5 things that could make BlackBerry 10 a hit
Now it's up to
consumers to render a verdict on whether BlackBerry's new offerings -- the
all-touchscreen Z10 phone and the Q10, which still has a keyboard -- are worth
buying over iPhones or Android devices.
BlackBerry (they're
now no longer known as Research in Motion) still has some work to do, and early
reviews of BlackBerry 10 have been mixed. But there are some promising signs
out there.
Here are five reasons
BlackBerry 10 may win over fans, new and old.
New productivity features
Large companies and
government agencies have historically been BlackBerry's core clients. But in
recent years more people have been bringing their own devices into the
workplace, choosing to stick with fun, app-laden phones over devices that just
offer security and IT-department approval.
For BlackBerry 10,
the company smartly focused on features that maximize productivity and speed.
A new feature called
Balance splits a BlackBerry phone into two separate devices, one for work and
one for personal use. (Balance is only for customers connected to BlackBerry
Enterprise Service 10 at work.) The separate profiles cordon off sensitive work
information so that IT departments can control the flow of data.
Personal apps,
e-mails and photos are on the Personal side, so you can jump from one profile
to the other. It's a way to manage both sides of your life without sacrificing
privacy or security, and without dragging around two separate devices as some
BlackBerry users have been doing.
Big-name apps
A smartphone is only as good as its
app-store selection. BlackBerry has been working hard, and spending money, to
fill up its app store with over 70,000 apps for the launch of BlackBerry 10.
However, many of those apps are old
BlackBerry or Android apps that have been ported over to the new system, not
designed specifically for its features.
It's going to require quality, not just
quantity, for people to leave behind the Apple App Store and Google Play store.
BlackBerry is clearly aware
of the importance of robust app offerings. But app developers might still need
to be convinced that the new platform will catch on and not be a waste of their
time.
Typing is easy to learn
BlackBerry fans are good at resisting
change. Its diehard users have stuck with the company even though there were
more advanced phones running superior software and featuring stores stocked
with many more apps.
The biggest sticking point was the
beloved physical keyboard that could be navigated with a lone speedy thumb.
BlackBerry says the
touchscreen keyboard learns how you type, adapting over time to be more
accurate and to automatically correct common mistakes.
There's support for multiple
languages, and you can switch between languages mid-message.
While you are typing, it
will auto-suggest what words it thinks you may be composing, and you can swipe
up to toss one directly into your message.
Positive buzz
A strange thing has happened
in the past couple of months. Consumers, investors and the press have been
cautiously optimistic about the Canadian company's plans for a comeback.
BlackBerry has gone from being mocked to being seen as an underdog people are
rooting for.
Rebranding is one part of
that process, and on Monday CEO Thorsten Heins announced that the company is
renaming itself BlackBerry, dropping the awkward Research In Motion (RIM)
moniker.
Global appeal
BlackBerry is rolling out its new Z10
phone gradually around the world, starting in the UK on Thursday. The phone
launches in Canada on February 5, and in the United Arab Emirates on February 10.
It won't be released in the U.S. until sometime in March.
