Blackberry Z30

[djk]

Djk...couple of questions if. You don't mind about the passport.

Planning on buying outright and unlocked.....worth it?(Have the 9900 at the moment)

How is the battery?

How is the new limited keyboard. Is it still easy to get to symbols. Also how is working without the trackball.

I know everyphone will have issues and I'm not looking for perfection. My reference is to upgrade to the latest when I decide to.

Finally, is it a good replacement for a tablet for surfing?

Thanks!

Sure, NP.

First time, I went on 35 hours on a single charge. Did mostly email and BBM, some web surfing. Had the phone in bedtime mode with all radios turned off for 8 hours.

Keyboard is great. The gestures work flawlessly except for the fine cursor control. It requires you use the keyboard in a very particular manner for it to work well. Access to symbols are done with a two finger motion downward.

And BB 10 is designed without the trackball. I've had no issues using it without one.

Tablet replacement? Maybe, depends on what you're surfing. If its mostly text, probably. The reader function on BB10 with the Passport screen is very effective. If its more rich media, YouTube, etc, I'd say no.

 

[K Douglas]

iPhone 6 - 138.1 x 67.0 x 6.9 mm (5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 in)
S5 - 142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm (5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 in)
Z30 - 140.7 x 72.0 x 9.4 mm (5.54 x 2.83 x 0.37 in)
Z10 - 130 x 65.6 x 9.0 mm (5.12 x 2.58 x 0.35 in)
Passport - 128 x 90.3 x 9.3 mm (5.04 x 3.56 x 0.37 in)

Do you prefer a physical or virtual keyboard? The S5 is pretty much the same size as the Z30. The Z10 is smaller but battery life is poor by comparison.

I prefer a physical keyboard for sure but there is no way I'm going for the passport. I didn't realize the Z30 was that big, maybe I'll just stick with Samsung then.

 

[Butler1000]

Thanks djk. Sounds about right for what I'm looking for. Now I just have to come up with the 700+ bucks for it. My wife if also quite taken with it (she saw one at her work) so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to justify spending on it. Especially when I go to virgin mobile and get us a cheaper plan.

 

[djk]

Thanks djk. Sounds about right for what I'm looking for. Now I just have to come up with the 700+ bucks for it. My wife if also quite taken with it (she saw one at her work) so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to justify spending on it. Especially when I go to virgin mobile and get us a cheaper plan.

NP. When I bought it, I was expecting a very large Blackberry with a keyboard and that's what I got. And I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

[GameBoy27]

I prefer a physical keyboard for sure but there is no way I'm going for the passport. I didn't realize the Z30 was that big, maybe I'll just stick with Samsung then.

I used to swear by BB's physical keyboard as did my wife until we got Z30s. Now we'll never look back. As for the size, it's perfect for me. I find the iPhone 5 types too small and the Note 3 / iPhone 6 types too big. But in the end, it's all personal preference.

NP. When I bought it, I was expecting a very large Blackberry with a keyboard and that's what I got. And I'm very happy with my purchase.

Glad you like it. It's not likely to appeal to everyone but it's nice that they're still producing an alternative to fill a void in the market.

 

[Bobo]

When travelling internationally, is it possible to use an unlocked Z30 with another SIM card? I always thought the Blackberry's email account was tied to the Blackberry Internet Service account with your carrier so that changing to another carrier's SIM card would disable your email account access via the device.

I used to swear by BB's physical keyboard as did my wife until we got Z30s. Now we'll never look back. As for the size, it's perfect for me. I find the iPhone 5 types too small and the Note 3 / iPhone 6 types too big. But in the end, it's all personal preference.



Glad you like it. It's not likely to appeal to everyone but it's nice that they're still producing an alternative to fill a void in the market.

 

[benstt]

When travelling internationally, is it possible to use an unlocked Z30 with another SIM card? I always thought the Blackberry's email account was tied to the Blackberry Internet Service account with your carrier so that changing to another carrier's SIM card would disable your email account access via the device.

With BB10, they moved off the BIS approach. Ie no special blackberry data plan, email is set up like other smartphones.

I don't see why you would not be able to use a foreign sim, assuming you have compatible frequency bands, etc. I've done that with unlocked nokia's, but not with my z30 yet - i've been paying for travel packs on occasion instead.

 

[djk]

I used to swear by BB's physical keyboard as did my wife until we got Z30s. Now we'll never look back. As for the size, it's perfect for me. I find the iPhone 5 types too small and the Note 3 / iPhone 6 types too big. But in the end, it's all personal preference.



Glad you like it. It's not likely to appeal to everyone but it's nice that they're still producing an alternative to fill a void in the market.

See, you're right. I'm such an Apple fanboy.

 

[GameBoy27]

See, you're right. I'm such an Apple fanboy.

Hahaha...

 

[CapitalGuy]

Is it easy for a non-tech guy to load non-BB apps on the Z30? Apps like Google Maps, CityMaps2Go, for example, that aren't available in AppWorld?

 

[GameBoy27]

Is it easy for a non-tech guy to load non-BB apps on the Z30? Apps like Google Maps, CityMaps2Go, for example, that aren't available in AppWorld?

Amazon Appstore. It's as easy as 1-2-3. No sure if you'll find everything you want but they have a ton that work on BB 10 devices.

http://crackberry.com/how-get-android-apps-blackberry-amazon-appstore

 

[GameBoy27]

Thinking about getting a Blackberry Z30.

Does anyone have one and how do you like it?

Thank you

So did you get a Z30?

 

[GameBoy27]

Just got the OS update 10.3.1.1581 for my Z30.

The biggest surprise is my phone is even faster than before. I like the new subtle layout changes and I find screens even easier to read now. Cool camera upgrades and the ability to customize the LED colour for text, email, twitter, voice mail etc.

Nice job BlackBerry, I absolutely love this phone and now even better!

Some of the new features.

BlackBerry® Blend™ - to bring messaging and content on your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer and tablet. No saving to a cloud, no wires, no backing up. It’s just there.

Android app compatibility - Download and install Android apps from the Amazon Appstore.

BlackBerry Assistant - Manage your email, contacts, calendar and other features through simple voice and text commands.

BlackBerry Hub with Instant Actions - Quickly organize and action your inbox without having to go into each individual message.

Camera updates – The upgraded camera software automatically recommends modes and settings. You can capture a panorama or even record video and take pictures at the same time.

Media improvements – Updates include the ability to “Favourite” your songs, photos or videos, and a new slow motion video edit feature.

Updated calendar – Updates include the Meeting Mode option, which will automatically set your phone to quiet mode for the duration of your meeting, and a new weekly agenda view.

Battery life improvements - Boost your battery life by up to 15% by customizing your Power Saving Profile.

 

[GameBoy27]

Just got OS update 10.3.1.1784

For a company that just about everyone has written off, they've really impressed me with the ongoing upgrades and improvements. My Z30 does everything better than when I got it a year and a half ago. Battery life, speed, camera quality along with many other features and functions are all better. I see no reason to replace my Z30 for the next several years, minimum.

 

[benstt]

Great device. I see lots on the GO train.

 

[GameBoy27]

Great device. I see lots on the GO train.

I agree...

Makes me laugh when I show people pics and how surprised they are by the quality. Then they try to guess what kind of phone it is. That a Samsung? No. Sony? No. Nexus? No. LG? No, it's a BlackBerry. "Really, looks amazing".

And you can't beat free with a 2 year plan!

 

[lomotil]

The Classic is even better than the Z30.

 

[GameBoy27]

The Classic is even better than the Z30.

The Classic is good for people who prefer the physical keyboard. I always liked the physical keyboard, tried out an iPhone but didn't like the typing experience. When I got the Z30 I was pleasantly surprised I could type twice as fast as compared to my old BB. And after using the 5" screen there's no way I could go back to a 3.5".

 

[GameBoy27]

Just got OS update 10.3.2.2168 for my Z30. I'm actually surprised how BlackBerry continues to improve their devices. With all the layoffs, I would have figured they wouldn't be concentrating on continually improving the OS. My phone just keeps getting better and better as it ages.

 

[GameBoy27]

Lol! I'm looking forward to the Z30 as my next "new" phone from work! I'm gonna use my Bold 9900 until it dies for good or it gets forcibly replaced by IT.

It's funny, with the skyrocketing technologies, people tend to forget that a phone is just an appliance. As long as it can do the basic things, what do we really need?

Tell that to the Apple fanboys who line up for days to buy the latest iPhones. Speaking of lineups, 6S and 6S Plus anyone?