So the Blackberry Z30 won Wired CES contest

[desura]

Anyone use it?

If you think about it...for most people, all they need on their little phones are... email, web browser, music player, camera...and that's pretty much it. So if innovation happens in making a better software keyboard or a better camera...that's a way to make inroads.

 

[luv2liv]

marketing. Blackberry has none
doesnt matter if Blackberry make the best phone that is "good enough" for most people.

 

[smitbret]

marketing. Blackberry has none
doesnt matter if Blackberry make the best phone that is "good enough" for most people.

Exactly. As an OS, Blackberry 10 is so much smoother and easier to use as a "smartphone" than Android. My girlfriend's Nexus feels like a toy compared to my Z10. Not sure about Apple because, well, I hate facism and being treated like someone else knows what's best for me.

Problem isn't the phones, it's the 3rd party support, the image and momentum. BB has very little of any of that. When every ad on TV says "Download on GooglePlay or iTunes" that's an endorsement of IOS and Android. When I can't even find a good call-blocking app in the Blackberry App store, that's a problem. Not to mention, Blackberry doesn't have a truly modern, entry level device like a Lumia 520, Moto G or Optimus F3. No way to create momentum.

I can't believe that Blackberry isn't marketing the crap out of the fact that it will support Android apps. Apparently, top brass has lost touch with the importance of providing an entire user experience.

Blackberry needs to be purchased by Amazon.

 

[seepy83]

I've got a z10 for work. I haven't looked into the differences between that and the z30...but I can say that the BlackBerry 10 OS has a lot of nice features. For reference, I also have a personal cell that has been a handful of different Android devices over the last 6 or so years. The BlackBery Hub is nice. Consolidating any number of email accounts, social networks, voicemail, txt messages, etc into 1 view is pretty slick. Also, the built in 'personal space' and 'work space' technology that secures/segments corp data from personal is slick. It would be a huge stretch for me to buy a BlackBerry for personal use, but it's excellent for work and really does provide most of what a person might want if they need to use a BB for work and don't want a separate personal phone.

What specifically was the award for?

 

[Commodus]

Exactly. As an OS, Blackberry 10 is so much smoother and easier to use as a "smartphone" than Android. My girlfriend's Nexus feels like a toy compared to my Z10. Not sure about Apple because, well, I hate facism and being treated like someone else knows what's best for me.

Addressing this first: can we please be mature, here? It's just a phone, not a political structure... and if you were really consistent about insisting on control over your devices, you would likely toss out most of the electronics you have. Especially any video game consoles.

I can't believe that Blackberry isn't marketing the crap out of the fact that it will support Android apps. Apparently, top brass has lost touch with the importance of providing an entire user experience.

It's not because the experience isn't optimal. Apps work, but there are occasional interface issues, you wouldn't want to run games as a general rule, and you can't simply sideload an app. You have to get a version packaged for BlackBerry 10; that's not overly hard, but it's not something Jane and Joe Consumer will want to do.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I went a searched for a link to know what the OP was talking about...

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/01/welcome-to-wireds-ces/

My rough understanding the the Wired reporters would get points for doing all their blogging and photo taking from their phones with various mini challenges along the way. I don't think this really says anything about the Z30, just the reporter using the phone worked harder than the other reporters.


No chance in hell I'd use a Blackberry. That company is swirling down the drain and it seems almost certain they are dumping their hardware business soon.

 

[webdave]

It's not because the experience isn't optimal. Apps work, but there are occasional interface issues, you wouldn't want to run games as a general rule, and you can't simply sideload an app. You have to get a version packaged for BlackBerry 10; that's not overly hard, but it's not something Jane and Joe Consumer will want to do.

Not anymore with the latest versions. You can load an APK directly. There are even native BB10 android app stores that will download the APK. No computer/converting necessary.

 

[Imp]

I went a searched for a link to know what the OP was talking about...

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/01/welcome-to-wireds-ces/

My rough understanding the the Wired reporters would get points for doing all their blogging and photo taking from their phones with various mini challenges along the way. I don't think this really says anything about the Z30, just the reporter using the phone worked harder than the other reporters.


No chance in hell I'd use a Blackberry. That company is swirling down the drain and it seems almost certain they are dumping their hardware business soon.

Don't bring your dirty facts in here...

 

[Kneedragger]

I got to play with it for a bit and like it. It can use some work still but with its gestures its pretty intuitive.
Apparently with the OS version it comes with you can load an APK and start downloading android apps from 3rd party apps stores. I also heard you can download android apps straight from 1mobiles website.

 

[Bateluer]

Blackberry 10 is irrelevant, no matter how good it may or may not be. The company isn't going to be around in a couple years. Either another company will buy them out for the patents or the Canadian government will auction them off after they declare bankruptcy.

 

[desura]

Who cares about relevance?

If I...bothered...to get around to getting one, I guarantee that I could get it working so that it fulfilled my real actual needs of...web browser, music player, camera, navigator.

IMO, smartphones are mature.

 

[Joe1987]

https://us.etrade.com/investing-trading/mobile-trading No BB app

https://www.tdameritrade.com/tools-and-platforms/mobile-trading.page No BB app

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/tv/features/twc-tv.html No BB App

no HBOGO app

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/??countrycode=MX&lang=en

I can't find any of the apps I use daily. Fail.



BTW, the competition was more about reporters than the phones:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2014/01/thunderphone-challenge-results/#slideid-302401

 

[Eug]

A friend of mine has the Z10. He likes the design of the OS more than the competition, but feels that there are far, far too many bugs, something you don't necessarily see with initial use of it.. And of course, the app selection totally sucks.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Who cares about relevance?

If I...bothered...to get around to getting one, I guarantee that I could get it working so that it fulfilled my real actual needs of...web browser, music player, camera, navigator.

IMO, smartphones are mature.

Would this be out of charity towards Blackberry or would you really want to use a Blackberry phone?

I guess I could find a way to use a Blackberry as well, but it's pretty far down my list of potential choices.