A Blackberry by any other Name

Recently I got the chance to use the latest Blackberry Z10. I was all enthusiastic for many reasons, including that there was all this hype around the latest model releases, that my own device had just suffered a screen shattering fall, and lastly that it was a Canadian company. This last point was quite important to me as I believe very strongly in the ‘brand Canada’, however to my dismay I was disappointed, or to my compatriots, ‘J'ai été très déçu’.

I’ve listed some of the main reasons that formed by opinion. I must note that I was coming from an Android device.

1. Copying text – I wasn’t able to figure out how to copy a portion of a text message in order so that I could paste it elsewhere. This was so that I could register into the blackberry world (their area to download apps), in which they send you a text message so that you can past the sent code into the registration screen. I asked various people in my office, including someone who owns a Z10, but alas the best I was able to do was copy the whole line and then go in and edit once pasted.
2. Lack of applications – There aren’t too many applications I use, but you would imagine the big ones such as Instagram should be available, even though I’m not a heavy Instagram user. The other significant missing one was the Gmail application. I know I can add it to the regular email, but I would like to have it as an application. (I recognize that I may be biased as I’m coming from an Android operating system which is built by Google who runs Gmail). The last is no support for Swype or Touchpal, but you can read more about this in point number 3.
3. 'Pecking' at the keyboard – I used to have the Blackberry with the built in keyboard and loved it specifically for that reason. I couldn’t bear to give up my keyboard until I discovered the ability to swipe my words. Having to ‘peck’ at the buttons on a keyboard on a touch screen is the most annoying thing in a phone and something that is a deal breaker for me. Swiping is the ability to press on the first letter of your desired word, swipe to each following letter, and then ultimately remove your finger when you’ve reached the final letter. In addition, the removal of your finger adds a space before the next word is typed. Once you get used to this, there’s no substitute.
4. Home screen icons - Deleting icons on the home screens seems as if it’s not possible, except for a select few. There’s no way I’ll need to use all the preinstalled applications, so not having the ability to streamline my searching for apps that I’ll use can be a real nuisance to the functionality of the phone. My advice to anyone creating systems, platforms, devices, etc., is to make it easy for the customers to use, download, configure, or buy your product.
5. Help the Help Section – In trying to figure out issue 1 listed above I went to the help section. This section was really slow at loading to the point where I thought it wasn’t working. The more surprising thing once loaded and I proceeded to search and tried returning to a previous page was that it hadn’t cached that previous page, thus experiencing the same slowness.

As a Canadian it pains me that this was not a positive experience. The device was glitchy and non-logical to use in addition to being large and bulky. It seems the moniker of crackberry will soon be replaced with crapberry. This is already begging to show through the dismal earnings they experienced in the latest quarter. I feel that unless they undergo major changes they will soon be on death watch.

Top 10 Travel Smart Phone Applications

Recently, having spent some significant time away from home while exploring parts of the world, I found the convenience of a smart phone loaded with applications to be paramount. I have created a list from those certain applications that I don't know how I would travel in a strange country without in the future. This list includes:

1. Google Maps, especially the download offline feature where you can continue to explore a city's streets whilst being disconnected from any data connection.
2. Google Translate is especially helpful when ordering food. Often being proficient in a language isn't enough for understanding local cuisine.
3. Skype phone calls have improved significantly since the last time I used them. As long as you have a data connection then this application is great for staying in touch with friends, family, or conducting meetings.
4. TripAdvisor for checking the ratings of hotels, restaurants, and attractions. It is quite accurate and user comments often have tidbits.
5. Hotels.com and booking.com for assisting you in getting the best prices on hotels, besides walking into them and offering cash for the room.
6. XE Currency calculator to understand the different currencies you may be dealing in. This application can store multiple currencies, is easy to use, and updates automatically when there is a data connection.
7. ITA on the Fly is the best free flight search engine to shop for the cheapest days and flight airfares for any itinerary in the world.
8. Built in applications which come standard on any smart phone such as calculator, weather, calendar, alarm clock, international clock, and camera will help you significantly.
9. Dropbox and Google Drive are great for reviewing either your itinerary, or PDF copies of tickets you maybe have registered.
10. A danger zone app that vibrates when in a yellow or even red danger zone area. This could be a life saving app after having scary encounters walking through certain streets on my trip. This is a fictitious application, however I could see the benefits if it were created. The only caveat is that you would need a data connection in order for the application to determine you current location.