the NZ market - that's why you don't see many LG or Motorola handsets here by way of example. Having a good product isn't enough, even when it's strongly differentiated. Why would a telco pay to establish (or re-establish) any given brand when others are willing to do it themselves and everyone's selling premium Android handsets?

When I first got into the device marketing/portfolio management space I got excited at every interesting handset that jumped out, and while I'd love to bring a BlackBerry campaign to market, it would not make any commercial sense without serious support from BB themselves. Not least because - and here's the most crucial point - NZ consumers do not spend $1k+ on handsets without Apple logos (Or Samsung at a stretch) on the back at Christmas.

Has to be the right product at the right price at the right time with the right level of investment to fly, and this is at best only the right product.

I would guess its mainly price. Vodafone stock the blackberry classic, but not the passport, despite both being relatively popular for BB - and I expect the priv will be more popular, because android is so 'standard', despite very little difference in app compatibility.

But the classic is the cheapest of all of those - and can be $0 priced with a plan. I doubt any of the others could be zero priced, at least not for another year or so (maybe the passport will come down for example).

Tap That - Great cheap tablets and tablet accessories. Windows and Android, NZ based

Dreal

417 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1431728 20-Nov-2015 14:17

mdf: Looks *sooo* nice. I still worry that they've gone after the wrong end of the market though - the curved glass must add substantially to the cost, and it doesn't seem to do much (though the charging progress bar was a nice touch).

I was surprised about the assessment of poor/static-y call quality though. Historically, I always found BB call quality to be really good.

That is interesting, the audio on my Q5 is so good, that it surpasses any mobile device for music listening, I have come across - all due I would guess to audio drivers/processing and hardware designed for maximal call quality.

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NikT

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#1474603 19-Jan-2016 13:36

Finally got to have some fun with this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujujq3o0DQo

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mdf

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#1474636 19-Jan-2016 13:55

NikT: Finally got to have some fun with this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujujq3o0DQo

Any thoughts you'd care to share?

I saw this stocked at PBT the other day. Mightily tempted, but the extreme price is putting me off. Might wait for gen 2 (assuming BB still exists then).

In particular, is there point to the curved edges (beyond increasing the price)?

zocster

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#1474639 19-Jan-2016 13:58

That is the best Priv advert to date! Well done.

Andy Ghozali Geekzone Member	E: andy@ghozali.ru M: +64 21 395 458 A: Andy's Business Services, 231 High St, Christchurch 8011, NZ
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NikT

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#1474650 19-Jan-2016 14:06

mdf:
NikT: Finally got to have some fun with this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujujq3o0DQo
Any thoughts you'd care to share? I saw this stocked at PBT the other day. Mightily tempted, but the extreme price is putting me off. Might wait for gen 2 (assuming BB still exists then). In particular, is there point to the curved edges (beyond increasing the price)?

Have been using as a secondary device, will give it a shot as primary in the coming weeks I think.

First off, there's two hardware options - STV100-1 with wireless charging, and STV100-3 with 4G Extended (Band 28).

The hardware is exceptionally nicely designed. Grippy back, solid slide mechanism, Business Time black. Slider can answer/end calls, screen has double tap to wake. Keyboard scrolling is a real game changer, since the full screen is available to view content while you flick through it with a thumb. Keyboard itself certainly took some getting used to after years of smacking my thumbs against glass, but it's quite addictive and satisfying, especially with swipes to delete words or insert predictions. Cranking up the aggressive autoprediction means you can merrily smash out longform text with little need for editing. Certainly unique in the Android landscape, really the only choice for anyone who needs a physical KB.

Battery life leaves a little bit to be desired, but it's improved with updates and Marshmallow will of course bring Doze for better standby. Can't currently turn off the battery percentage in the status bar which is a little irritating for those like myself who get antsy about it.

As for the edge, I'd say yes - there's more point to it than Samsung's S6 edge/edge+. The 'Productivity Edge' feature gives a relatively handy overview of hub notifications/calendar appointments/tasks from BB's Tasks app, and favourite contacts. There's also a neat charging bar that shows up around the edge and doesn't get in the way of content. Still, it's mostly about the ergonomics, while the glass curves all the way, the display itself is less curved than Samsung's so suffers less from the viewing angle/glare issues. Since Android is so dominated by swipes and hamburger menus these days, it's quite pleasant to use these on a curved screen.

Camera is a little slow, yet produces surprisingly good images, and the spacebar can be used as a shutter key. Front-mounted speaker is a good thing.

Everything's getting ongoing improvements as BB updates the camera and other software components through the Play Store, so I'm expecting this to be a significantly better device in a few months' time.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

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zocster

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#1474654 19-Jan-2016 14:07

Get the 1 less creaky back.

Andy Ghozali Geekzone Member	E: andy@ghozali.ru M: +64 21 395 458 A: Andy's Business Services, 231 High St, Christchurch 8011, NZ
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NikT

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#1474695 19-Jan-2016 14:36

zocster: That is the best Priv advert to date! Well done.

Thank you, sir. Has something like this in mind ever since it was rumoured. Don't have the same budgets to play with as I did at Voda, but it's not cpme out too badly for an in in-house job with a quick turnaround. Boggles my mind that BB haven't done something similar internationally, they've always been a 'lifestyle' brand. At least the black and white aesthetic is nice. With an unlimited budget, I'd probably be doing a cross between this and Sony's epic Xperia Z ads (And maybe licensing Flight of the Conchords for the soundtrack).

It's a bit too fast-paced to pick up on all the easter eggs like the music selection, calendar appointments, app layout, emails, and contact names - there was an outtake featuring Business Cat. The thought was there!

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MikeB4

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#1474702 19-Jan-2016 14:51

The Priv has my interest, I need to see one in the flesh. Does the keyboard ad much weight and is the mechanism something that is going to loose over time?

NikT

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#1474704 19-Jan-2016 15:05

MikeB4: The Priv has my interest, I need to see one in the flesh. Does the keyboard ad much weight and is the mechanism something that is going to loose over time?

Nah, my 6s Plus is heavier.

PKBs will always be another potential point of failure - I've had a few keys go bad on Windows Mobile Pocket PCs in years past. These ones have relatively minimal travel, I'm confident it'll hold up to years of use and abuse. The slider mechanism was quite stiff to begin with, and has now settled into a nice springy 'thunk' action - see previous note about hanging up on calls using it. Almost as satisfying as slamming a flip phone shut.

Also can't believe I forgot to draw a parallel with the stunningly designed Dell Lightning. The Priv is a serious spiritual successor to that device.

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timbosan

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#1474710 19-Jan-2016 15:08

I saw a couple of days ago (on The Guardian???) that the Priv has scored very well on the DXO tests, getting the same scores as the iPhone 6 and 6+. There is LOTS of noise about this (of course, people love jumping to the BB's defense): https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=priv+dxo

Personally this makes me more interested, as the Z30 is dog slow with Android apps, but I cannot live without the Hub or the security of running BES and having secure encrypted communications.

But oh the price! I didn't realise it was so MUCH! $1250 at Digi Parallel Imports!

zocster

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#1474730 19-Jan-2016 15:44

There are issues with current production run for sure. I'm interested if they manage to get back to their older qa standards. For now I have my own reservations about buying it.

Andy Ghozali Geekzone Member	E: andy@ghozali.ru M: +64 21 395 458 A: Andy's Business Services, 231 High St, Christchurch 8011, NZ
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timbosan

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#1474735 19-Jan-2016 15:59

Just looked up the overseas price, $899 CDN, which is only $960 NZD, a much better price. But I am not sure of the 4G bands on the Canadian models. Don't suppose anyone knows off hand?

zocster

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#1474763 19-Jan-2016 16:40

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackberry-priv-f440/blackberry-priv-models-supported-frequencies-1043968/

Andy Ghozali Geekzone Member	E: andy@ghozali.ru M: +64 21 395 458 A: Andy's Business Services, 231 High St, Christchurch 8011, NZ
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