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BlackBerry Passport: Fat, weird, but CrackBerry addicts might love it

C|NET - July 29, 2014 1:39 PM PDT   Article Link

Quote:Well, it's certainly different.

That was my first thought as I finally got my hands on the BlackBerry Passport, which has a squat, squarish look thanks to the mash-up of a compact physical keyboard with a 4.5-inch-by-4.5-inch (11.4 cmx11.4 cm) display.

OK, I didn't exactly get my hands fully around the Passport -- the BlackBerry rep insisted on holding it at all times -- but I got to touch it, test out the keyboard, and in one awkward moment, have the rep shove the phone down my front jeans pocket.

The Passport is BlackBerry's attempt to veer away from the norm with a peculiar design that instantly stands out. Imagine a phablet -- one of those oversized smartphones with jumbo displays -- squished so it almost looks like a square. It's wider than most phablets, and is nearly twice as wide as the iPhone 5S.

The smartphone won't be for everyone. BlackBerry's head of global enterprise services said the device will find its use in certain industries, such as healthcare or finance. You can see someone who types emails all day at least consider the Passport. For fans of the old-school BlackBerry look, there's the BlackBerry Classic (formerly known as the Q20).

If you can get beyond the funny shape, it does offer a decent compromise between a larger display and a physical keyboard. I had long looked forward to using the BlackBerry Q10 and its traditional keyboard, but found the display real estate lacking. Conversely, I was lukewarm on the all touchscreen Z10. On paper, the Passport seems to address my concerns, but there were questions about the device that I wouldn't be able to answer without further testing.

The Passport did fit in my jeans pocket, but it barely fit and made for an unsightly bulge. Still, that's an issue with all phablets, although the width of the Passport was more noticeable.

The keyboard

If we're talking about BlackBerrys, we're ultimately talking about how it feels to tap on those physical keys. I had a chance to type on the keyboard, which is assembled in three rows, rather than the standard four rows of normal BlackBerry keyboards.

That new configuration made it difficult to adjust and the experience wasn't particularly easy. It was actually pretty awkward to peck out my name and BlackBerry. The rep said there was a bit of a learning curve, and that it took him about 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to focus solely on the keyboard.

One nifty feature is the incorporation of touchpad capabilities on the keyboard itself. You could actually lightly swipe on the keyboard to auto-insert a recommended word.

On the display, you're given three word options. You have to imagine the keyboard being split into three columns, and you swipe up the corresponding column to choose your word. It works pretty well. It's interesting enough, but longtime users of either older BlackBerrys or BB10 devices will have to retrain their brains.

Look and Feel

The Passport is designed for high-end professionals and executives, and it looks that way. The edges around the Passport had a metallic feel, although it was unclear whether it was actually metal. Either way, it feels rock solid. From an aesthetic point of view, it looked like it had a metallic sheen to the device.

The back of the Passport felt smooth, although I was warned that it may not be the same texture as the production model.

Internally, the Passport will have a high-capacity 3,450mAh battery, larger than even the big battery that's included in the Z30.

Overall, it felt like BlackBerry stepped it up in terms of the quality of the device. One of the knocks on the original BB10 devices was the cheap, plastic feel to them. While the company steadily improved the look and feel of the devices, the Passport appears to be a big improvement.

Software

The Passport was running on BlackBerry 10.3, an upcoming version of its software. There weren't any noticeable differences on how it performed relative to the older devices. The switch between applications continues to be smooth, and there's still the standard hub that represents your communications portal.

Another company representative said there would be more to show once BlackBerry 10.3 is ready for launch. A release time hasn't been specified.

The Passport is a risky bet that could either be a colossal failure or a win over the BlackBerry faithful. But it fits with the company's renewed focus on heavily regulated industries and professionals in government agencies or large corporations where security is a priority. For consumers, the same issues that plagued the previous BlackBerry 10 devices -- the lack of native app support, a fading brand, heavy competition, and seemingly unenthusiastic carrier partners -- remain.

Or it could just be weird enough to work. Remember, people ridiculed the Samsung Galaxy Note when it first came out.

BlackBerry said the Passport will be released in September. There's no word yet on the price, specific launch date, or carrier availability.
I work in IT where most people have iPhone or Samsung for their personal phones, but due to security reasons, have Blackberry's for work. Believe it or not I've heard many people in the department very interested in the Passport! With it's 60 character wide display makes reading Word documents and excel worksheets much easier with less scrolling or switching your phone to landscape.

Personally I'm going to have to see in my hot little hand before I can make a decision - but I'm very curious about it. I have to say I love my Z10!
Just switched providers and got a free Q5. Loving every minute of it. Physical keyboards forever!
I was shocked when I saw that thing. The major benefit I see is like Shawn said, for reading Word docs or Excel sheets, this would be great. But does it fit in your pocket? haha

That being said, without getting off topic, I'm personally loving my Samsung. :lol:
Is Motorola still getting a local office even though Google sold them?
DHLawrence Wrote:Is Motorola still getting a local office even though Google sold them?
They've had a local office for a while now - their signs inside Workplace One in the Breithaupt Block still say "Motorola - a Google company". Not sure what Lenovo has in store for them when the deal closes, though.
BlackBerry buys Movirtu in bid to woo more corporate customers
Euan Rocha And Alina Selyukh
TORONTO/LAS VEGAS — Reuters
Published Thursday, Sep. 11 2014, 9:08 AM EDT
Last updated Thursday, Sep. 11 2014, 9:51 AM EDT

BlackBerry Ltd said on Thursday it has acquired Movirtu, a provider of virtual identity solutions, as part of its move to continue building out its portfolio of value-added services that cater to the needs of its core base of corporate and government clients.

Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry said Movirtu’s virtual SIM technology allows an individual to have both a personal and business number on a single mobile device, with separate billing for voice, data and messaging usage on each number. ...  

Read rest of article here
Shawn Wrote:...Movirtu’s virtual SIM technology allows an individual to have both a personal and business number on a single mobile device, with separate billing for voice, data and messaging usage on each number. ...  

This could make for quite the strategic acquisition - if an employer mandates the use of a BB for security/encryption reasons, how many of those BB holders currently have a secondary device for personal use? This (if I understand the technology) allows me to use it for both.
DanHerman Wrote:This (if I understand the technology) allows me to use it for both.

Almost everyone I know who has a corporate phone issued to them, carry 2 mobile phones with them around the office - at their desk and to meetings. One for work and one for when the school/babysitter/spouse/etc calls. This virtual SIM could be a real service to those people.
Blackberry Passport Launch event to occur in Toronto, London and Dubai this morning at 9AM EST.

You can follow a live stream here: http://live.blackberry.events
(09-13-2014, 05:53 PM)Shawn Wrote: [ -> ]
DanHerman Wrote:This (if I understand the technology) allows me to use it for both.

Almost everyone I know who has a corporate phone issued to them, carry 2 mobile phones with them around the office - at their desk and to meetings.  One for work and one for when the school/babysitter/spouse/etc calls.  This virtual SIM could be a real service to those people.

This would also be handy if you travel internationally. You just switch over without having to manually remove and put a new SIM in place
Ford dumps Microsoft for BlackBerry for Sync 3 

Quote:Ford has switched to BlackBerry from Microsoft for its in-car connectivity system.

After being repeatedly punished in consumer surveys, Ford unveiled the third generation of its Sync system Thursday with a promise that it will be simpler and have a more natural voice-command interface. It is a whole new system that drops past partner Microsoft for QNX software from BlackBerry...

The Microsoft-based system has suffered from bugs over the years which affected quality scores for Ford and Lincoln vehicles...

Sync 3 will be rolled out on more than half the Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the U.S. by the end of 2016 and then continue to expand globally, said Don Butler, Ford's executive director of connected vehicle and services.
We rented a 2012 Ford using the first release of their Microsoft system and could never figure out how to change the radio station. Neither could my programmer friend and trust me, we touched and clicked every single nob, screen and button we could think of. Nothing worked.
(12-12-2014, 10:50 AM)BuildingScout Wrote: [ -> ]We rented a 2012 Ford using the first release of their Microsoft system and could never figure out how to change the radio station. Neither could my programmer friend and trust me, we touched and clicked every single nob, screen and button we could think of. Nothing worked.

Ahhh... So they managed to achieve full Windows compatibility.
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