Blackberry Passport

[mgmueller]

http://de.blackberry.com/smartphones...berry-passport

I'm tempted.
I always have been a fan of BlackBerry.
For business purposes, nothing beats a physical keyboard.
And the form factor could be interesting.
For the worst case scenario, one can use Android apps on it.
Hmmmmm....

[emai7s2]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

I'm tempted. ... Hmmmmm....

It's a little on the ugly side, but I have to give Blackberry credit for making something unique, and not just copying the dominant iPhone/Samsung form factors.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

I would get it sooner than a iBend

If you apply a bending force to a long thin metal object it bends. Who would have thought it?

Seriously, why do people waste their time complaining about this kind of thing? It's "user error", plain and simple. If you don't want it to bend, don't bend it.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by emai7s2

It's a little on the ugly side, but I have to give Blackberry credit for making something unique, and not just copying the dominant iPhone/Samsung form factors.

I'd have to see it in person.
But from the pictures, I actually like the design.
The square form might not be very practical, maybe it doesn't fit in the inner suit pocket anymore. But, given my experience with Surface Pro 3, for some tasks it can have its advantages.
I'm not sure about the keyboard yet. On one hand, it would be my main argument to buy it. I hate touch keyboards, for example when typing emails while in the cab - even more so on a bumpy road. Swype on Android helps a lot in such cases, Swype on iOS is a huge disappointment (doesn't sync your dictionary, whereas Android does). On the other hand, a physical keyboard can be quite impractical: If I'd put it in the inner suit pocket, would it slide out easily or would the keys get stuck?
Anyway...highly interesting...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

I would get it sooner than a iBend

I'm ambivalent about Apple products in general.

For some time (End of 2011, when a bought it, until about a year ago), I really loved my MacBook Air. Then they really killed it with the Mavericks upgrade. The updates did help a bit, but it's still not quite where it used to be.

In the beginning, I loved my iPhone. But after some time, it simply couldn't compete with Android anymore, for example re. 3rd party keyboards.

Yesterday, I've got my Amazon Fire TV (only now launched in Germany). I still love my Apple TV. But Amazon definitely has raised the bar. Their voice recognition is fantastic. I won't use it, but being able to install Android games is great as well.

Often enough, I find Apple's products lacking significant features.
They are simple and fool-proof - but you often can't do much with them.
I still can't write corporate emails (CI-conformity and such) on iOS. How can they call iPhone or iPad business tools when lacking such simple features?

So I've sold my last iPad (mini) about 18 months ago and did without for about a year. Then, around February this year, I bought my iPad mini Retina. And I love it.
Yes, some (lots of) stuff I still can't do on it. But it simply is fun, to stroll around in iTunes and test new apps. I can't put my finger on it, but for whatever reason it's simply more fun than their Android counterparts.

Antenna-gate and iBend to me are indicators, that the quality of their products actually isn't that special. Dr. Kovid Goyal some time ago in a thread stated about Apple: "Style over substance". There's probably some truth to it.

But I'm absolutely sure, the bending problem and stuff like that won't really harm their sales. They are too good in marketing and their products have a unique "charm" to them...

[Glorfindel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

If you apply a bending force to a long thin metal object it bends. Who would have thought it?
Seriously, why do people waste their time complaining about this kind of thing? It's "user error", plain and simple. If you don't want it to bend, don't bend it.

I wasn't complaining.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

I wasn't complaining.

No, I wasn't suggesting that you were . But a few people certainly are.

[mgmueller]

I just was in German Saturn Markt.
I didn't really hope for it, but of course I still had to check out whether they've got BlackBerry Passport (at least some demo unit) on display.
Their brief response:
"We're not selling BlackBerrys anymore in-store. Only through the website".
To me, that's a clear indicator about the target group for smartphones: BlackBerrys mainly appeal for business clients. Those definitely aren't in focus in their shops...
And Saturn Markt and their brother company Media Markt are huge in Europe, some 250 huge stores in Germany, another 100 in Italy and so on...

I've read some reviews about BlackBerry Passport.
Vast majority has been crushing.
But I'm not quite sure, what to make of this kind of "professional" reviews.
Example:
"The square format isn't practical for watching movies".
Wow! What an insight.
That's like stating "a Porsche isn't practical for bringing 3 children to Kindergarten".
Both statements obviously are correct.
But they are quite irrelevant for the respective target groups.
A Porsche isn't a (sole) family car.
A BlackBerry isn't targeting for media consumption.

But what I really don't understand and what puts BlackBerry in 2nd league (at best):
Why can't I find any release date?
The BlackBerry website and Amazon both state "available for pre-order".
The link to Vodafone even ends in Limbo.
Microsoft stated right ahead the shipping date. And then the positive surprise: The date they gave was the day I actually held it in hands, not the day it had been shipped.
Apple for years sticks to a perfect schedule.
Dear BlackBerrys: Make it conservative then. Add 5 days to the planned shipping date. But you can't just state "available for pre-order". I'll pre-order right ahead, if I can have it in the next 10 days. If it will be November or something like that, I might not even be interested at all anymore...

If you're on the loosing track already, your marketing should be benchmark, not "invisible"...

EDIT:
200.000 units sold in 4 days. Not iPhone-material, but good enough, I guess: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/mobile/b...o-days-n212631

[mgmueller]

Amazon has scheduled my delivery for Thursday.
I'm traveling, so I won't have it before Saturday afternoon.
I'm extremely curious, reviews range from "total disaster" over "great hardware, but nothing special" to "simply fantastic".
I'm quite optimistic, I was a huge fan of BlackBerry Playbook. It had been killed due to lack of apps, but the hardware and OS have been great.
I don't care much about apps on a BlackBerry and in the worst case I can install Android apps via Amazon on it.
I'll post impressions on Saturday.

[emai7s2]

If I'm not mistaken - doesn't the Passport have a premium price tag - over EUR 500?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by emai7s2

If I'm not mistaken - doesn't the Passport have a premium price tag - over EUR 500?

€ 649 from Amazon.
Rumor has it, price tag from BlackBerry directly (without a contract) will be € 549.
Is this still premium, given the hefty € 999 for iPhone 6 Plus?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

€ 649 from Amazon.
Rumor has it, price tag from BlackBerry directly (without a contract) will be € 549.
Is this still premium, given the hefty € 999 for iPhone 6 Plus?

I'd certainly say that it falls into the "premium" price category, yes. Nothing wrong with that, of course; goodness knows the Smartphone market is large enough to support products at a range of different price points.

[linereader]

In my opinion the Passport will be one of Blackberry's biggest sales disappointments so I'd look for discounts on this model within 18 months if you are still interested (but can wait).

[Glorfindel]

Can't be bigger than the last

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

Can't be bigger than the last

I've got it since Saturday and I really like it.
Of course, apps are as rare as they had been for (my much liked) BlackBerry PlayBook.
The Amazon App Store helps a bit, but its still far from iOS and Android and even Windows 8 Mobile.
Anyway, it's supposed to be a productivity tool and for this I absolutely like it.
And the OS and the hardware are great.