New York Mag's BlackBerry 10 demo unit dies after only four days

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  • Reply 41 of 92
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,398member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    They have 70k apps, which is great, but they don't seem to have the right apps. There are some staples I think you need to have from the start, even if you need to pay to have them developed, if you want your ecosystem to be successful.



    They are allow working on allowing Android apps to run on the device. I assume it's just a compatible Java runtime which I hope won't affect performance. I guess that could help tremendously but this didn't work out too well for them last time.


     


    All the reviews have stated that pretty much 95% of those apps are complete shit or sloppy ports. 

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  • Reply 42 of 92
    adamcadamc Posts: 583member
    slurpy wrote: »
    Uh, I honestly don't know whats more "Apple-like" than an iPhone- thats the epitome of Apple. Cleaner? When the iPhone was first introduced it was the cleanest looking device Apple had made, and every subsequent version has only gotten cleaner. "Riddled with holes"? I'm pretty sure the Z10 has just as many holes. And things like proximity sensors and earpieces all need holes, there's not a single phone without them. I wouldn't consider the home button a "hole", and thats not going anywhere anytime soon. Quite a bit of reaching in your post. 

    But all the pundits said it is boring and some even said it is a piece of cr*p and Apple is doomed....../s
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  • Reply 43 of 92
    4 days. 

    That's interesting; I read it that way at first, too. We must both have insanely-mild, subconscious dyslexia or something. :p

    Lol. Yup. It must be dyslexia. Definitely subconscious thing.
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  • Reply 44 of 92
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member


    Why is he being such a d*ck? All new tech is going to have bugs and you can't expect a brand new platform to have all the apps.

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  • Reply 45 of 92
    Blackberry will probably get away with it. If there ever any hint of iPhones failing after 10 days, it would be immediately dubbed "10-day-gate," and blown out of proportion by blogs and competitors.

    I'm not so sure... The whole "Bold" debacle with quality really hurt them. Not seeing how a repeat of that would bode well when they are so bad off right now.
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  • Reply 46 of 92
    the_steve wrote: »
    rogifan wrote: »
    What's up with the black bars at the top and bottom of the device?  That's in addition to the bezel.  Seems like a lot of wasted/non functional space.

    I think the Z10 actually looks better than the iPhone, which is riddled with numerous holes for the earpiece, proximity sensor, home button, etc.  Time for Apple to revise the design into something cleaner and more Apple-like.

    That picture looks remarkably like the back of an iPhone 5.
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  • Reply 47 of 92
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    They have 70k apps, which is great, but they don't seem to have the right apps. There are some staples I think you need to have from the start, even if you need to pay to have them developed, if you want your ecosystem to be successful.

    They are allow working on allowing Android apps to run on the device. I assume it's just a compatible Java runtime which I hope won't affect performance. I guess that could help tremendously but this didn't work out too well for them last time.

    Keep in mind the focus. BB has always been focused on business, so those 70K apps are presumably business focused rather than the ones consumers are used to.

    Also remember that 95% of apps are garbage on ANY platform. Still, it ultimately comes down to whether they have the apps you need or not.
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  • Reply 48 of 92
    Nagromme
    Thanks for the chortle. 1
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  • Reply 49 of 92
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    jragosta wrote: »
    Keep in mind the focus. BB has always been focused on business, so those 70K apps are presumably business focused rather than the ones consumers are used to.

    Also remember that 95% of apps are garbage on ANY platform. Still, it ultimately comes down to whether they have the apps you need or not.

    I am keeping in mind the focus. We are well past a smartphone being used by only business people or geeks. BB needed needs to come out with a device that serves both usage types well out of the box.

    I really like they simple swipe to be able to choose from business or personal which will change your app layout. To me this is brilliant. Not that others haven't thought of this in the past but they made it as simple as I can imagine to execute. To me that says BB knows very well that this needs to be business and personal, not just one or the other.
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  • Reply 50 of 92
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    slurpy wrote: »
    All the reviews have stated that pretty much 95% of those apps are complete shit or sloppy ports. 

    I'll laugh at the irony if their Android app emulator makes for better apps than their native SDK.
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  • Reply 51 of 92
    Marvinmarvin Posts: 15,585moderator
    ascii wrote: »
    Why is he being such a d*ck? All new tech is going to have bugs and you can't expect a brand new platform to have all the apps.

    It might even have a new standby feature where to get it to turn on you have to shout "wake up" and then bang on it.

    I think they'll do fine with the Z10, it's the most impressive development I've seen from RIM since the iPhone made their smartphones look like junk. It has solid features, looks very smooth and still has added appeal for business customers:


    [VIDEO]


    http://www.tomshardware.com/news/BlackBerry-Z10-Launch-Record-Breaking-Sales,20966.html

    They might not be able to reverse a lot of the sales they've lost to the iPhone and Android phones but it's a good effort. That exposé feature would have been nice to have in iOS. Swipe up from the bottom and you see all the app windows and just tap one to bring forward.
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  • Reply 52 of 92
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member

    Quote:

    RIM has made a few hand-made, and hand checked units for special delivery to the press as samples. They presumably got more scrutiny than normal production devices.


     


    My experience, from being on both sides of handing out demo devices, is that there's always a point where management demands that production, "Scrounge up a few more, to send to these extra reviewers"... and that's when devices that didn't test so well, get yanked back into service.  


     


    Unfortunately, this unit failed and this reviewer thought it was more important to make a joke, than to call Blackberry and ask for a replacement to try again.

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  • Reply 53 of 92


    Quite an appropriate metaphor for the company as a whole. 

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  • Reply 54 of 92
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    kdarling wrote: »
    <span style="font-size:13px;line-height:1.231;">My experience, from being on both sides of handing out demo devices, is that there's always a point where management demands that production, "Scrounge up a few more, to send to these extra reviewers"... and that's when devices that didn't test so well, get yanked back into service.  </span>


    <span style="font-size:13px;line-height:1.231;">Unfortunately, the unit failed and this reviewer thought it was more important to make a joke, than to call Blackberry and ask for a replacement to try again.</span>

    That's just it. Management isn't doing their job well if they are wanted more units scrounged up at the last minute with little to no QA testing. While it's still possible for CE to die after it's been checked thoroughly the odds are significantly lower which is why every single demo unit needs to be thoroughly checked before it leaves RiM's possession.
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  • Reply 55 of 92
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    That's just it. Management isn't doing their job well if they are wanted more units scrounged up at the last minute with little to no QA testing. While it's still possible for CE to die after it's been checked thoroughly the odds are significantly lower which is why every single demo unit needs to be thoroughly checked before it leaves RiM's possession.


     


    That'd be great, but it's kind of like claiming there should never be any dud bombs, or failed aircraft engines, or exploding shuttle rockets, because they should've all been thoroughly checked.


     


    Sounds wonderful, but real life isn't like that.   Plus perhaps I'm wrong.  Maybe they DID check each unit, and this was just bad luck.


     


    Although I do agree that management is usually the problem :)

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  • Reply 56 of 92
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    kdarling wrote: »
    That'd be great, but it<span style="font-size:13px;line-height:1.231;">'s kind of like claiming there should never be any dud bombs, or failed aircraft engines, or exploding shuttle rockets, because they should've all been thoroughly checked.</span>

    <span style="font-size:13px;line-height:1.231;">Sounds wonderful, but real life isn't like that.</span>

    Sure, it can still happen (which I addressed) but you said the guy should not report it to his readers (which you refer to as making a joke). It's not his responsibility to do QA checks on a demo unit before he writes about it. His job is to use the device he receives and anything short of clear damage during shipping would be unethical.
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  • Reply 57 of 92
    hill60 wrote: »
    One only has to refer to RIM's past history, specifically the Storm (read the comments here) to know just what insurmountable odds the Z10 is up against, if RIM is to have any hope of recapturing their lost marketshare.

    There is no room for errors like this, after the Storm debacle.

    Nokia has a rich uncle named Ballmer. He can help, in return for something.
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  • Reply 58 of 92

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by canucklehead View Post



    I like my iPhone but it's not like Apple hasn't had defective units before. If this type of failure with the Z10 becomes commonplace, then there might be an actual issue. Otherwise, it's just an unfortunate occurrence that is not representative of the brand/device.

     


     


     


    Except that at this point, BB can't afford *any* negative press, for any reason. The company and their product *must* shine, in every way. 


     


    Apple can get away with that whole Maps fiasco and still knock it out of the park in sales. Because overall, the iPhone is . . . the iPhone. A description of the strengths of the platform isn't even necessary at this point. It's all obvious and firmly in the public consciousness. 


     


    BlackBerry (er . .  RIM, or whatever), can't afford to let any wrinkles show that will further demonstrate to the industry and the market alike that they're a dead-company-walking. Because that's all they've been showing for several years now. Giving consumers and pundits yet another reason (no matter how silly it might seem to those very conversant in tech) to roll their eyes at BlackBerry - each time it happens - is like another nail in the coffin. 


     


    What Apple and Google can get away with, BlackBerry can't.

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  • Reply 59 of 92
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,954member
    the_steve wrote: »
    I think the Z10 actually looks better than the iPhone, which is riddled with numerous holes for the earpiece, proximity sensor, home button, etc.  Time for Apple to revise the design into something cleaner and more Apple-like.


    A difference of one hole is hardly the difference between "riddled" and not. It doesn't sound like you know what an iPhone is like. The proximity sensor and front camera doesn't involve any holes, and it looks like the Z10 is similarly featured, just having those devices located slightly differently. There pretty much has to be a hole for the earpiece. The Z10 has an earpiece hole too, just above the glass instead of on the glass.

    In short, the Z10 subtracts ONE hole - the home button. That's nice, I guess, not really a ground breaking thing that would swing a purchase choice. I think there are equivalent arguments that can be made on a physical home button vs. virtual. I think it has to do with interrupts and division of clock cycles.
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  • Reply 60 of 92
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Jacking the thread a bit because I think the faulty Z10 topic has been played out by now…


    There are two features I really like about BB10 and hope Apple adopts.


    [LIST]
    [*] BlackBerry Balance — I would prefer if Apple's was more intelligence than what BB appears to be offering but I love the concept.
    [*] Screen sharing — I use this with Macs and Windows often but then having to walk someone through an otherwise simple setup or having them try to explain what is going on in iOS can be nerve racking. Even trying to get them to take a screenshot and send it to you can be a chore.
    [/LIST]

    I also like that they are thinking outside the box with their new intuitive keyboard but I am not convinced it will be faster than simply typing. There seems to be a dramatic shift in how we think to go from tapping on a letter to swiping up a word and then back to tapping on letters. My guess is that this won't be the most natural and fluid way to type, but good for long words you can't spell.


    [VIDEO]
    [/VIDEO]



    PS: They have also done a bang up job on their website: http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberry-z10.html
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