The BlackBerry Q10 is a great phone

The experience of writing on the BlackBerry Q10's keypad is really good.

The experience of writing on the BlackBerry Q10′s keypad is really good. (Photo by Max Limpag)

BlackBerry launched in Cebu yesterday its first BlackBerry 10 device with a physical QWERTY keypad – the BlackBerry Q10.

I was able to play with the device for several minutes during the launch and found it a great phone for those who want a physical keyboard.

Organizers of the event held a game that had attendees answer questions via BlackBerry Messaging (BBM) as a way to try out the Q10 and its physical keyboard.

I was the designated typist of our losing team and found the experience of writing messages on the Q10′s keypad really good. There was an initial adjustment, of course.

Before trying out the Q10, I had been using the BlackBerry Z10, a pure touchscreen device. The Z10 is a good phone but it doesn’t stand out in a mobile world dominated by Android gadgets and iOS devices.

The Q10, however, stands out because it is a really good modern phone with a physical keyboard, a device category that’s slowly vanishing as more people start using touchscreen devices.

I think the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which runs on these newer devices, is good although hobbled by the dearth of 3rd party applications. The system, however, can run Android applications converted into a .bar format.

The BlackBerry Hub, the central location for all emails and messages, is a standout feature of BB 10. It goes really well with the BlackBerry Q10.

But at P31,000, the BlackBerry Q10 may be priced too high. If I were someone who prefers a physical keypad, I’d rather wait for the cheaper BlackBerry Q5 that is set to be released in the coming months.

The post The BlackBerry Q10 is a great phone appeared first on Leon Kilat : The Tech Experiments.

Parrot is great voice recording app for BlackBerry Z10

Parrot voice record BlackBerry Z10

PARROT ON BLACKBERRY Z10. Parrot is a beautifully-designed app that produces very clear audio recordings. (Photo by Max Limpag)

As a journalist, I use my phone extensively for news gathering. Apart from it being my camera, the phone is also my main voice recorder for interviews. I still carry an MP3 voice recorder but this serves only as backup, the quality of recording in smartphones is so much higher.

Whenever I set up a phone, one of the first apps I install is a voice recorder. On Android, my favorite voice recording application is Easy Voice Recorder, which has a free version that more than meets my needs. On iOS, my favorite voice recording app is iTalk, which produces clear and great quality recordings.

On the BlackBerry Z10, which uses the company’s BlackBerry 10 platform, I find Parrot to be the best voice recording application.

Parrot is easy to use and the user interface is beautiful and minimal. It’s easy to use the app for recording.

I used Parrot in several interviews, including the Tell It To Sun.Star roundtable interview of defeated congressional candidate Annabelle Rama before the elections and the sound quality is really exceptional. Play the clip below to check it out for yourself. My phone was on the table about 2 feet away from Annabelle during the recording.

Parrot on BlackBerry Z10

INTERVIEW. I used Parrot on the BlackBerry Z10 to record the interview by Sun.Star journalists of defeated congressional candidate Annabelle Rama. The recording was very clear. Check out a sample clip below. (Photo by Max Limpag)

Parrot has a live graph of audio input to give you an idea of the sound levels so that you could adjust the placement of the phone.

Listen to this sample clip of the Annabelle Rama interview to check out the quality of Parrot’s recording.

The app is exclusive to the BlackBerry 10 platform.

Parrot also allows you to define the quality of your recording from Low (.awb files), Good (.m4a files) and High (.wav files). You can then copy the recording to the external memory card or share this via Bluetooth, email, BlackBerry Messenger or even NFC.

If you regularly do interviews or record voice memos whenever an idea occurs to you, Parrot on the BlackBerry 10 is an excellent free app for that.

The post Parrot is great voice recording app for BlackBerry Z10 appeared first on Leon Kilat : The Tech Experiments.

OS 10.1 update for BB Z10 in the PH now available

The OS 10.1 update for the BlackBerry Z10 has finally arrived here in the Philippines, bringing with it the much awaited new features and enhancements for the device.

z10 os10_1

BlackBerry started seeding the OS 10.1 update after the BlackBerry Live 2013 keynote in Orlando, Florida more than a week ago. Z10 users in the Philippines have been waiting for the update since then. The update has finally arrived in the country bearing the version number 10.1.0.273 (Globe unit. Version number may vary depending on carrier.) and is worth 341MB in size.

Here are some of the new BlackBerry 10.1 features:

  • BlackBerry Hub: The BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your messages and notifications in one place. With BlackBerry 10.1 support for PIN to PIN messages for direct communication between BlackBerry smartphones has been added to the BlackBerry Hub. Plus, improved attachment support in the BlackBerry Hub makes it easier to view emails which have been sent as attachments to other messages.
  • Notifications: With BlackBerry 10.1 you can personalize the notifications for your accounts and contacts so you always know what is happening around you. Customize ringtones, vibration and the LED light by contact or by account for more personalized notifications.
  • Fine Cursor Control: BlackBerry 10.1 makes it easier and more accurate to pinpoint exactly where you want to type. Tap once to bring up the cursor. Grab the blue circle and drag it around to place it exactly where you need it. Tap either side of the circle to move left or right by just one character. It’s easy to move around with speed and precision.
  • Camera: BlackBerry 10 lets you create the perfect shot by moving parts of your picture backwards and forwards in time with Time Shift mode. BlackBerry 10.1 adds an HDR shooting mode for beautiful images in tricky lighting conditions. A standard image takes a picture at one exposure level. Where you have high contrast between light and dark areas of the photo, fine details can be lost. High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode takes multiple pictures at different exposure levels and layers them automatically to produce a single photo that combines the best of the dark and light areas.
  • Lots more to discover: You’ll find lots of new improvements across the BlackBerry 10 OS like landscape support for the calendar, easier international dialing, improved red eye reduction in the picture editor and much more. The first step to discovering these new features is to update your BlackBerry 10 software.

For more information on how to update your BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, visit www.BlackBerry.com/update.

If you’re one of those who received the update on your BlackBerry Z10, feel free to share the new features you’ve discovered by hitting the comments below.

Thanks @iamWALP for the heads up.

The post OS 10.1 update for BB Z10 in the PH now available appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

BlackBerry Z10 Feature: BBM Video

One of the best things about a BlackBerry device is BBM. It’s a very capable messaging service that has been around for years. Now that we have the BlackBerry Z10 with the BlackBerry 10 OS on board, we can now enjoy the new BBM with better and enhanced features. One of those features is BBM Video.

bbz10

Having owned BlackBerry devices in the past, I can definitely say that the BlackBerry Z10 is way better than its predecessors. It’s not perfect but it feels more of a smartphone now thanks to its attractive design, full-touch capabilities, and great hardware. But what sets it apart from the competition is the software running behind it. The BlackBerry 10 OS may be the new kid on the block but it’s not something to be laughed at.

Going back, BBM Video is one of the features that BB 10 OS has brought to the table. It is one of those features that we enjoy using for the following reasons:

  • I can easily transition from an ordinary BBM conversation to live BBM Video chat on the spot.
  • I can either use the 2 megapixel front-facing camera or the 8 megapixel rear camera.
  • I can use the Screen Share feature so I can show documents, pictures, websites, or active apps to whoever I’m talking to.
  • Works over WiFi, 3G or LTE which is exclusive to Globe.

Below are the screenshots of the BBM Video chat I had with Raffy of DigitalSpidey.com. Take note that I’m also sharing with him my live Instagram feed.

bbm_video1

Overall, BBM Video with Screen Share is very easy to use but if you want to experience the smoothest video chat on-the-go a very fast mobile internet is highly recommended. For that I prefer Globe’s Powersurf 499 which gives me 1GB worth of data for 30 days with support for LTE.

Powersurf 499 is both available for prepaid and postpaid. To subscribe just text POWERSURF 499 to 8888.

Disclosure: Globe Telecom provided a free BlackBerry Z10 unit and postpaid plan to this author.

The post BlackBerry Z10 Feature: BBM Video appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

BlackBerry Z10 free at Sun Plan 1799

Sun Cellular has also joined the BlackBerry Z10 craze by announcing that they too will offer the handset under Plan 1799 without additional cash-out.

Plan 1799 includes unlimited Sun-to-Sun SMS and Voice calls, unlimited internet, 250 SMS to other networks, 60 minutes worth of IDD calls and Unlimited calls to local landlines. The plan has a 30 months (2 years and half) lock-in period.

bb z10 sun cellular

The company is already taking pre-orders for the BlackBerry Z10 which can be processed by going to a Sun Cellular Shop or by heading over to this link. Handsets will be available on March 19.

Globe and Smart has previously announced that they will be offering the BlackBerry Z10 under their respective postpaid plans. You can check out Globe’s offer here while Smart’s offer can be found here. You also might want to check out our first impression of the BlackBerry Z10 here.

The post BlackBerry Z10 free at Sun Plan 1799 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.