1) BlackBerry Z10's Mini HDMI Out, Standard Charging Ports
One of my single favorite features found in the BlackBerry Z10
smartphone is the HDMI-out port, which lets you easily connect your
device to any TV, monitor or display with an HDMI-in port. The HDMI
support lets you watch HD video, stream music or share anything else on
your device by mirroring its screen on your HD display. HDMI-out support
is not an exclusive BlackBerry Z10 feature; a number of Android phones
from Motorola have mini HDMI ports. But you won't see any such port on
any Apple gadget.
Unlike any of Apple's products, the BlackBerry Z10 has standard
charging ports. That means you can use any microUSB power cord or sync
cable you may have on hand. And you get access to a larger number of
third-party accessories that aren't necessary built just for the Z10
and, therefore, are often cheaper than Apple-specific cords and
accessories.
2) BlackBerry 10 and TimeShift Camera
An awesome new camera feature in BlackBerry 10 is the TimeShift
camera setting, which helps you capture better pictures of groups of
people - particularly children, who may have trouble sitting still.
TimeShift takes a rapid series of images and lets you isolate the faces
of the subjects in your photos. You can then tap the faces in the
picture and "fast forward" or "rewind" them to find the best facial
expressions. TimeShift is unique to BlackBerry 10 - you won't find
anything like it built into iOS or Android - and it works very well.
3) Expandable Storage up to 64GB
The BlackBerry Z10 supports microSD memory cards up to 64GB, which
boosts the device's overall storage capacity to 80GB at a time. (The Z10
only comes in one 16GB model.) I use one 64GB memory card in my device,
and I carry around another pair of 64GB cards for a total of more than
200GB of storage at any given time. I have a massive music collection,
and I can fit almost all of it on these three media cards. I could also
carry additional memory cards if I wanted more storage space. The iPhone
doesn't support expandable storage, and the largest storage capacity
for iPhone is 64GB.
4) BlackBerry Z10 Removable Battery
Even more valuable than support for microSD media cards is the fact
that you can swap out the BlackBerry Z10's 1800-mAh battery. I have yet
to find a single smartphone that will last a full day of travel, with
heavy use, without charging multiple times. That's why support for
removable batteries is an absolutely necessity for meanyone who travels
frequently. Spare Z10 batteries can be purchased for less than $25 each
on Amazon.com. And BlackBerry offers a cool Battery Charger Bundle that
comes with a spare battery and a charging dock for simultaneously
powering up your Z10 and an extra battery.
5) BlackBerry Z10 Runs Android Apps
The BlackBerry Z10 and its BlackBerry 10 OS may have only a fraction
of the applications as iOS, but the Z10 can run not only native
BlackBerry apps, but also repackaged or "ported" Android apps. Some
official versions of ported Android apps are available in the BlackBerry
World app store, but many more can be found online and then manually
sideloaded onto your device. You can even repackage your own Android
apps if you're willing to put in time and effort - though not all apps
will work the way they do on Android.
The quality of Android apps on BlackBerry 10 varies widely,
depending on the complexity of the apps and how much effort the
developers put into making them BlackBerry 10 compatible. But support
for Android apps provides BlackBerry 10 users with a wider base of
applications while BlackBerry improves developer support and builds its
catalogue of quality native BlackBerry apps.
6) BlackBerry Z10 Screen Share during BBM Video Chat
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app got a significant upgrade in
BlackBerry 10. You can now use BBM in BlackBerry 10 for video calls, in
addition to voice and text chats, over Wi-Fi and 4G cellular networks.
BBM in BlackBerry 10 also lets you share your device's screen with
video-chat participants, so you could initiate a video chat with a
colleague to show them a presentation or chat with a long-distance loved
one while showing them pictures of your recent travels. (Note:
BlackBerry 10 is required for video chats; you cannot chat with users of
older BlackBerrys or non-BlackBerry devices.)
I know of some screen sharing software for iOS, but BBM screen
sharing lets you quickly switch back and forth between sharing and a
video chat, and you can continue your voice chat while sharing your
device's display.
7) The BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry 10 Virtual Keyboard
My single favorite feature in BlackBerry 10, and on the Z10, is the
virtual keyboard. It's the best touch-screen, virtual keyboard I have
ever used, hands down. When it comes to accuracy, ease of use and
predictive-text features, it puts the stock iOS keyboard to shame.
The on-screen keys are large, and the keyboard's rows are separated
by virtual "frets," which add some space and provide more touchable area
per key. The keyboard literally "learns" your typing behavior and
adjusts accordingly. For example, if you have large hands and you
constantly hit the "P" key when you're trying to tap the letter "O," the
keyboard learns your pattern and adjusts itself.
The BlackBerry 10 keyboard's predictive-text features are what truly
set it apart from other touch-screen keypads. When you start typing, the
software predicts what it thinks you'll type next. But unlike other
keyboards, the predicted words appear directly above the next letter in
the word you're typing. To finish the word you just slide your finger
upward from above the letter you're on.
The Z10 virtual keypad also takes predictive text a step further. In
the past week, I've send a lot emails to PR people and sources, and I
closed many of these messages with a standard: "Thanks very much for
your assistance." Now, when I start typing "Thanks," on my Z10, it not
only predicts that word, but "very" automatically appears above the "V"
key. And if I slide my finger up to type "very," the word "much" appears
above the "M" key and so on.
8) The BlackBerry Hub
The heart and soul of BlackBerry 10 is the BlackBerry Hub, and it's a
standout feature. The BlackBerry Hub shows all of your messages and
notifications in a single place. And you can easily access it, when
you're using a specific application or while you're navigating home
screens, by sliding your thumb up from the bottom of the display and
then to the right, to pull the active page to the side and "peek" at
your Hub. If you want to open a message or notification you just
continue your thumb's leftward motion until the Hub takes up your entire
display and click on the message or notification of your choice. If
there are no pressing messages, you can slide your thumb back to the
right and return to whatever you were doing.
BlackBerry Hub also lets you filter messages and notifications so you
see only the items you want. For example, when you're in the Hub you
can pick Email to see only email messages, or you could choose Facebook
to see only messages and notifications from Facebook Friends. Developers
can build applications that integrate with the Hub, and the more
Hub-compatible apps you use the richer the information you find there.
BlackBerry Hub is unlike anything in iOS, and though it takes some
getting used to, it works very well.
9) BlackBerry 10 and Active Frames
BlackBerry 10 can keep up to 8 applications running at one time, and
each app is represented with its own Active Frame that appears on your
main home-screen pane. Active Frames are dynamic windows that update
themselves periodically with new information. Different apps provide
different levels of information via Active Frame, depending on the
software's integration with BlackBerry 10. But a deeply integrated app
can provide a wealth of information just by viewing its Active Frame.
A couple of examples: The Active Frame for the BlackBerry World store
rotates through popular and spotlighted apps, noteworthy films and
music to show you what's hot at a given time without actually opening up
the app store; and the BeWeather 10 app shows rotating weather
information and graphics for your pre-set locations in its Active Frame.
10) BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Balance
BlackBerry Balance is a technology built into the BlackBerry 10 OS
that lets IT administrators create two separate personas on your
smartphone: one for work; and one for personal. While Balance sounds
like a feature designed specifically for IT, it also benefits users
because it keeps all personal information separate from corporate data,
so IT never has to access personal files - or delete them in case of a
security scare. Balance couldn't be more unobtrusive for the user, so it
doesn't affect the overall experience. And it provides piece of mind
for both IT and Z10 users.
BlackBerry recently announced Secure Work Space features that will
bring Balance-like dual personas to iOS and Android, but the security
features won't match those available via BlackBerry 10 and BES 10. And
the user experience will likely be less smooth.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment