The question is are you the right person?
If you are a current Blackberry user, this might be the right upgrade for you. If you are the millions and millions of smartphone users that are currently using iPhones and any number of Android models, the Z10 phone might be a lateral move at best. The Z10 is out today.
Blackberry, as the company is known now, was known as Research In Motion (RIM) since its inception. RIM produced the first real smartphone and set a standard. They created nice looking phones with a full keyboard, apps, internet and email right to your fingertips.
Blackberry has taken a hit over the past five years with the advent of the iPhone and Android devices.
Blackberry's first try at a touchscreen phone was the BlackBerry Storm. It wasn't good. They followed it up with the Blackberry Torch, with a slider keyboard, it also wasn't good.
I give them credit for the fact that they are still trying, as now they release the Z10.
I've had it for a couple weeks and my first impression was that it felt like an iPhone.
My second impression is there is no "home" button. This can take some getting used to.
To get to your home screen, and it takes a little practice, you need to swipe your finger in an upward motion on the screen.
The keyboard is also unique that is gets used to your typing style and that makes your job of hunting and pecking easier. My typing improved by about 15% in some unscientific tests I ran.
This is a pretty minimalist phone in appearance. There is a microUSB and microHDMI for connecting to your external display on one side of the casing, and volume buttons, play, pause, and mute on the other.
The camera is pretty standard by today's standards, but it does have a "time shifting" feature where you can shift back one or two seconds in time. I didn't try it, but the phone is also supposed to be pretty snappy for video chat.
There is also a hub screen you can go to that shows you emails, texts, and notifications from various social networks. Pretty nice and organized. Blackberry does make pretty good use of the real estate on the vibrant screen.
Something refreshing about the Z10, the back is a "soft touch," which means a rubberized material that gives users a firm grip. It's also can be removed, so users swap out a new SIM cards, a microSD card or an extra battery.
As with any phone that isn't an iPhone or an Android, you have lets apps to choose from. To me, that's a drawback, to others, the apps available for Blackberry devices is adequate.
The Blackberry is selling for $199 with a two-year contract with AT&T. This phone makes use of AT&T's 4G Network.
As with any smartphone decision, it's one that has to come from you individually. Nobody can tell you what is the perfect smartphone. make your own decision.
Here are some of the specs:
4.2" (1280x768) Display
8MP Autofocus Rear-Facing Camera With LED Flash
5x Digital Zoom
2MP Front-Facing Camera With 720p HD Video Capture
1.5GHz Dual Core Processor
2GB RAM
5GHz Wi-Fi Capable
Up To 10 Hours Talk Time
Up To 13 Days Standby Time
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