I’m probably the last reporter to test the Z30 from BlackBerry Ltd. The product was released in Canada on Oct. 15 to mostly positive reviews. I got mine in late December 2013. So I’m going to forgo the usual review of the product specs and instead tell you about how the BlackBerry Z30 performed during the Toronto ice storm that occurred just before Christmas in 2013.
The greater Toronto area was hit with freezing rain that produced a 30 millimetre coat of ice on trees, power lines, traffic signs and other things. Trees and hydro poles literally snapped and more than 300,000 residents were without power for days. The ice storm basically crippled the city of Toronto for about a week.
I was one of the lucky ones who still had power but just down the road from me two trees fell on some power lines that caused a blackout at a plaza and surrounding neighbourhood. Since this happened during the night I was oblivious to how bad it actually was. On Saturday morning I take my daughter to her hockey practice and I was causally walking out the door with hockey roller bag in tow and I slipped on the ice that formed on my porch and the Z30, that was in my pocket, went flying down the steps, crashing onto the driveway and then sliding at least 10 feet underneath my SUV. My daughter retrieved it using her hockey stick and I thought ‘well there is no need now to do a drop test’.
The Z30 was still in one piece and it did not have a scratch on it. The unit worked flawlessly as it did moments prior to its fall.
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My neighbours are mostly elderly and they asked me to take photos of some of the tree damage, which I took with the Z30 rear facing camera. The automatic auto-focus with just a slight touch I found super effective. Since it was cold I was worried about image stabilization, but the shots I took were great.
The touchscreen sensitivity actually adjusted to the way I touched the screen so from a usability standpoint I thought it made me more productive.
Several of these photos needed to be emailed to family members and the touch keyboard I though was simply outstanding.
I presented the Z30 to many of my family members over the Christmas break. Almost all of them have not yet seen the Z30 and either use an iPhone or Android device. All of them were amazed at how good the Z30 performed in their short time with the product.
There is certainly a lot of speculation on BlackBerry’s future, but if people decided to give a product like the Z30 a chance instead of just arbitrarily returning to the iPhone or a droid then BlackBerry’s future may be a bright one.
One of the more consistent comments I did get from family members where just how faster the Z30 operated. That is mainly because of its dual core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with QuadCore Adreno 320 GPU, but also in part to its 5-inch high resolution display. The SuperAmoled screen provides a lot of real-estate to operate with and thus improves productivity. As an example the keyboard is bigger so no more hunting for the shift-key.
One more thing; the Z30 operating brilliantly under severe icy conditions but even today in minus 22 temperatures with a wind chill at minus 44 the Z30 did not skip a beat.
I’m not sure if the top executives at BlackBerry know just how rugged the Z30 is, but I was impressed on how well it performed in less than ideal conditions.
Two quick hits before I go. John Kispert, the CEO of Spansion, has joined the board of directors of Gigamon, a traffic visibility solution provider.
Vancouver-based PowerDisc Development Corp., a technology fuel cell solution provider, announced that Dr. Andreas Truckenbrodt has been appointed as the chairman of the board replacing John Morgan.
Great handheld!!
I have had the new BlackBerry Z30 for one week now, and I can say this is an excellent device for the following reasons (I am not a BlackBerry employee):
1) Great big 5″ AMOLED screen. Big, bright, touch-sensitive and responsive. AMOLED also means less drain on the battery since it draws less current than a a back-lit LCD screen.
2) Great battery life; lasted me two days on one charge with moderate use, and 12 hours with very heavy use, including Web surfing, phone calls, watching videos and watching TV.
3) Big responsive virtual keyboard mimics BlackBerry physical keyboard with great predictive text technology; it corrects spelling and suggests words the user can “flick” into place. Also corrects and suggests words in multiple languages depending on context – great for bilingual country like Canada.
4) Great BlackBerry “Hub” manages email and all messaging, including phone calls, BBM, and texts. It’s easy to add email accounts.
5) Solid professional construction, with rugged build, and solid glass front. Not cheap and plastic like many devices.
6) Great Paratek antenna; The silver band across the bottom of the device hides the new Paratek antenna. It is very sensitive and picks up cell and wi-fi signals even in basements, underground malls, and lower levels of Métro and subway stations.
7) Great features like bedside mode with dimming clock with alarms.
8) BlackBerry security and BBM.
9) Fast chip to allow for fast Web surfing and quick and fluid navigation between screens and apps.
10) Mini-ports for connecting either US keys or HDMI cables to connect direct to smart TV or monitor for presentations.
11) Great speaker sound from the 4 exterior speakers, ideal for movies or professional presentations.
12) Word-processor “Docs to go,” power-point presentation and spreadsheet apps make it easy to work on documents on the large 5″ screen.
13) Great additional BlackBerry accessories available, like BlackBerry power-saving pockets and holsters that have magnets that automatically turn off the screen to save power.
Cons: Maybe lack of apps, but mostly in gaming. This will change in 2014 as BlackBerry will soon offer update to allow access to all Android apps.
This is my second BlackBerry device. My first was the BlackBerry Torch 9810 which was a great device. The BlackBerry Z30 is even better with it’s large bright screen and solid construction. Very happy with it!!
-Tony in Montreal
Great article. Remember the old Timex slogan, takes a licking and keeps on ticking… that’s what BlackBerry devices are like. I’ve dropped mine so often that the corners are dented. If it were an iPhone I would have had it replaced by now. Cheers, Miguel
Its too bad that its a good device that very few people will even look at. It seems most smartphone buyers are lemmings and just follow what ‘everyone else’ is using.
This is so true. The new BlackBerry range and system is amazing.
I have the z10 and I can assure you, the new BlackBerry range is way ahead of competition. You will not regret buying a z product. You don’t get “bored” of the phone like you do with iPhone or Android systems( I only had a Samsung android though so I can’t be sure all android is as boring.)
This is coming from an ex android and ios owner.
Typo in the paragraph under the image.
Good review… I switched from a Samsung Galaxy s3 to a Blackberry Q10- couldnt be happer. Amazing phone, and now with the ability to run android apps, you cant lose!
“how good the product performed”? Don’t you mean “how well the product performed”?
” I did get from family members where just how faster the Z30 operated.” Seriously? Don’t you mean “were”? And don’t you mean “were just how much faster the Z30 operated”?
It takes about 2 minutes to proof read an article before hitting that tempting “Publish” button in your CMS.
You should also know that the wind-chill measurement is supposed to be a representation of how living creatures with moist skin feel the cold when exposed to air movement over that skin. It in no way effects mechanical/electronic devices like the real temperature measurement does.
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