If you're wedded to keys then the Q10 is the BlackBerry – and potentially the smartphone, period – for you, but for the everyone else it's more like proof that the days of physical keyboards are behind us.With the release of BlackBerry Link 1.1.1 for Windows, a new feature has been added that allows you to synchronize your local Microsoft Outlook contacts andor calendar data between your computer and a BlackBerry 10 device running BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.1 or later. That leaves the Q10 feeling a lot like a sop to keep the old-school users happy, while the rest of the market goes in a different direction.
#Q10 blackberry link software
Typing on the BlackBerry keyboard is great, but then so is typing on the Z10's clever software keyboard, and indeed most other modern smartphones.
Problem is, that group is also a shrinking one, and what were previously the inescapable advantages of a QWERTY device – like unsurpassed typing accuracy – are no longer so clean-cut. For that group, only the combination of BlackBerry software and a hardware 'board will do. For existing users, the Q10 is an obvious upgrade: it's the best QWERTY BlackBerry to-date, BlackBerry 10 is a solid step up from what came before it (even if there are still plenty of rough edges), and the tactile key-feel they covet is there in spades. Practically speaking, after getting accustomed to the Z10's touch system, we were able to hit the same rate of text-entry as we could on the Q10, which suggests that, for the mainstream at least, having the flexibility of a bigger display may be more beneficial.īlackBerry is a company still very much in transition, and trying to find its feet in the process. BlackBerry 10 does some interesting things with auto-prediction, notably floating the suggested words over the likely next letter and allowing you to select them with a simply flick of your fingertip, and it's a system we found worked very well.
The question is, of course, whether it's better than the on-screen keyboard of the Z10. Altogether it's a sturdy little thing, and we quickly got into the habit of punching replies and tweets on it.
Spare two hands and it's even better, the Bold-style beveling to the key caps neatly cupping your thumbs and helping keep accuracy high. One-handed, you can just cradle the Q10 with your middle and ring fingers and punch at it with your thumb again, the excellent weight balance left us with no concerns the phone would tip out of our hand as we did so. Still, the soft-touch finish is easily gripped.Ĭurved or not, it's a great keyboard to type on. Opinions on how successful that is were mixed some thought it enlivened the Q10 up in a much-needed way, while others argued it makes the phone look relatively cheap. The Q10 uses the same dense black plastic, sturdy but lacking in the premium feel of the metal iPhone 5 or HTC One, but jazzes things up with a carbon fiber effect to the rear. We criticized the BlackBerry Z10 for its uninspiring aesthetic, which felt almost like the company had been so caught up in developing the OS, it had forgotten it needed to design hardware too. The 3.5mm headphone socket is also on the top, while a reasonably sized speaker is on the bottom edge, meaning it won't be blocked no matter whether the Q10 is placed face-up or face-down on the table. BlackBerry's traditional row of buttons in-between keyboard and display are missing on the Q10, which means the only other physical controls are the power/lock key on the top edge, and the volume controls on the right edge, flanking a voice-command button.
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