Have you looked at BlackBerry's BB10 devices? In terms of productivity, they're second to none. The downside is that your app choices are somewhat limited, but with Amazon's App Store pre-installed on newer firmwares, the lack of apps is less of an issue. Yes, apps do not run as smoothly as they do on Android, but it's better than nothing.
Since you're on Android, have you tried Swiftkey? I find the prediction engine pretty solid, and bar one or two annoying things, it's what I'm using on my Android devices at the moment.
The downside to Venice is that it's rumored to be ATT only. That's a horrible way in today's world to launch a product, can you imagine if Samsung or Apple tried to do that today? It'd be a horrible PR nightmare.
I use an ATT MVNO for the lower prices but because you can't use blackberry services on them it won't allow a blackberry to be used with data and MMS. I hope the Venice is more android and less Blackberry in this regard. I'd love to move to a BB and get my keyboard on.
The downside to Venice is that it's rumored to be ATT only. That's a horrible way in today's world to launch a product, can you imagine if Samsung or Apple tried to do that today? It'd be a horrible PR nightmare.
My take on this, is that BlackBerry is no longer in the position it used to be, and maybe the only way they could get AT&T to sell their devices was to offer it exclusively to them. Maybe the version of the Venice is an AT&T exclusive and there will be a tweaked version for other markets ... that is what they did with the Passport.
I use an ATT MVNO for the lower prices but because you can't use blackberry services on them it won't allow a blackberry to be used with data and MMS. I hope the Venice is more android and less Blackberry in this regard. I'd love to move to a BB and get my keyboard on.
With BB10 devices, you no longer need BIS or BES to use data, one of the best things that come with the newer handsets :)
I've never had a BlackBerry phone. I remember when my friend had one in middle school and he played Pong on it, such cool shit.
The BlackBerry Passport was one that was recommended on articles for smartphones with physical keyboards - but I'm so offput by its square shape. I don't think I'd be able to fit that in a pocket.
I haven't tried Swiftkey, actually. I've heard good things about it. I'm using Samsung's basic keyboard, which I thought uses Swiftkey? I'm not sure, actually. It's worth a shot to download. I'll try it out!
Ooh, now I'm browsing BlackBerry's website. They do really look like phones that are used to get stuff done. Maybe I should get one, hmm. The BlackBerry Classic looks nice.
Hey as a bb10 fan and a user of a blackberry passport, I highly recommend getting one the keyboard is amazing, fast, and very responsive. Although the phone is slightly uncomfortable to hold in one hand compared to other smart phones due to the size and shape but I did get used to using it with both hands pretty fast. As a plus the phone does comes in a variety of colors such as red blue and gold which is a nice change of pace from plain black and white even though they also come in those colors.
I did get used to using it with both hands pretty fast
S'cool by me, I held my Pantech Impact like a Nintedo DS in order to type. :)
The fact that it comes in red is pretty nice. Good color. Although I think I'm going to hold off and wait for more news about the BlackBerry Venice. I'm not really sold on that bulky square shape, haha.
Wow ... another BlackBerry fan out in the wild, that's a rarity :)
Have you used any other qwerty BlackBerry device in the past? If you did, how difficult was the transition from one to the other? That's my biggest fear about the new 3 row keyboards, the missing 'alt' and 'shift' keys and symbols. Heck, I still miss the trackpad but don't feel the Classic is enough of an upgrade to the Q10 to change devices.
TBH I've only ever had a z30 and a blackberry storm 9530 along side a few Samsung galaxy phones but since I was used to using a full touch smart phone so the change was kind of drastic one since I was never used to using a qwerty phone.
Haha ... BrickBreaker is the game you're thinking of. I knew someone that had to have their BlackBerry taken off them because they were putting off studying for exams because of that game :) Unfortunately, it no longer comes pre-installed on newer BlackBerry devices.
I think Samsung uses Swiftkey's prediction engine (rumour has it so does BlackBerry for its touchscreen devices), but they are different in terms of layout and features. That's the reason why Swiftkey wasn't affected by the recent security vulnerability that was found on Samsung's keyboard. I have a Samsung device as well, and Swiftkey is one of the first apps installed after a wipe. You should give it a go, since it doesn't cost anything.
I also use a BlackBerry Q10, and I'll admit that the screen is no longer big enough (especially since my other device is a phablet). In saying that, in terms of productivity, reliability, battery life ... the BlackBerry is second to none. Like I mentioned in my first post ... the new BlackBerry Slider is probably the best of both worlds when it's released; a physical keyboard with a decent sized screen.
the new BlackBerry Slider is probably the best of both worlds when it's released; a physical keyboard with a decent sized screen.
Yes! I actually Googled it after making my post - for some dumb reason I thought the slider part was always sticking out like in the picture you linked me, but then I realized it slides out the keyboard and that's awesome! Duh, that's why it's called a slider.
I just tried out Swiftkey. It's... okay. I ended up uninstalling it, I don't really like the fact that the numbers 0 through 9 have to be pressed with a long hold. I don't really mind the default Samsung keyboard.
Regardless, any physical keyboard beats a virtual one for me anyday!
Thanks for telling me about the BlackBerry Venice, I am super-duper gonna keep an eye on that one, especially with the rumors about it supporting Android!
Have you looked at BlackBerry's BB10 devices? In terms of productivity, they're second to none. The downside is that your app choices are somewhat limited, but with Amazon's App Store pre-installed on newer firmwares, the lack of apps is less of an issue. Yes, apps do not run as smoothly as they do on Android, but it's better than nothing.
Since you're on Android, have you tried Swiftkey? I find the prediction engine pretty solid, and bar one or two annoying things, it's what I'm using on my Android devices at the moment.
Personally I'd prefer to have the best of both worlds, which is why I'm keeping a close eye on the upcoming BlackBerry Slider (Venice). There was an unverified rumour that someone saw it running Android in the weekend.
The downside to Venice is that it's rumored to be ATT only. That's a horrible way in today's world to launch a product, can you imagine if Samsung or Apple tried to do that today? It'd be a horrible PR nightmare.
I use an ATT MVNO for the lower prices but because you can't use blackberry services on them it won't allow a blackberry to be used with data and MMS. I hope the Venice is more android and less Blackberry in this regard. I'd love to move to a BB and get my keyboard on.
My take on this, is that BlackBerry is no longer in the position it used to be, and maybe the only way they could get AT&T to sell their devices was to offer it exclusively to them. Maybe the version of the Venice is an AT&T exclusive and there will be a tweaked version for other markets ... that is what they did with the Passport.
With BB10 devices, you no longer need BIS or BES to use data, one of the best things that come with the newer handsets :)
I've never had a BlackBerry phone. I remember when my friend had one in middle school and he played Pong on it, such cool shit.
The BlackBerry Passport was one that was recommended on articles for smartphones with physical keyboards - but I'm so offput by its square shape. I don't think I'd be able to fit that in a pocket.
I haven't tried Swiftkey, actually. I've heard good things about it. I'm using Samsung's basic keyboard, which I thought uses Swiftkey? I'm not sure, actually. It's worth a shot to download. I'll try it out!
Ooh, now I'm browsing BlackBerry's website. They do really look like phones that are used to get stuff done. Maybe I should get one, hmm. The BlackBerry Classic looks nice.
Hey as a bb10 fan and a user of a blackberry passport, I highly recommend getting one the keyboard is amazing, fast, and very responsive. Although the phone is slightly uncomfortable to hold in one hand compared to other smart phones due to the size and shape but I did get used to using it with both hands pretty fast. As a plus the phone does comes in a variety of colors such as red blue and gold which is a nice change of pace from plain black and white even though they also come in those colors.
S'cool by me, I held my Pantech Impact like a Nintedo DS in order to type. :)
The fact that it comes in red is pretty nice. Good color. Although I think I'm going to hold off and wait for more news about the BlackBerry Venice. I'm not really sold on that bulky square shape, haha.
It's all good lol I'm also waiting for a release date and pricing so I can pick one up myself.
Wow ... another BlackBerry fan out in the wild, that's a rarity :)
Have you used any other qwerty BlackBerry device in the past? If you did, how difficult was the transition from one to the other? That's my biggest fear about the new 3 row keyboards, the missing 'alt' and 'shift' keys and symbols. Heck, I still miss the trackpad but don't feel the Classic is enough of an upgrade to the Q10 to change devices.
TBH I've only ever had a z30 and a blackberry storm 9530 along side a few Samsung galaxy phones but since I was used to using a full touch smart phone so the change was kind of drastic one since I was never used to using a qwerty phone.
Haha ... BrickBreaker is the game you're thinking of. I knew someone that had to have their BlackBerry taken off them because they were putting off studying for exams because of that game :) Unfortunately, it no longer comes pre-installed on newer BlackBerry devices.
I think Samsung uses Swiftkey's prediction engine (rumour has it so does BlackBerry for its touchscreen devices), but they are different in terms of layout and features. That's the reason why Swiftkey wasn't affected by the recent security vulnerability that was found on Samsung's keyboard. I have a Samsung device as well, and Swiftkey is one of the first apps installed after a wipe. You should give it a go, since it doesn't cost anything.
I also use a BlackBerry Q10, and I'll admit that the screen is no longer big enough (especially since my other device is a phablet). In saying that, in terms of productivity, reliability, battery life ... the BlackBerry is second to none. Like I mentioned in my first post ... the new BlackBerry Slider is probably the best of both worlds when it's released; a physical keyboard with a decent sized screen.
Yes! I actually Googled it after making my post - for some dumb reason I thought the slider part was always sticking out like in the picture you linked me, but then I realized it slides out the keyboard and that's awesome! Duh, that's why it's called a slider.
I just tried out Swiftkey. It's... okay. I ended up uninstalling it, I don't really like the fact that the numbers 0 through 9 have to be pressed with a long hold. I don't really mind the default Samsung keyboard.
Regardless, any physical keyboard beats a virtual one for me anyday!
Thanks for telling me about the BlackBerry Venice, I am super-duper gonna keep an eye on that one, especially with the rumors about it supporting Android!
No worries. On a side note ... there is an option to always display the numbers row at the top on Swiftkey :)
Oh, dang. Maybe I should give it another chance. Thanks for telling me!
Haha ... all good. I guess that's why I prefer Swiftkey to the Samsung keyboard. It's a little more customizable.
Any word on what Swiftkey does with the data collects?