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by Michael Fisher | June 17, 2013 12:42 PMRead OnThe war between the virtual and the concrete has been over for some time, and there's no real dispute that the former won. Software keyboards now dominate the smartphone space in no uncertain terms. But the conflict was long and protracted, with manufacturers like BlackBerry and Motorola fiercely holding on for years, fighting the good fight like those infamous WWII Japanese holdouts - even after it became clear that virtual keyboards were the wave of the future. That's not to say that physical keypads are entirely obsolete; "losing the war" in this context just means they're no longer the ...
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by Jaime Rivera | June 17, 2013 7:01 AMRead OnAs much as BlackBerry can boast to you that their new operating system can run Android apps, that's not necessarily a good thing. One of our biggest disappointments after our review of the BlackBerry Z10 is that these apps are all locked to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and that means that you're stuck running anything that was optimized for an operating system that was launched three years ago. Luckily the company has just announced that this is about to get a major change with BlackBerry 10.2. Within the changes that are planned for their new upgrade, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean apps will be ...
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by Anton D. Nagy | June 14, 2013 2:03 PMRead OnTopic Pocketnow Live kicked off twenty Fridays ago. We can't even believe it ourselves that we're at the twentieth installment of a show that is highly popular not only among our viewers, readers, audience in general, but also among members of the team. Episode 20 is also the Season Finale. We're wrapping up Season One with the team that kicked it off. Worry not, we're not only planning on Season Two, but thinking way ahead. So, before we take a break from the Live, let's have a great casual conversation one more time. Plenty of things going on, from the Galaxy Mega and HP TouchPad Go ...
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by Michael Fisher | June 14, 2013 1:41 PMRead OnWe recently had the opportunity to review the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, an experience we enjoyed primarily because of the device's innovative hardware: a 6.9mm-thick, 495g chassis that manages to squeeze water- and dust-resistance onto its list of features. Pocketnow is currently in the midst of reviewing the BlackBerry Q10, a peculiar blend of yesterday's design cues with a modern OS - and we're enjoying the feeling of real physical keys under our thumbs again. The third-generation Apple iPad and Microsoft's Surface RT also share space in our office, and we love the sturdy (if heavy) hardware ...
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by Michael Fisher | June 13, 2013 5:40 PMRead OnWe're still pretty new to the world of BlackBerry at Pocketnow, having started coverage in earnest just this past winter with the unveiling of the BlackBerry Z10 -and the company's next generation platform- in Toronto. Since then, though, we've given the fledgling new smartphone ecosystem its share of comparisons, reviews, and even re-reviews ... and it's about time we turned our focus to the second BB10 smartphone from the folks formerly known as RIM. It's time to review the BlackBerry Q10. Before we get there, though, we've got to take it out of the box - and that's just what you'll get ...
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by Michael Fisher | June 11, 2013 1:56 PMRead OnIn the past six months, I've handled some of the world's most advanced mobile technology, including BlackBerry's new Z10 flagship, Nokia's one-of-a-kind N9 smartphone, and Sony's super-portable Xperia Tablet Z. And the thing I value most from these experiences isn't the Z10's unified messaging hub, or the N9's one-of-a-kind interface, or even the Tablet Z's water-resistant nature. Rather, the aspect I love most about these three products is that they all offer a variation on a buttonless unlock. This revelation might force you to question my priorities, and I acknowledge that idolizing ...
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by Jaime Rivera | June 5, 2013 7:00 PMRead OnWatch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the announcement of the BlackBerry Q10 for AT&T, along with the rumors of a flagship BlackBerry A10 for the fall. Microsoft has also announced Outlook RT for Windows RT, but there's a lot that's lame about the timing. Nokia is next as they've just leaked photos of their EOS smartphone emerge, some good, some fake. HTC takes the spotlight again today as we've got some leaked photos of an HTC One Mini, which looks like an interesting alternative to the One. We end today's show talking about Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy S 4 Active, ...
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by Anton D. Nagy | June 5, 2013 4:58 AMRead OnAT&T BlackBerry Q10 pre-orders are live now, for all those who want a physical QWERTY keyboard for fast text input (or for those who still prefer this method over the on-screen SIPs). AT&T has just flipped the switch for early adopters and you should go secure your unit if you're a fan of BlackBerry, the form factor, or the keyboard. For $199.99 on a two-year contract (or $584.99 outright) you can get this bad boy packing a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card), 3.1-inch S-AMOLED screen with 720 ...
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by Taylor Martin | May 31, 2013 2:08 PMRead OnI got my start in the tech industry with BlackBerry. I was a fiend. I've owned dozens of different models, and I knew my way around the software like the back of my hand. I made my own themes in my free time, and was constantly flashing unofficial software and on the prowl for new apps and games. Above all, when BlackBerry failed to innovate and change direction with the rest of the smartphone market, there was one feature that I found unbelievably difficult to give up: the physical keyboards. BlackBerry was – and still is, for that matter – renowned for its second-to-none keyboards. ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 29, 2013 4:38 PMRead OnYesterday we told you about Verizon's efforts to start offering LTE service on its newly-acquired AWS spectrum space, with the first markets going live later this year. Like T-Mobile did for phones like the Note II when it switched-on its own LTE network, Verizon revealed plans to activate this AWS mode on specific handsets through a future firmware update, giving them access to higher-speed data. At the time, the only phone we knew would be getting such an update was Samsung's Galaxy S 4. Today, we can expand that list a bit, and thankfully for once it's a cross-platform affair. Both the ...
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by Michael Fisher | May 13, 2013 5:18 PMRead OnYesterday, I made the stupid unconventional decision to compensate for a sedentary workweek by walking nine miles from my home northwest of Boston to Newton, Massachusetts. The resulting hunger, thirst, and mild exhaustion drove me into a delicatessen upon my return to civilization - but before I could walk in the door, something caught my eye: a black van, with the legend "Z10" painted in blue on the back door and the admonition "keep moving" spelled out in smaller letters on the sides. Now, not even moderate dehydration keeps me from satisfying my curiosity when it comes to street-level ...
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by Michael Fisher | May 8, 2013 1:35 PMRead OnAt Pocketnow, we have a responsibility to try the new, the fresh, and the weird - and that latter swamp is exactly the one Managing Editor Anton D. Nagy waded into with his recent review of the ASUS Fonepad - the tablet with an earpiece. Or the phone with a tablet screen. Whatever you want to call it, we've covered it - and Tony has some thoughts about using a seven-inch smartphone in this edition of one of your favorite tech podcasts. After we clear the giant-phone convo, we've got more to say. Lots more. And, doubtless to the relief of thousands, very little of it involves Samsung's ...
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by Jaime Rivera | May 6, 2013 7:00 PMRead OnWatch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about Windows Phone 8 GDR2 and a a possible release date along with some billboards that show us what the Nokia Lumia 928 is all about. Then we move to HTC as the red HTC One shows itself in the UK, along with the fact that HTC has improved in sales this month when compared to last month. Then we go through the BlackBerry R10 being compared the Q10, just to make your choice for either much easier since the R10 is just ugly. Later we go through the leaks of a mysterious LG phone we assume to be the Optimus G2, and then we talk about the reports that ...
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by Stephen Schenck | May 6, 2013 11:58 AMRead OnLast week brought us a fresh look at a not-yet-announced BlackBerry 10 model, the hardware QWERTY-packing R10. This wasn't the first time we saw that guy pop up, and from what we know about it, it was sounding like it could be a future budget-priced alternative to the higher-end Q10. Just what kind of cuts could BlackBerry make to bring the price down? We get somewhat of an idea today, upon a leak delivering not just some new BlackBerry R10 pics next to a Q10, but a run-down on the model's specs. Make no mistake, even if the R10 is to be a cheaper option than the Q10, it could still have ...
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by Jaime Rivera | April 5, 2013 7:00 PMRead OnWatch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the recent patents that reveal a Street-View like service coming to maps on iOS. Then we talk about the Nokia Catwalk, and the good and bad things revealed on its specs. Then it's pre-order day starting with T-Mobile USA bringing their iPhone 5, then Samsung Bringing their Galaxy Note 8.0 to the UK. Then we've got BlackBerry Q10 pre-orders in the UK followed by some R-Series rumors that underwhelm. We end today's show talking about HTC, first because of their pre-orders on AT&T and Sprint, and second because their Developer Edition is now ...
Posts tagged with: Q10