RIM has finally pulled the curtains back to reveal its long-awaited BlackBerry 10 software. Together with its new phone the Z10, it represents a new chapter for BlackBerry it hopes will see it claw back some of the customers it's lost to Android and the iPhone. My US colleague Jessica Dolcourt at CNET.com has reviewed the new phone and its new operating system.
The interface of BlackBerry 10, Jessica explains, has a polished design with large icons, designed to make touch interaction easier. Rather than make use of physical home buttons, you'll navigate around the interface entirely using touchscreen gestures.
One such gesture -- called 'Peek' -- allows you to quickly look at your notifications window to check for new emails or messages without leaving your current app.
It's generally quite pleasant to use, but there are a few essential tricks you'll need to acquaint yourself with before you start. If you're a smart phone aficionado it probably won't take you too long to get used to, but it's not straightforward right out of the box, which might be a stumbling point for new users.
It supports multiple email, calendars and social network accounts, and BlackBerry Balance lets your IT department setup your VPN and security settings.
BlackBerry Messenger is still on board, but has been updated to keep it competitive versus the likes of Apple's iMessage and WhatsApp. It now supports voice and video calling as well as screen sharing. We'll see exactly how effective these are when we give them a full test.
The BlackBerry Z10 itself is rather reminiscent of the iPhone 5. It's tall, slim and packs a 4.2-inch display. Jessica found it pretty comfy to hold, but its plastic casing didn't have the same premium feel of the metal iPhone. There are no navigation buttons on the front, but you'll find both a micro-USB and a micro-HDMI port on the side -- the latter allowing you to hook it up to a big screen.
It's powered by a nippy 1.5GHz dual-core chip and an 8-megapixel camera lurks around the back. We'll have to see how it performs when we get one in for a full review.
Jessica's overall impression of the Z10 and new software was quite good. The OS is slick and attractive and the phone is lush enough to suit both the business brains and fashion fiends among you. For BlackBerry fans there's much to be excited about, but whether it offers enough to tempt iOS and Android users to switch remains to be seen.
Make sure to check out Jessica's full writeups to learn more about the software and keep your eyes peeled for full reviews and of course the all-important question of UK prices. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts on BlackBerry 10 and the Z10 phone in the comments below and over on our Facebook page.
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Comments 48
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JohnsonDion1 30 January, 2013 16:30
I have an iPhone 4 and I am really excited by this new Blackberry phone, I love the idea of gestures to operate instead on just navigating the phone. Also the phone looks great and having a HDMI port is so cool for a phone.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 17:04
The metal back of the iPhone 5 doesn't allow it to use NFC, I'd rather have NFC capabilities than a cute back, it's going to be covered with a case anyways
anonymous 30 January, 2013 17:36
@JohnsonDion1..
You mention how cool it would be to have an hdmi out on a phone when nearly all topend android phones have this, I have had the pleasure of a taster of the new bb10 software and it ain't nothing special, its nice don't get me wrong and I hope it does help out rim but it ain't going to make much of a dent in the smartphone market that is completely dominated by a huge selection of android devices, I think its heaps better than ios but then again what isn't, the problem with ios is its hasn't really changed in the past few years whereas android has a completely new os nearly every year and is continuously changing, when the updates come through that is,anyway I wish the best for rim but personally I don't think its going to be enough........
Damien2701 30 January, 2013 17:53
ios rocks. Why would anyone in their right mind want an OS that changes every year. If you find the best way of doing something why would u change it? It's the underlying tech that's important and how the power of the phone translates to what you do most. I don't want moving backgrounds, flashy animations when I swish between screens ect using resources and battery life.. I'm an adult FFS not a 5yr old
anonymous 30 January, 2013 17:59
@Damien2701 30 January, 2013 17:53
Proven yourself to actually be a 5 year old.
ADULTS move with the times and use newer and more innovative products, whereas 5 year olds like the same, simple stuff.
Therefore, an adult would prefer a newer OS every so often, instead of the same, stale one that's been shoved under the noses of the blind Apple followers since 2007.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 18:11
@Damien2701
You think ios rocks are you living on the same planet, with the stiff competition in the smartphone/tablet market you have to update systems to stay ahead of the competition thats probably why apple is falling drasticaly because it hasnt really changed much since the very first iphone and apple talk about innovation, theres more innovation in my shrivelled up left testicle, with android if you dont want moving backgrounds or flashing animations you dont have to,you can customize an android device to how you want it whether it be basic looking or something from the starship enterprise, so Damien2701 get youre head out of the clouds and join us here in 2013 dont still be living in the fwcking 80's......
anonymous 30 January, 2013 18:24
@above comment
Awesome comment,if i put my shrivelled up right testicle and youre shrivelled up left testicle together we'll have a pair of shrivelled up testicles to take on apple,they wont stand a chance then, but on a serious note i completely agree with youres and the comment before, iso is very stale and something needs to be done,christ they didnt even install the latest tech in their lastest iphone , there isnt even nfc, come on my 2 year old galaxy s2 has nfc and wifi-direct, a 2 year old phone thats more upto date than the latest apple release, says it all really.....
CaptainPicard 30 January, 2013 18:34
To be honest I think the Z10 is a really good phone ever since I saw the German comparison video. But numbers like £47 and £480, made me facepalm. RIM or now BlackBerry has made the same mistake as Nokia, by pricing it's devices ridiculously high. It should have really released 3 new touchscreen phones covering different price points, and all of them costing less than £350. Nevertheless, the Z10 in my opinion is a good but expensive phone and far from being a "crap phone".
anonymous 30 January, 2013 18:40
@CaptainPicard
I dont think anyone here has said the Z10 is a crap phone just that it wont make much of a dent in a marketplace already dominated by other OS's......
anonymous 30 January, 2013 18:52
Actually to be honest its only since Jelly Bean and Quad Core processors came along that Android really started to be better than iOS. Even then they needed the nexus 4 to ram home the message. I still however do not like Androids fragmentation in terms of versions supported and updated. When iOS gets an update everyone gets it and over the air as well. Up until now iOS has always eclipsed Android but with the arrival of Project Butter and some interesting developments (the Xperia Z has two IP ratings) I think its safer to say Android is better. Anyway getting back to BB10, this is a very likely phone I must say. Its look new, fresh and interesting. Browsing is rapid on it and specs are in line with whats out right now. They have definitely screwed up on the price. Should be no more than £300 because that would attract a hell of a lot of attention.
Eric Manktelow 30 January, 2013 18:52
"If you find the best way of doing something why would u change it?"
Once IOS finds the best way of doing something then I agree, till then they had better innovate like everyone else.
IOS is there for people who like their technology from 3 years ago.
As for the new Blackberry phones... meh.
Small screens, lack of apps, nothing exciting about them at all and the thought that they may not be around in a years time are turn offs for me.
CaptainPicard 30 January, 2013 18:59
I was meant to say it's not the best phone in the world but it is also not the worse. And it could make a dent if it cost £200 pounds less SIM free or less than the Galaxy S3 on contracts.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 19:03
@CaptainPicard 30 January, 2013 18:59
To be fair to BlackBerry (formerly RIM), they are trying to compete within the market at a higher price because they are relying on their legions of fans that love the BB phones from yesteryear.
I don't think they can compete with the cheaper Android phones and neither with the Nexus 4, as Google are able to afford to sell their phones at a loss, however BlackBerry are not.
While I agree that BB should sell their phones at a cheaper price, I think that one costing £200/£250 is far too low for the tech one is getting in these phones.
Damien2501 30 January, 2013 19:21
O' my lord. How is this gonna destroy the laptop? Where are 15 year olds gonna get £480 from?? Just because something costs more it doesn't mean it's better (ahem iPhone). Apple should sue RUM for copying it's pricing strategy, at best this is a mid range phone with a higher end price like the new iPhone.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 19:41
@Damien2501 30 January, 2013 19:21
Agreed, although the BB Z10 has a superior screen to the iPhone, hence going by that alone, it should be priced higher than simply £200/£250. However, the iPhone has a better camera, while which OS is better is a matter of opinion. If anything, both phones should be priced at £300 at the most!
However, the Apple tax means this will never happen, especially as long as Apple purists purchase their over-priced and under specced products!
anonymous 30 January, 2013 19:43
It's shocking how people get so territorial about phones, at the end of the day ios and android both do pretty much the same thing in pretty much the same way, i.e. you tap little pictures on a glass screen and stuff happens, they even look quite similar too. If you really want to feel like you're sticking it to the man, ditch apple/google/microsoft and buy yourself a carrier pigeon.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 19:52
@Damien2701 "I'm an adult" - I can't stop laughing.
@anonymous 18:11 & 18:24 Why are you talking to yourself?
@Damien2501 I think your an idiot.
Why are so many kids on here, I thought they'd be playing with their iPhone's and Androids than posting BS on here. Oh wait, they clearly don't have phones, let alone smart phones.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 20:09
@anonymous 19:52
Are you a psychic or something, how do you know those two anonymous comments are the same person, and why is Damien2501 an idiot, if anything youre the idiot, youre comment is completely worthless, so why dont you take youre head out of youre a#se you little prck and comment on something thats enlightening DUMBA#SE
anonymous 30 January, 2013 20:20
Because your pictures are the same, anonymous.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 21:00
Yeah, anonymous.
leoevs44 30 January, 2013 21:02
@above comment
You must be pretty new to this site, most of the anonymous comments on here are the same,its a standard icon you get unless you change it, look at Damien2701 he has the same....
anonymous 30 January, 2013 22:52
Leoevs44, Ive been here a month, anonymous 18:11 and anonymous 18:24 is one person with one account agreeing with himself, he forgot to log off before writing his second comment. Go on a PC and read these comments.
And anonymous 30 January, 2013 20:09 is also the same person as anonymous 18:11 & 18:24. Now I am not an editor on this page, nor am I psychic, I know this because of the language he used. The idiot is embarrasing himself, like on most other posts.
anonymous 30 January, 2013 23:32
@anonymous 30 January, 2013 22:52
I'm anonymous 30 January, 2013 17:59 and I just realised that you're right about the anonymous from 18.11 and 18.24 being one and the same.
The guy looks so retarded talking to himself there, lol!
anonymous 30 January, 2013 23:46
I for one will be buying the Q10 when it comes out. It will be the only phone with modern browsing (flash / html 5) and a full qwerty keyboard, and bbm is the best form of text communication I have ever used. Blackberry is a profitable company, they will be around for some time still.
CaptainPicard 31 January, 2013 00:16
@Anon 19.03
I understand what BlackBerry is trying to do, but as someone almost stated above not all of BlackBerrys tens of millions of subscribers and fans have £480. What it should have done is unveil a phone costing £100 and another costing £250, along with the Z10 and Q10, rather than later in the year. I don't think BlackBerry should abandon it's lower end and younger customers, they are the people that kept RIM alive when it's business customers defected and they might not comeback, BlackBerry should stay diverse.
Gabriel Goodchild 31 January, 2013 03:34
The BB10 looks like a good handset. The operating system appears to be very, very useful! www.synapsecircuit.com
JohnsonDion1 31 January, 2013 09:06
I like the Q10, as I said earlier I have a iPhone 4 so I am not against other brands its just I love the idea of having a physical keyboard again! I love all OS's they all have there "thing", and I think it's cool we have so much choice, at the moment I'm with iOS but that could change as I was with windows phone before.
anonymous 31 January, 2013 10:50
@anonymous 22:52 I understand what you mean, and I'm an Android fan! In all his comments he makes up some childish BS, starts swearing and mocking everyone, he is an embarrassment to Android, no one agrees with him, accept for himself anonymously of course!
anonymous 31 January, 2013 14:10
I have a note 2 with 80gb of storage. Totally rocks man. Great 4 media. Love it.
I also think z10 will rock 2. Yes android and apple have been around longer but bb10 will catch up.
anonymous 31 January, 2013 18:38
@anonymous 31 january 14:10 - 30 january 23:32 and 30 january 22:52.....
I am anonymous 30 january 18:24, why do you all think i am the same person as them other anonymous comments, i'm sorry but i aint, i saw rhe comment before mine and found it funny with the testicle sentence thats all, if you read it i cant see how i have mocked as you say anyone and i certanly havent sweared, i think you must have me mixed with someone else, if you think i spoke bullshit i apologise but i only giving my opinion and i definatly do not swear at other peoples comments,whether the other anonymous person swears and mockes i dont know but its not me, i apologise for finding someone elses comment funny and just adding to it a little, and to be honest i cant see the resemblance between the anonymous comments mentioned so why are you saying its the same person
anonymous 31 January, 2013 19:17
Because the picture is the same, anon 18:11 & anon 18:24 have the same picture, and anon 20:09 is defending you emotively. Surely you can't be that thick. Oh wait, Android.
anonymous 31 January, 2013 19:33
Sorry but youre completly wrong with the same picture story, look at the other anonymous pictures which are the same, Damien2701 and leoevs44 have the same, does that mean their all the same person i think not, if you log onto a pc you can choose youre own avatar, everyone gets the same standard pic unless you change it yourself so honestly i dont understand why you think this, and please dont call me thick because i use android,its proven to be the best operating system out at present.....
anonymous 31 January, 2013 19:48
But you can't have the same name. You know what, it doesn't matter, your only fooling yourself.
anonymous 31 January, 2013 20:02
Look at the review for- nexus 4 still on sale- every single comment has the same picture and funny enough the same name, their all called anonymous, are they all the same person too.
Matt Winston. 31 January, 2013 20:55
@anonymous 19:52 30 January It took me a while to figure it out, but I actually get it!
@anonymous (the person with the account) *facepalm* Your an idiot for getting caught. If I were you I would make another account, and get over this embarrassing moment.
And speaking of the Nexus 4, Google Play. In stock. £239. Who actually cares about BB10.
anonymous 1 February, 2013 00:20
@anonymous 31 January, 2013 18:38
The reason you are the same anonymous with the two testicle comments is due to the writing style, the poor punctuation, lack of paragraphing and similarly written rubbish.
Damien2501 1 February, 2013 09:17
I didn't understand what was happening here until I changed my browser settings, so I could see the desktop site, this is hilarious! Everyone read the 6th, 7th and 18th comment, from the CNET UK desktop site, and you'll see what the last few comments are about. How the person has the audacity to comment and deny what happened is baffling.
anonymous 2 February, 2013 00:19
I don't normally comment, but the person with the anonymous account is dumb.
anonymous 2 February, 2013 07:22
Yeah really dumb
anonymous 2 February, 2013 09:52
You thicko !
anonymous 2 February, 2013 15:39
It's ironic how dumb Android fanboys have hijacked this post, I think BB10 is brilliant! It offers so much more than toys, but even I think it's too expensive.
faddis23 3 February, 2013 01:04
@anonymous 2 February, 2013 15:39
It's ironic how dumb and generic your comment is.
There are many Android fanboys who don't support their own comments whilst pretending to be someone else.
anonymous 3 February, 2013 07:29
Hardly a review, more of a recycling of the BB promo material. Waste of two minutes of my life.
anonymous 3 February, 2013 14:01
@fartty23 1:04
I apologize for my previous comment, because it appears to be one Android fanboy commenting on every post talking to himself.
faddis23 3 February, 2013 18:35
@anonymous 3 February, 2013 14:01
That's ok. Plus, I accept your apology in advance of misspelling my username on here.
anonymous 11 February, 2013 00:36
@anonymous Android is paying me to blow them
anonymous 12 February, 2013 22:53
He was talking about his private parts with himself, surprised no one else found that weird...
anonymous 19 February, 2013 16:48
I've had the Z10 for 4 days now and am completely satisfied with device.
I switched from an iphone because I was simply bored of that experience. After so many years it's become a bit 'stale'.There's a small learning curve, because it's completely gesture based, but anyone using IOS will have no troubles.
The keyboard is miles ahead of any other virtual keyboard I've ever used and truly resolves the one complaint I had with my iphone. The internet browser is much faster than any other device I tried and has been proven by beating the competion in benchmark tests. Also, unlike Apple it supports 'flash'.
The Apps seem to be increasing by leaps and bounds daily. The Blackbery Hub is a nice touch, given it can be accessed from anywhere, without closing the applications you're working on.
The battery life is the only negative, which hopefully is addressed by future software updates. But then again I've been on the device constantly.
For all the haters (which appear to be hating in full force) ....these comments are not intended to sway readers away from their devices, but rather validate the devices' worthiness for anyone that's considering it.