RealClear Summary
Posted On January 31, 2013
Very few tech products arrive with do-or-die fanfare, but the BlackBerry Z10 sure does. It's the phone that BlackBerry (the company formerly known as RIM) has staked its future on.
The Z10 offers a 4.2-inch 1280 x 768-resolution touch screen (gone is the QWERTY keyboard of BlackBerry's of yore), an 8-megapixel camera, 4G mobile broadband and 16GB of internal storage. It features the new BlackBerry 10 OS, which introduces several new features such as Hub, which lets you quickly swipe in and out of apps to check messages.
Reviewers liked the Z10, but noted that it was merely a competent phone, not a game changer. That was seen as being good enough for the BlackBerry faithful, as the Z10 finally brings them a handset on par with the Galaxy's and iPhones of the world (in many respects, at least). However, the barren app store, while not surprising, disappointed many reviewers who also noted that there simply wasn't anything in the Z10 worth junking your Android or iPhone over.
Reviews Sources
Given the lack of compelling apps, it's not likely to tempt the not-yet-smartphone users, nor to tempt back already defected users.
Tragically, there's really nothing to love. Nothing in the Z10 stands out as class-leading and, while the BB10 OS does have a lot of charm and brings all the best productivity-focused...
Though it's not quite enough to draw committed iPhone or Android owners, the BlackBerry Z10's modern design and features give BlackBerry fans what they've hungered for.
The Z10 is a fine device, well made, reasonably priced, backed by a company with a long track record. But it's not the only device of its kind.
It does pretty much everything we'd expect from a high-end device and there are no major flaws to go running to the presses about. That said the Z10 also lacks any killer selling...
It's lovely, fast and efficient, bristling with fresh, useful ideas. And here's the shocker - it's complete.
The hardware is decent and the user interface is logical and generally easy to use. I believe it has a chance of getting RIM back into the game, if the company can attract a lot more...
BlackBerry 10 is a great upgrade for BlackBerry users, but it's not unique or polished enough at this point to grab existing high-end smartphone users. Not in the U.S. or in several...
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Mixed/Caveated | Mostly Disapprove | Disapprove |