The first half of 2013 was a rebuilding phase for BlackBerry, most notably marked by the release of the BlackBerry Z10 and the Q10. While the Q10 is meant for traditional mobile users who like the feel and utility of an actual keyboard, the Z10 is the new model that really made waves by becoming the pioneer touchscreen of BlackBerry’s line. Is it enough to make users switch from other well-known touchscreens like Apple’s iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy? Keep reading to find out.
To start, BlackBerry gave a long-anticipated upgrade to its interface. Amongst the features for the touchscreen is a capability to synch all apps and gadgets, even beyond the famous BlackBerry ‘hub’. Now when users head to their calendar to get a view of their upcoming commitments, they’ll also be able to view which of their social media connections will also be there--without having to juggle several different apps.
The other long-awaited update was the BlackBerry 10, the newest operating system overhaul to come from the company since summer of 2011. Everything about this OS is designed to give you access without all the fuss. First of all, the BB10 allows you to keep up to eight different apps open at once. Navigating it also relies almost exclusively on gestures; you can swipe, tap and drag your way through the entire BB10 experience almost without pausing. There’s also “peeking”, which involves swiping in an upward motion and holding; it gives you a glance of your calendar and new messages, letting you see what’s happened since you last used your phone. Other convenient features include a system-wide search that pings you results from your data, apps and browsing history, as well as easy exit from tapping the ‘X’ in the bottom right-hand corner of any open application.
The Z10 also makes over BlackBerry’s photography capabilities with a TimeShift camera. This feature allows the user to snap multiple frames when taking a photo. Afterwards, he or she can choose the best shot.
Even with all these features, though, arguably the most talked-about characteristic of the Z10 is its state-of-the-art touchscreen keyboard. Equipped with next word prediction, it rivals other popular handsets with an all-touch surface. However, BlackBerry took it a step further by developing a touchscreen keyboard that actually adapts to the way users type to help eliminate pesky errors that can come from texting or writing too fast. Start typing a word, and this keyboard tries to guess exactly where you want to go by posting text prediction above the next letter in the sequence. The keyboard also aids sometimes-clumsy fingers by giving enough space on each letter to reduce the chance of errors.
Who is the Z10 built for? It’s obvious that BlackBerry is attempting to capture some of the mobile market it has lost over the past several years to touchscreen users. And though it posted sales below its expectations for the previous quarter, mobile phone enthusiasts continue to give the phone rave reviews. And with a new update to the BB10 OS pushed to all Z10 users in July, the future of this touchscreen looks very bright.
Matt Morgan. I am a new tech blogger, especially interested in the world of mobile and tablets. I blog at mightytechnews and although it's a new site I'm work hard to bring you some fresh and exciting content so I hope you like it! My hobbies include Muay Thai and travelling, and I am currently working on my first novel.
