The rain was shocking. Heavier than a scene from a Ridley Scott movie and I was less prepared for it than Dr. Marcus Brody dropped into the middle of North Africa while trying to run from the ever lurking presence of zee Germans – i.e. no umbrella. I wasn’t saving the planet from doom or unwanted foreign incursions; more’s the pity, I’ve always fancied a bit of action and adventure. Instead I was heading to Bond Street for a look at the new Z10 from BlackBerry.
Arriving at the W1 penthouse a soaking mess, I noted there was no one on the reception desk and the door was firmly closed. I thought about scaling the wall Indy-style but just as I was reaching for my nonexistent whip, the door opened and I was led to a private elevator – this was more Bond than Indy. I glanced at the floor just in case it thought about dropping me into a pool of hungry sharks; this would probably have been counterproductive in getting something penned about the latest technological wonder from BlackBerry…
The elevator doors open and we were back in Indy territory; ancient looking relics and museum-esque objet d’art were strategically placed, offering a lovely contrast to the very sleek and obviously contemporary design of the new Z10.
Unlike previous BlackBerries, the Z10 is touch screen only, no much loved keyboard here, but considering almost all of the top phones have this specification, it isn’t a surprise. The Z10 sports a large 4.2” touchscreen using a 365 ppi display – PPI standing for Port, Purdy’s and Pie (game, if there is a choice). Surely?
So how can the Z10 help an aspiring Arbuturian stuck in the urban field? For a start the smart text feature learns about you, your quirks and that esoteric, rare Scotch you like, the one that is near impossible to spell and harder to pronounce. Well, the keyboard will remember it and when you start to type, albeit badly, will throw it out there as a quick select option. What next? Now you’ve remembered what it is you want, why not type it into the browser and find out who sells it and where – then take a quick jaunt to pick up a couple of bottles via the maps options or book your flights to the home of the haggis. OK, this isn’t unique to the Z10 but it has combined all the elements via the touchscreen that might have been tricky to stitch together in the past with a smaller screen.
Other apps include BlackBerry maps and sat-nav, or Google maps through the browser – and if you really want to go old school there is a nice little compass that tilts as you move, as if you were sailing the high seas after a bottle of Sailor Jerry’s or staggering through St James after being ejected from the Ritz Club. Again.
Facebook is there as well along with a photo editing tool, movie story maker, and voice control. Something I love about smart phones is their photo and film tools. The Z10 has ‘Time shift’, a photo app that starts taking the photo before you take the photo (no time travel here), and then lets you skip back through various incarnations until you spot the right frame. Think grandchildren, granny and drunken uncle Vernon all gathered for a snap but getting them to look at the camera and pose in a single instant is near impossible – this helps you out by selecting individual faces, then skipping back and forth through the various images with a finger gesture until you get the right one for each face. It’s not perfect, if everyone moves around too much the faces don’t quite match up with the heads, but when it does work it’s a nice idea.
Gesture control and access to the apps is unique to the Z10, so if you’re keen to steer clear of anything with fruit in it and maintain some independence from the global giants, you can, and you’ll still be able to email and text while juggling one handed your morning coffee, croissant and paper.
If you are a die-hard keyboard loving BlackBerry user, fear not – the Q10 will be out soon and will undoubtedly be a powerful combination of the Z10 tech and the old school keyboard which means you can jump onboard the new while maintaining the old.
The Z10 is available from all the major technology stockists & mobile networks. For more information, visit the website.
Key Features:
1.5 GHz dual-core processor
2GB RAM
8 megapixel camera with Time Shift
4.2-inch display
16GB of storage (expandable via microSD)
1080p HD video capture
BlackBerry 10 OS
9mm thickness
