An idiot's dream came true: a few weeks before the new year, I bought myself a premium BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition smartphone. To which asked the price since its appearance on the market in late spring. Asked the price, but was in no hurry to buy: my Nokia Lumia 920 on the Windows Phone platform, which was also a top-end device at the time of purchase three years ago, still works without comment. However, the time has come, and I ordered a “silver” one for myself - I ordered it, they were not available in Minsk online stores, the model is too rare for our region.
background
The Canadian company BlackBerry (until January 2013 was called Research In Motion - RIM) has been known as a manufacturer of enterprise-class smartphones since 1997. BlackBerry devices have become in the West (especially in North America) the de facto standard for businessmen, politicians and journalists. They were distinguished from most consumer-grade devices by their advanced ability to comfortably work with documents, high reliability and an increased level of security. All this was provided, among other things, by BlackBerry branded services, which are still working from servers located in Canada. True, in Belarus (as well as in Russia), many BlackBerry services do not work - cellular operators at the request of the special services they are not supported. But the remaining functionality, admittedly, is more than enough.
For the first time, RIM has combined touch screen and a keyboard in 2010 with the BlackBerry Torch 9800. This was followed by the Torch 9860 and Bold 9900, which were popular but still lacked something. And the aging OS did not allow the designers' imagination to fully unfold.
Meanwhile, Research In Motion was rapidly losing the market - the value of the company's shares in 2011 fell by more than five times, and even the Chinese Lenovo seriously set out to buy it. But the Canadians could not endure such a shame, and clenching their teeth set to work. On April 9, 2010, RIM bought the excellent QNX OS for embedded systems, and two years later, Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins unveiled the platform for the next generation of BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry 10. In early 2013, the BlackBerry Z10 was released (and caused quite a stir). , the first smartphone on this OS.
But the real breakthrough, which marks a triumphant return to the big leagues of IT business, the company (already BlackBerry) made in the fall of 2014, releasing the Blackberry Passport model. It was a smartphone for the same audience - corporate users, for whom, in addition to voice communication the most important thing is e-mail and the ability to work with office documents.
The Passport is unusual in its design: a square touch screen, a QWERTY keyboard and a steel case, a combination that the market has never seen before. The device impressed everyone, but it still lacked gloss, “luxury”. Designers worked with engineers more - and in the spring of 2015, the BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition appeared, a device in which the original Passport concept was brought to perfection.
The updated smartphone turned out to be 3 mm longer, slightly thinner and wider than its predecessor; received a new antenna design and layout, including new placement of stereo speakers and noise-cancelling microphones. But the main thing in its design is the inevitable “wow effect”, which makes the owners of the newest iPhones nervously turn pale. It is no coincidence that the avant-garde constructivist design of the device has already received many international awards.
Specifications
Nothing supernatural - just a good stuffing. 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AA, 2.26 GHz, Adreno 330 GPU. 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal memory, support for microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC memory cards up to 128 GB (hot-swappable).
4.5-inch In-cell IPS LCD, 1440x1440 pixels, 453 ppi, 16 million colors, light indicator, multi-touch up to 10 touches, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, aspect ratio - 1:1.
Main camera: 13 MP, autofocus, BSI (backlight technology), f=2.0, optical stabilization, LED flash. Video recording: up to 60 frames in 1080p. Front camera: 2 MP (720p), with photo and video stabilization, 3x digital zoom, support for 720p HD video recording.
Connectivity: support for all LTE bands, as well as Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n, 5Ghz a/n + ac, Mobile Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Miracast, DLNA, FD-LTE, Bluetooth v4.0 Low Energy , NFC, USB 2.0, HDMI. NanoSIM is used. Navigation: GPS and GLONASS. Sensors: accelerometer, magnetometer, Time of Flight (ToF), gyroscope, light, proximity. QWERTY keyboard with gesture support.
Battery: non-removable Li-Ion 3450 mAh, talk time - up to 23 hours (3G), up to 444 hours of standby (3G), up to 84 hours of music playback.
Housing material - steel (+plastic inserts). Dimensions - 131x90x9.25 mm, weight - 205 grams.
The device runs on the Blackberry OS 10.3 platform, the successor to QNX OS. The BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition was the first BlackBerry device to receive BlackBerry 10.3.2 OS out of the box. The "native" OS contains almost all the applications needed by a modern smartphone. Support for various Internet services is widely represented - Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, Twitter, Foursquare, Dropbox, Evernote, YouTube and BlackBerry's own web services.
Everything is in order with the playback of media content (video, music), work with the camera. Task Manager displays all running applications on one screen. If there is not enough space, it reduces the size of application previews. The BlackBerry browser is very fast; in this version it has been updated to improve protection against known malware and phishing attacks.
Interaction with a PC has been taken to a fundamentally new level. The Blackberry Blend function allows you to use a computer or tablet as a remote terminal for working with a smartphone, that is, to give a large screen on which it is more convenient to work with data. The user can connect to a PC or tablet via USB, Wi-Fi or cellular network, getting access to mail, calendar, BBM messages, SMS, contacts and multimedia files on the big screen. You can make edits that are immediately transferred to the phone. BlackBerry 10 OS works with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, WordPerfect, ASCII text, HTML, and ZIP formats, as well as JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF graphics.
Also BlackBerry 10 has a unique application - BlackBerry Hub. This is an aggregator of all news and notifications - something like the notification feed in iOS or Android, only more advanced.
Separately, it is worth dwelling on a very successful Docs To Go office suite. Its capabilities:
Creation/editing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents;
Copying and moving documents in the device memory;
Simple and intuitive interface;
Support for *doc, *docx, *xls, *xlsx and *ppt formats;
Changeable text font options;
Ability to add images, hyperlinks, tables, and comments;
Ability to send documents by email;
Synchronization of documents with PC via WLAN;
Support for Microsoft OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) with the Connect to Microsoft OneDrive app.
A fundamentally important point: you can run Android applications in BlackBerry 10 OS, which is very important, given that there are not so many "native" applications for BB10, especially Russian-speaking ones. Moreover, support for Android applications in BlackBerry 10.3.2 has been improved - applications open almost instantly and work much more stable.
Personal experience
When it came time to buy a newer smartphone, I faced a problem. Android devices fell away immediately - well, I don’t perceive this system. Completely. I don’t see any logic in it, and I’m too lazy to command chaos. I would be happy to buy a device on the Windows Phone platform - the Nokia Lumia 920, which worked fine for me for three years, just worked on WP. But, I confess, none of the WP-devices released over the past year caught the eye, everywhere the design a la sea pebbles set the teeth on edge. I wanted to buy an iPhone, joining the community of apple growers, even less. Remained standard for journalists in the West, but rare in our area BlackBerry.
The first thing that impressed me when I picked up the device (except for the form factor, of course) was the build quality. Not the slightest backlash, unnecessary gaps, squeaks and groans. Not China: The country of origin is Mexico.
Later I read that the case frame in this model is a miniature I-beam made of stainless steel, which gives special strength. The back of the case is covered with matte corrugated plastic. It is pleasant to the touch and helps to hold a really wide device in your hand.
The slots for the memory card and SIM card are hidden behind a plastic insert at the top of the back of the case. The second plastic element is the lower end of the case with a USB connector, a microphone and speaker grilles. The rest is stainless steel.
The alarm clock and timer are very conveniently controlled, but the audio player could have had better usability. But the device received unusually loud external stereo speakers. Really loud - and at the same time without sound distortion - I have not seen this even in very expensive laptops. But the vibrating alert is not very strong. The quality of the speaker is very high, with a large comfort zone.
Three keys are placed on the right side - volume control and a contextual customizable button for calling various functions. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headset jack and an on/off button recessed into the surface. Despite the size of the device, you can answer a call with one hand, as well as manage your smartphone in general. But for full-fledged work, you still need two hands. At the bottom there is a microUSB connector (also supports microHDMI), the main microphone and two stereo speakers. Above the screen are located: proximity sensor (left), front-camera and event indicator light.
A large square display with a large margin of brightness turned out to be very convenient solution for working with documents and web surfing. The Passport has 60 characters per line, which is very readable. Pictures are not compressed, sites are displayed well, tweets are placed in one or two lines. When working with spreadsheets, 30% more information is placed on the screen than in conventional smartphones.
The hardware keyboard here is completely non-standard - only three rows of letter keys. Because of this, two letters had to be placed on some keys during Russification. But, surprisingly, this nuance is absorbed quickly and is almost not noticeable in the work. Since the hardware keyboard contains only letters, the rest of the characters and numbers have to be typed on an additional section - already virtual.
The keys are well spring-loaded, the course is clear, moderately elastic. At the same time, the keyboard is also touch-sensitive in the sense that it supports gesture recognition. Starting to type a word, the user sees a hint on the screen, and by swiping up, he can select it (one of three words). Simple movements are also supported: for example, to erase a written word, just swipe from right to left on the keys. The keyboard is Russified very well - Russian letters look quite natural on it and are highlighted in the dark.
In general, BlackBerry is so “sharpened” for working with texts that more than one literary work has already been written on the devices of this company. For example, the novel "50 Shades of Gray" by E. L. James, or the novel "Breakfast with Lucian" by Geordi Greig.
Many applications surprised with the speed of their work. When I first turned on the browser and started loading the site, at first I thought that I had accidentally turned on LTE support - just the day before MTS launched the network. But no - it's just a regular BlackBerry 10 browser turned out to be incredibly fast.
Finally, speaking of the BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition, we can't help but mention the impressive battery life. This is largely due to the Blackberry 10 OS, which inherited from QNX highly optimized code - which ensures low power consumption. In real life (listening to music, talking on the phone, using the alarm clock and quick notes, browsing websites), the charge lasts for three days. If circumstances force you to turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, GPS, use cloud file storage, then two days. Using LTE will also shorten battery life. The battery charges quite quickly - from zero to full capacity in two to three hours.
Negative points
The BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition also has its drawbacks - I'm not at all going to position it as a kind of smartphone without fear and reproach.
First, there is no oleophobic coating on the screen. The result is crisp fingerprints that are very visible when the screen is off. (True, when the screen is on, they are not visible at all.) The recorder is very primitive and does not allow you to record while talking on the phone - a very big minus from the point of view of a journalist. Skype and e-mail client are not preinstalled by default. There is a proprietary BlackBerry Messenger, complex and unusual for someone who grew up on ICQ, QIP and Skype. There is email support inside the BlackBerry Hub, also with its own very specific logic. All this had to be replaced by third-party applications.
BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition is absolutely not localized for Belarus - there is no Belarusian interface language, no keyboard support, no pre-installed maps. All this is especially sad against the backdrop of Nokia Lumia 920 - in Windows Phone, all of the above is available and works well.
But the biggest puncture of developers is a standard headset. Her headphones are even unrealistic to insert into your ear. Probably, they would fit a hare, but I'm still not quite a hare. At the same time, the regular Lumia 920 headset simply did not work with BlackBerry. I had to buy separately in-ear headphones from Sony.
Summary
How many among your acquaintances are owners iPhone different models? And how many of them use at least 50% of the capabilities of this device? Alas, this is the reality of today: people buy modern expensive smartphones for the sake of prestige, and not for the sake of actually using the capabilities inherent in them.
But the BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition is technically too good to buy just for the sake of prestige. Moreover, we still do not have mods for BlackBerry devices. In general, if you are an “advanced and out-of-the-box thinking modern designer with a rich portfolio” (that is, if you are showing off) - better buy for the same money Apple iPhone 6s. And if for work and pleasure from owning a technically perfect thing - then BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition is for you.
Viktor Demidov
- a unique and unusual smartphone. The unusual design and unique features of this device greatly distinguish it from a huge number of monotonous devices. Passport is a business smartphone, a work machine with maximum performance. The large, wide display is designed for comfortable work with content, managing email, editing documents, browsing sites and navigating with maps. Complementing these features is a unique touch qwerty keyboard.
Made of smooth and hard materials: stainless steel and glass Gorilla Glass 3, soft-touch coated plastic (or porcelain-like plastic in the white version) leave the impression of a high-quality and expensive gadget, which it really is. The smartphone is based on an I-beam forged stainless steel channel, which, in addition to providing strength, is included in the design of the antenna. The stunning 4.5-inch display displays true-to-life colors and displays 60 characters, which is close to the optimal typography of 66 characters for reading. An incredible pixel density of 453 ppi allows you to comfortably work with documents in high detail, and an oleophobic coating reliably protects the display from fingerprints. Above the display are: a front 2-megapixel camera, a proximity sensor, a signal LED and a speaker with a noise cancellation microphone. Below the display is a three-row keyboard with support for gesture control.
On the top end there is an on/off/screen lock button and a 3.5 mm stereo headset output. Using the headset as an antenna on the BlackBerry Passport, you can listen to the radio - the device has a built-in FM Radio receiver.
On the rear panel there is a 13-megapixel camera with LED flash and optical stabilization system, 2 more noise-compensating microphones and a removable panel, under which there are card slots. MicroSDXC up to 128 GB and Nano SIM.
On the right side are the volume buttons and the pause / play / call the voice assistant / turn off the sound. The left side of the BlackBerry Passport is completely empty.
At the bottom there are two stereo speakers, a main microphone and a multifunctional multiport. Micro USB. In addition to charging and connecting to a computer, it also serves to transfer data via Micro HDMI adapter and supports USB On-The-Go for devices requiring voltage supply (keyboards, flash cards, etc.).
The dimensions of the BlackBerry Passport are almost comparable to the dimensions of a regular passport - 128x90.3x9.3 millimeters, the weight of the smartphone is 196 grams.
BlackBerry Passport dimensions compared to Z10 and Z30:
BlackBerry Passport dimensions compared to Q10 and 9900:
BlackBerry Passport dimensions compared to iPhone 5S and 5C:
The device is designed to be used mainly with two hands, but you can answer a call and scroll through a page or message with one. Especially if you turn the smartphone horizontally and use the sensor on the physical keyboard to scroll. The rather large dimensions of the device made it possible to equip the BlackBerry Passport with a very capacious battery for 3450 mAh, which allows you to fully work on your smartphone for more than a day.
This battery has enough power to last more than a day. powerful quad-core processor (Krait 400 core) on the chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.2 GHz clock speed and GPU Adreno 330. 3 GB RAM and a powerful chipset make any application on the BlackBerry Passport just fly. Navigating between applications or browser tabs happens without the slightest delay - almost instantly. Majority Android programs also work in BlackBerry 10.3 OS almost like native ones. Many of them can be scaled to fit the large BB Passport screen.
Working hours of the Passport in mixed use - up to a day and a half, HD video playback with applications running in the background - more 10 hours. You will be more than enough 32 GB memory, plus MicroSD up to 128 Gb hot swappable.
Camera BlackBerry Passport has more than decent: 13MP, 5x digital zoom, OIS, 5-element f2.0 lens, LED flash, video recording 1080p HD, frame rate up to 60 per second, backlit sensor, stabilization 6DOF. Updated software with built-in intelligence supports time shift(with the ability to edit after saving), panoramic shooting, shooting during video recording (by pressing the spacebar on the keyboard or the camera button) and mode HDR for unevenly lit objects. Built-in intelligence offers shooting modes depending on the conditions. Many functions are available for editing and sorting pictures.
At the height of the BlackBerry Passport and the quality of communication. Of course, the Passport is equipped with technology BlackBerry Natural Sound, which brilliantly proved itself on the Z30 and makes the sound of a smartphone unrivaled. Plus, support for calls via HD Voice and Active Volume Leakage Compensation, which automatically adjusts call volume based on how far you hold the phone from your ear. Responsible for the effect of a unique array of four microphones, one of which is in the earpiece, while measuring the sound pressure in the ear, and based on this, the volume is adjusted.
Keyboard BlackBerry Passport
qwerty BlackBerry keyboards have always been the best and most comfortable, but this smartphone takes the keyboard to a whole new level. The buttons themselves are moderately elastic in order to feel the input and avoid accidental pressing, they are backlit and slightly tilted for a more comfortable typing. Three rows of physical keys are complemented by several options for virtual ones that change depending on the application and context. Plus, the BlackBerry Passport's physical keyboard supports gestures, touch, and of course hotkeys.
Branded BlackBerry software provides an unprecedented intelligent interaction with the device. For example, you can type tweet , then the message itself for Twitter, and after clicking Enter , your tweet will be published immediately. The keyboard also remembers your frequently used words and suggests them on the display, above the keyboard. You just need to swipe up on the keys to make the word appear in the text.
In the BlackBerry Hub or browser, swiping up/down scrolls the page. Double tap on the keys brings up the cursor, which can be moved with gestures on the keyboard, and together with the pressed shift, you can select a word or piece of text.
A short press on the return key deletes one character, a long press deletes several. To delete a word, swipe left on the keys. A long press on a key capitalizes a letter, an even longer press activates an extended character set on the screen. At the end of a sentence, press the spacebar twice to add a period. A short delay when clicking on the semicolon globe icon changes the keyboard layout. Additional symbols can be called up simply by swiping down on the keys. The second swipe will bring up the second set of symbols, the third one will close the virtual keyboard.
Holding down the microphone icon with a dot (or the play/pause button) activates voice dialing, which works fine with the Russian language.
For even more typing convenience, you can assign your own words and phrases to keyboard shortcuts. For example, typing bb , you get a BlackBerry. The entire list of keyboard shortcuts for BlackBerry Passport in OS 10.3 can be found in the keyboard settings.
The BlackBerry Passport is pre-installed, adapted to its capabilities, and with a more modern design. Based on gesture control, the BlackBerry operating system is very easy to use, incredibly reliable and feature rich. QNX kernel, due to its reliability and simplicity, is used in cars and smart homes.
Multitasking BlackBerry 10.3 OS is based on the independence of processes from each other. This means that one frozen application will not be able to affect the operation of others and the system as a whole - it is enough just to close it. You can start and close up to eight applications at the same time (not counting those running in stealth mode). When you reboot, they will all start up again, so you don't have to remember what applications you were working with before the reboot. You can create folders for shortcuts that support an infinite number of items.
Applications running in the active frame can be moved in the same way as application icons:
When you turn on your BlackBerry Passport for the first time, you will be offered a small tutorial on managing smartphones using gestures:
Blackberry Hub
The unique development of BlackBerry is Blackberry Hub– the hub of all messages and notifications. Some mistakenly confuse it with the notification center from other OSes, but this is not the case. In the hub, you can fully work with all messages - reply, edit, prioritize, and much more. You don't need email apps for this. Email, SMS, calls, social media– You do not need to open the corresponding application to view and reply.
For the most important messages Priority Hub, which concentrates the most used ones in one place, and which can be customized to your preferences. BlackBerry 10.3 introduced several useful features: download all attachments, delete the original text when replying, search for e-mail messages even if they have been deleted from the BlackBerry Passport, save sent messages in folders, select html or text format, quick action with messages, view all attachments, select the color and font of the message text, etc.
Applications for BlackBerry 10.3OS
Although the app store BlackBerry World cannot boast of millions of applications, in fact, for a full-fledged comprehensive work on a smartphone, they are quite enough. In addition, the BlackBerry Passport, like any other BlackBerry phone, comes with a fairly large set of pre-installed applications:
For work: BlackBerry Hub, Calendar, Contacts, Browser, Text messages, Clock, Calculator, Documents To Go, File manager, Adobe Reader, Remember, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Assistant.
Multimedia: Music, Video, Images, Camera, Story Maker.
Other: Phone, BBM, BlackBerry World, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, YouTube, Games, Weather, Maps, Smart Tags (NFC), Help, Help, Amazon Appstore.
Some applications deserve special attention.
BBM
Rapidly conquering users around the world, blackberry messenger, perhaps the most advanced messenger that supports BlackBerry Natural Sound technology for voice calls, which makes communication very comfortable. File sharing, video calls, private conversations, group chats and group chats - that's not all that BBM can do. Screen sharing lets you show the other person what's on your display. BBM chats support sending files, voice memos and sending your location with a time limit. Integrated into BlackBerry Messenger bbm channel, allows you to create your own and view other popular channels. BBM Protected– corporate version of BBM – supports 3 levels of security, providing full encryption of messages.
BlackBerry Blend
BlackBerry Blend transforms your computer, laptop, iPad or android tablet to the terminal to control your phone. All your data is not stored on the computer - it remains in the BlackBerry Passport. You can work with e-mail, SMS, BBM, calendar, contacts and file manager. Opportunities BlackBerry Blend are constantly expanding. You can connect your smartphone via USB, Wi-Fi or mobile network.
Browser
BlackBerry browser is traditionally the fastest and most functional HTML5 browser among its mobile counterparts. He supports private mode, view multiple tabs, save page icons on the main screen, convenient reading mode, replacement of the main search engine, PC mode, hotkeys, easy viewing of the current history with a long press of a button Back .
Documents To Go
This application allows you to view and edit documents Word and excel. On the big screen of BlackBerry Passport with its magnificent keyboard it is very convenient and comfortable to work with documents.
Calendar and Remember
Calendar in BlackBerry 10 OS, like Remember, fully integrated into the system - you will never miss anything important with a system of notes, notifications and reminders.
Contacts
The Contacts app allows you to customize many settings for your contacts, from personalized notification settings to synchronization.
Telephone
In addition to the usual phone functions, the application allows you to send notifications if you cannot answer the call. You can select BBM message, SMS or E-mail. The app even suggests the most suitable option based on your preferences.
story maker
This BlackBerry branded app allows you to quickly and easily create story movies using your photos and videos, overlaying music and text.
Social network
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, YouTube- these are only pre-installed social networks that are fully integrated into the system. In addition to them, you can install others, such as In contact with or Classmates.
android apps
BlackBerry 10.3 OS supports most Android OS applications. Some of them can be downloaded directly from BlackBerry World. For example, Skype, whatsapp, Google Talk, Viber, Blaq. For all other applications on the BlackBerry Passport preinstalled Amazon App Store ().
In addition to it, you can install other stores, for example Snap- Google Play Store for BlackBerry 10 OS, or Yandex Store. In them you can easily install Instagram, In contact with, Yandex maps and much more. .
Many Android apps that use login authentication are integrated into BlackBerry 10 OS, including the BlackBerry Hub. Integration of applications using NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy is also supported. It's also great that Android apps scale to fit the BlackBerry Passport's large, square display and look great.
Notification Preview
This useful feature shows pop-up messages no matter what application you are in at the moment. Works preview for E-mail, SMS, BBM and Twitter. If you wish, you can click on the message to read it in full, or close it, and SMS and BBM messages can be answered without even leaving the current application. In the settings, you can turn off notifications or select the contacts you want to preview.
BlackBerry Passport Settings
BlackBerry 10.3 OS allows you to customize a huge number of smartphone features for your convenience. The quick settings menu, accessible by a swipe from the top, allows you to select and customize the order for the functions you need most. Corporate users can switch work and personal profiles right here. In the main settings, which can now also be organized to your liking, you can set options for all BlackBerry Passport features, except for the phone app, which is customizable within it.
Notifications. Now you can fine-tune profiles.
Security and privacy. There are several different settings here, which it is also advisable not to postpone for later.
Media Sharing you will need if your BlackBerry Passport is actively interacting with your TV, PC, or stereo systems.
Connecting devices. Here you can allow connections to connect to BlackBerry Blend or BlackBerry Link.
Advanced interaction. Includes settings for the following functions: Waking up from sleep mode , Mute flip sound , Save battery when flipping and Don't fall asleep (increases screen timeout when BlackBerry Passport is in your hand).
BlackBerry 10.3 OS has a new gesture - swipe down with two fingers. It opens device settings from any application. At the same time, access to the application settings when swiping with one finger was preserved.
Conclusion
This is a smartphone, first of all, for work and communication. Wide business opportunities will be appreciated by people who need to constantly keep everything under control and manage processes remotely as easily as locally. For leisure, the BlackBerry Passport also has a lot to offer. Social networks, games, news services, readers, Internet surfing - feel free, wherever you are. You can buy in our Blackberry store Ukraine.
During the rapid filling of the market with various smartphones, BlackBerry is not included in the intense race for leadership. Listening more attentively and calmly to his admirers, the Canadian manufacturer has released a device that combines classic and latest solutions in a very interesting format. The smartphone came out original, with a twist.
Practically not inferior in performance to the current flagships of competitors, the BlackBerry Passport has retained the physical keyboard familiar to fans of the “classics”, combining it with a large touch screen. The device turned out to be weighty and impressive.
The dimensions of the device are identical with the passport. Holding this document, you can imagine how an outlandish smartphone will lie in your hand. Three rows of physical buttons not only add originality to the device, they directly affect the size and shape of the screen. It is square, and this is another feature of the device, with its appearance causing considerable interest among others. The picture is completed by a strong black case with a steel frame, a frame protruding along the sides of the “passport phone”. Feelings from using are twofold, but it is almost impossible to ignore such a “tube”.
Design
The dimensions of the smartphone are impressive: taking the BlackBerry Passport out of the black cardboard box, you immediately realize that it is almost impossible to work with it with one hand. Even if the owners big brushes cost "one-handed" control, then text input is clearly more convenient to carry out with both hands. The Passport is wider than the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Huawei Ascend Mate 7 and even the Apple iPhone 6 Plus, and is similar in size to a stripped down phablet at 128x90x9.3mm. However, unlike competitors, the device does not stick out of a jeans pocket and fits comfortably into the pockets of other clothes, especially men's.
Most of the front panel is occupied by the aforementioned square screen. The QWERTY-keyboard located under it represents mechanical buttons with illuminated letters. In our case, this is the Latin alphabet and the “space”, “delete”, “enter” buttons. It is possible to "Russify" the keyboard with laser engraving. Its main inconvenience is that some letters will be located two per button (due to fewer buttons). However, it is more convenient than blind typing.
The keyboard also has a very convenient touch scrolling function that allows you to scroll vertically and horizontally by sliding your finger along the surface of the buttons. The character-numeric block is implemented as a pop-up panel at the bottom of the screen - there is also a shift button on it, and a “space” is also duplicated. The combination of mechanical and touch input will have to get used to, especially for those who have not encountered this method before.
Above the screen are typical elements for this area: earpiece in the middle, bright led indicator events and camera eye on the right, light / proximity sensor window on the left.
The functional elements of the rear panel are concentrated closer to the top: the camera lens and the flash above it are enclosed in a rectangle under the protective glass, along the edges of which there are also two microphones that record sound for video and work as “noise cancelers” during a telephone conversation.
A strip of “metallic” color separated by a photomodule separates a plastic cover from the main part of the rear panel, under which the nanoSIM and microSD slots are hidden. The lid feels fragile, and due to its rigid fit to the body, there is a fear of breaking it when opened. The nanoSIM slot holds the card in such a tight embrace that it can be problematic to remove it. The matte surface of the panels is pleasant to the touch, handprints on it are hardly noticeable.
Mechanical controls and functional connectors are located at the ends of the stainless steel beam, which forms the basis of the apparatus design and a protruding frame around the body with rounded thickenings on the sides.
The power control button is embedded in the upper end, has a hard move, even the owners of large palms will have to reach for it. There is also a headset jack. Separate volume buttons and a customizable function button in between (default - voice assistant) located at the top of the right sidewall. It is convenient to work with them - you don’t need to reach out, and pressing is well read. In the middle of the bottom end there is a universal microUSB connector that supports work with external devices(OTG) and SlimPort audio and video transmission (via standard HDMI). Next to it is a speaking microphone. On the sides are powerful stereo speakers.
The presence of a metal base and precise fitting of the remaining elements provide a monumental look to the smartphone. The weight of 196 g once again reinforces what has been said, and the assembly can be called the most successful among modern smartphones - Passport breathes strength. Ease of use is a controversial point, which, however, will find a positive assessment among fans of QWERTY keyboards.
Display
The main "chip" BlackBerry Passport - a square display with an aspect ratio of 1:1. It is covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass v 3. Due to the form factor, working with it also requires getting used to, but there are certain advantages. For example, sites and posts can fit in the width without requiring horizontal scrolling and wrapping. The company promises an office experience that's dubious, but still useful for people who don't want to use a tablet to edit documents on the go. Scaling games can cause criticism, but the manufacturer took this into account: the dimensions can be changed with a swipe, and the settings for each program are saved.
Otherwise, the smartphone screen left only positive impressions. The matrix with a diagonal of 4.5 inches has a resolution of 1440 × 1440 pixels (453 ppi). It is combined with a protective glass (without an air gap) and has a large margin of brightness. The brightness control is automatic with a controlled threshold - we note that it works very well. Thus, the screen remains readable under the sun, colors do not distort when tilted, and gradients and small fonts look great. Most people will also like the color reproduction - coverage does not exceed sRGB, and color saturation and white balance can be adjusted in the color display settings menu. Multi-touch recognizes up to 10 clicks at the same time.
Functionality
Manages "Passport" BlackBerry OS 10.3, installed on the latest generation of devices. Those who are already familiar with "blackberry" smartphones will like the OS. But switching to it from other systems will not be so easy - it will take time to get used to it, the “manual” will come in handy for beginners.
The desktop is vaguely reminiscent of Samsung's TouchWiz: applications are placed on desktops, there is no menu for them, there is a "home" table and the BlackBerry Hub menu to the left of it. "Home" table - an analogy of the "Recent" menu in Android, here are the tabs open programs. You cannot remove them with a swipe - they are closed only by the cross at the bottom of the thumbnail. Out of the box, there are many installed popular applications. Amazon Appstore will also allow you to download Android programs.
The BlackBerry Hub is a pretty handy event hub that not only collects all notifications in one place, but also allows you to see and open them from the lock screen. Another one interesting feature- BlackBerry Blend, which allows you to control your smartphone from a computer or other paired device (if you have a BlackBerry ID). Thus, by installing the appropriate applications (PCs on Windows and MacOS are supported, as well as iOS 7 and 8, Android 4.4) and establishing a connection via USB, Wi-Fi or cellular network, the user is able to read notifications, edit letters and contacts, manage the calendar and files from devices with big screen. Note that Blend only works with Passport and P 9983 so far.
The curtain called from the notification panel only works in the desktop menu - in applications, a swipe from the top of the screen calls additional functions. For many who held the Passport for the first time, the question arose of how to return to the previous screen. Depending on the application, this can be done in several ways (using the "back" or "cancel" buttons, swiping to the right or minimizing the program with a swipe from the bottom of the screen), which again takes time to get used to. Many commands are built on gestures in BlackBerry OS: it is very convenient, for example, the ability to “wake up” a smartphone with a swipe from the bottom edge of the screen. And then you can put the device into night mode (disables all notifications).
Cameras and sound
Front camera BlackBerry Passport has a resolution of 2 megapixels and allows you to get mediocre self-portraits and videos of similar quality - this is quite enough for video calls. The 13-megapixel main camera with optical stabilization and a fast (f / 2.0) lens takes good pictures with a bias in warm tones. The quality of photos can be assessed below (default mode).
Text shooting mode
Autofocus in the test device worked adequately and took about 2 seconds. The main menu of the camera is convenient, not oversaturated. However, delving into the settings, you can find much more options. There are, of course, various modes and tools for post-processing photos, you can also change the aspect ratio of the frame, but the original one will come in handy on Instagram. Launching the camera from the lock screen is done by pressing the corresponding icon for a few seconds.
| Camera | 13 megapixels, LED flash |
| Interfaces | Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, USB, NFC |
| Standard | GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, LTE |
| Battery capacity | 3450 mAh |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AA, 2200 MHz |
| Number of SIM cards | 1 |
| Built-in memory | 32 GB |
| Memory card support | microSD (TransFlash), up to 128 GB |
| Diagonal | 4.5 in. |
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Strange as it may seem, but
BlackBerry Passport has earned popularity in Moscow due to its charm and aesthetic form factor. For more practical use, Blackberry Passport is equipped with a physical keyboard that allows you to type short SMS messages and texts in any situation in complete comfort. New BlackBerry is fully protected from various types of damage thanks to the tempered glass Gorilla Glass III and a metal case. Only the back panel of the Blackberry Passport is made of plastic, modified with an additional soft / touch coating. The BlackBerry Passport phone operates on a high-performance Qualcomm version chip (S/8O1), which is assisted by the Adreno 330 graphics accelerator. The novelty comes in only one version with a memory capacity of 64 GB. However, the memory can be expanded with micro-SD media up to 128 GB.BlackBerry Passport review
Hello. Today, the object of our discussion with you will be a rather unusual, bold and quite expensive BlackBerry Passport smartphone.
The gadget can already be considered a hero, because it is he who is trying to pull the company back to its former positions. As we remember, a couple of years ago, BlackBerry was one of those companies whose smartphones collected constant exclamations of “Wow!”. But, alas, nothing in this world lasts forever, in 2013 the company experienced a serious crisis, which affected not only financial well-being, but also seriously hit the company's image. BlackBerry began to collect not exclamations of “Wow”, but laughter and questions “Why do you need this trash? ". But I want to note the courage of the company and the wisdom of the Canadian government, which did not allow anyone to buy a BlackBerry. Instead, the CEO was replaced and funds were invested, about one billion dollars. The new CEO of BlackBerry, John Chen, was able to lead the company out of the crisis, and the release of the BlackBerry Passport became a kind of rescue circle that not only saves, but also demonstrates the viability of the company. It is this smartphone model that is very bold and ambiguous.
Holding this gadget in your hand, of course, there is a desire to get to know him better. So - the model is called "Passport", which already inspires thoughts of some kind of analogy, and yes, the smartphone is really almost like a passport in height and width, maybe a millimeter more. In thickness, it is definitely more massive, and it weighs 196 grams. The case is monolithic, or rather almost monolithic. Only the upper piece of the cover is removed, under which there are slots for a memory card and a SIM card.
The assembly is good, but is it reliable? Rather, it is convenient for repairing the device and its forced disassembly. Holding a BlackBerry in your hand, you can instantly feel the presence of metal in the body, but in addition to it, you can also feel good soft-touch plastic and glass with an oleophobic coating. An integral part of the BlackBerry is the Qwerty keyboard, and unlike its predecessors, the BlackBerry Passport has not been deprived of it. Whether this is good or bad, we will determine with you a little later, but for now I will tell you about the arrangement of elements on the monoblock body.
The volume swing, as well as one functional button according to the manufacturer and absolutely useless in fact, are located on the right side edge; the block and power button sits on top, there is also a headset jack; bottom USB connector, microphone and two speakers; there is nothing on the back except the BlackBerry logo and the camera with its flash. The display, oddly enough, is in front, there is also a keyboard, a speaker, sensors and a front camera.
The display itself is very high quality: 4.5 inches and a resolution of 1440 by 1440, a pixel density of 453 dpi. Of course, the fact that the display is square may alert someone, but in general it is very interesting, unusual and somewhere even ergonomic. The image on such a screen is impressive. The display has only positive characteristics. Contrast, color reproduction and color saturation are worthy of that “Wow”. In case of deviations, the picture does not deteriorate, does not glare and does not distort the color. So, even though the manufacturer hides the type of matrix - very high quality IPS technology visible to the naked eye.
But the display is not the only element of the BlackBerry Passport that is of great interest. Noticeable attention is also observed in relation to the keyboard.
As we all know, the Qwerty keyboard is a kind of hallmark of BlackBerry, and given the bad experience in not using it, the manufacturers did not dare to take away that very unique zest from the gadget. The BlackBerry Passport combines both a touch screen and a mechanical, alpha-only keyboard. Unfortunately, only English localization is available so far, but different languages, including Russian. And for a person who spends a lot of time typing on a computer or laptop, it will not be difficult to work on such a keyboard, since the brain remembers where the Russian letter is even without engraving.
Well, or in extreme cases, you can make a laser engraving of the Russian alphabet. But this is the main thing. The feature of this keyboard is its control feature. Simply put, when surfing the Internet, it will replace the touchpad for you. It basically has many uses. And when you start working with the device, you will have the opportunity to get acquainted with all the features, having passed a kind of training.
Of course, from the point of view of ergonomics, the smartphone is inconvenient, but this is if we consider the operation with one hand, while comparing it with smartphones from Apple or Samsung, which are thought out in terms of ergonomics from the screw to the location of the earpiece. But if we consider this device as a communicator, as a smartphone for top managers or businessmen, then two-handed control is definitely better and even more convenient, and the dimensions of the smartphone only play into the hands in this regard. Of course, as I said earlier, the smartphone is business, and rather masculine. But personally, as a girl, I really fell in love with this gadget. And I even thought - isn’t it better than my favorites? To be honest, I have not found an answer yet, since BlackBerry smartphones require some skill to use.
The BlackBerry 10 operating system has such a peculiar approach to work. Again, gestures. Closing applications, calling context menu and more, carried out with the help of gestures. Well, let's say, in order to close the application, we cannot just press the button, we need to swipe the screen from bottom to top, and in order not to reach for the block button, it is enough to swipe from the bottom of the keyboard to the top of the screen, and your device will be blocked once. Yes, of course, at first glance it will seem something incomprehensible, but I give you a guarantee that after three minutes of using this device, you will not hesitate to navigate the controls. You can talk about pre-installed applications for a long time. I will note that there are a lot of handy things, such as notes, a calculator that will help you calculate the money you have earned, and how much to tip the waiter. Yes, you heard right. You can enter data, such as how many bangs you got, the amount you ate, how much tip percentage you want to give to the person who served you. And the program quickly calculates how much you owe in total. All sorts of messengers, flashlights by itself. Games and software can be downloaded from both the Amazon AppStore app and other platforms.
Indeed, this gadget, this operating system has a lot of opportunities. And if you are interested in learning a lot more about BlackBerry 10, then put likes, if there are more than a hundred likes under this video, then I will definitely review the BlackBerry 10 operating system and its updates.
Well, for now, we will move on to reviewing the hardware on which the smartphone runs. The chipset is very powerful, new, top - Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, Krait 400 architecture, 4 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz. Graphics accelerator Adreno 330. Isn't it a lot for one smartphone? Blackberry Passport really flies. The work is flawless. Yes, I can say that the owner of this smartphone does not particularly need games, because there is no time to play, but resource-intensive applications are necessary and BlackBerry will definitely cope with them.There is a lot of memory, RAM 3GB, built-in 32GB, and a flash card is supported up to 128GB, and that's a lot! It is also worth considering the battery capacity, which is equal to 3450mAh. This is quite enough for a day and a half of active use of the device.Another advantage of this BlackBerry model is the sound. Unlike its predecessors, Passport has carefully improved its sound. The playback quality is an order of magnitude better, more powerful and cleaner. I hope you feel it too.
The camera cannot be called a "weak point" either. Yes, it does not contain any chips such as skin improvement, a smile indicator and age, but this is not at all necessary for photo connoisseurs and for business people.
The main one with a matrix of 13 megapixels, the resolution limit is full-hd, the photos are very good, it is possible to edit photos using photo filters. Photos, if you know how to take pictures, are successful, and there are a number of settings for experienced amateur photographers. The front camera is 2 MP, which is quite enough for Skype and other video chats, the video is recorded in HD resolution, which is very commendable.
And finally, what kind of communicator without various interfaces. BlackBerry Passport in this regard is not deprived at all. Standard Services Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, 4G Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth, NFC; communications: LTE, HPSA +, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, GPS, Glonass - it's all there. So there will be no problems with data transfer, network connection and the like.
Outcome:
As I said at the very beginning, the BlackBerry Passport is a very bold gadget. And he fully justifies his classification of "image". The BlackBerry Passport is durable, a bunch of volunteers and daredevils mocked the device and proved that the BlackBerry Passport escaped with only scratches after falling from a height of six meters.
The gadget is solid, even very. Another thing is that it is not standard, not like what smartphones we are used to, but this is already a matter of your ripeness and your desire to be individual. But I want to warn you right away - it is so much an amateur that you must definitely hold it in your hands before buying it. Well, for example, as it was with me. I often show smartphones that are sent to me for review by their family and friends. And most often they are in solidarity with each other in opinions, i.e. they either like the gadget or they don't. But this was not the case with the BlackBerry Passport. This is where opinions differ dramatically. Someone says "Wow!", someone laughs with him appearance, someone says “fu-fu-fu”, and someone is already saving up money to purchase it. So take note of this.The past year was a turning point in the history of many companies, but this was especially true for the Canadian BlackBerry. The new leader managed to bring the iconic smartphone manufacturer out of a steep dive and breathe new life into it, which would not have been possible without making a number of sound decisions. There is no doubt that the release of the unusual boxy BlackBerry Passport was one of them. Companies that are not in the best position in the market need powerful PR products more than ever. They can shock, surprise, amaze the imagination - and they will be discussed, desired and, of course, bought, if only out of curiosity. That's exactly what happened with the BlackBerry Passport. One of the most interesting smartphones of the last year for me personally has become one of the most anticipated. Thanks to our friends from blackberrys.ru, it became possible to write a review of this truly amazing device.
Specifications BlackBerry Passport:
- Networks: 2G (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), 3G (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), 4G (, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20)
- Platform (at the time of announcement): Blackberry OS 10.3
- Display: 4.5", 1440 x 1440 pixels, IPS, 24-bit, 453ppi
- Camera: 13 MP, autofocus, flash, f/2.0, optical image stabilization, LED flash, video recording [email protected]
- Front camera: 2 MP, video recording 720p
- Processor: 4 cores, 2.2 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
- Graphics chip: Adreno 330
- RAM: 3 GB
- Internal memory: 32 GB
- Memory card: microSD
- GPS and GLONASS
- WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n)
- Bluetooth 4.0
- USB 2.0
- 3.5mm jack
- FM radio with RDS
- Light and distance sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer, digital compass
- Battery: Li-ion, 3450 mAh
- Talk time: up to 23 hours
- Standby time: up to 444 hours
- Audio playback time: up to 84 hours
- Video playback time: up to 12 hours
- Dimensions: 128 x 90.3 x 9.3mm
- Weight: 196g
Unboxing and video review
Equipment and design
BlackBerry Passport comes in a massive black box, inside which you can find a nice velvety book with instructions and design history of the product. This will allow an unprepared user to understand why Passport turned out exactly the way it turned out - solid, square and strict, as well as what technologies and innovations found a place in it and how to use it all. The scope of delivery also includes a cable, a block charger(1.3A), headphones with attachments and flat wire, warranty documentation. There is an extended package of the smartphone, which also includes a protective case, a film on the screen and adapters for different sockets.
The BlackBerry Passport is one of those devices that you either like at first sight, or cause rejection and rejection, bordering on curiosity. "Oversized keyboard smartphone in 2014, are you serious?". This is if you look at it from one side. On the other hand, a similar phone in 2014, and even more so already in 2015, seems to be something new, unusual, not boring, unlike millions of the same type of smartphones. Indeed, everything new is a well-forgotten old.
The design of the device is definitely a success. It cannot be confused with any other phone, it instantly catches the eye. Deliberately straightforward, harsh and brutal, it is likely to suit only men, but women may well find it attractive. Many women love big devices, and having a stylish smartphone "not like everyone else" will definitely flatter any fashionista. The white and red colors of the Passport in this case are especially recommended for review, but we will continue to consider the classic black version.
Most of the front panel is given over to a 4.5" square-shaped IPS screen (1:1 aspect ratio) with a resolution of 1440x1440 pixels (dot density 453 ppi). People who are used to 5" and larger screens, 4.5" on paper may seem small and undeserving of attention, but in fact, the screen area is larger than that of 4.7" iPhone display 6. That is, before us is not some kind of compact smartphone, but quite a near-phablet with a square screen and a physical keyboard. As for the display itself, it is simply excellent. Maximum viewing angles, rich colors, high contrast and brightness, a good oleophobic layer and Gorilla Glass 3 against scratches. At diagonal deviations, you can notice a slight lightening of the dark picture and a pearlescent white tint, but you are unlikely to use the Passport at such angles. Proximity and light sensors are located above the screen, but the auto-brightness of the screen is not turned off here - it itself smoothly adjusts within the adjusted value. The speaker is very high quality and loud, besides it has a built-in microphone to determine the distance to the auricle and the force of pressure on it - this is part of the BlackBerry Natural Sound system, consisting of four microphones and loud and clear stereo speakers. With the use and availability of HD Voice, you can safely prepare yourself for a culture shock of speech and sound quality. By the way, you can even output music from the player to the conversational speaker, although it is not entirely clear why this should be done (except to evaluate its quality and be surprised). Next to the speaker is a large LED and a 2-megapixel front camera.
Under the screen is the pride of the smartphone - an innovative physical keyboard with touch control. Thanks to this, turning pages of documents, scrolling through the news feed or events in various social applications, the choice of the words offered by the system when typing, as well as the selection or removal of text elements are carried out easily and naturally with just a couple of swipes (swipes) or taps on the keyboard. In addition, this feature allows more or less comfortable use of the device with one hand in some cases (in most cases it is impossible to do this). But as for the use of the physical keyboard itself for its direct purpose, not everything is as comfortable as it could be. If you've never used a BlackBerry QWERTY smartphone or any other similar keyboard, then you're going to have to break all your sensory habits and painfully get used to old-fashioned typing. If you manage to get used to it, then you will probably learn how to scribble big letters very soon. text messages in a matter of seconds, but you still have to force yourself to get used to such a keyboard for a long time. For former BlackBerry users, this will also not be without difficulties. The keyboard has only three rows, so the layout is different from the company's usual smartphones. Here, the space is located differently, there are not many symbols and signs, so you always have to reach for them on the screen, and this only adds to the discomfort. But for a Russian user, these are still flowers.
As you may have noticed, the keyboard lacks the Cyrillic layout - Passport is not officially delivered to our country, so there is no need to wait for factory localization here. You can rely on craftsmen and engrave, but in any case, it will not look very nice on the keys, although it will allow you to use your smartphone with greater convenience. Another option is to use the keyboard "as is" with the selection of letters at random and remembering their location, which is very different from the layouts on a PC or Mac. Most of the letters are shifted by one (instead of Russian C, Russian M is entered, and so on), some of the letters require double pressing the key. In general, this method is only for the most persistent. The best option for typing, the transliteration method is used, when when pressing Latin letters on the screen, the corresponding Cyrillic letter is displayed. This method also takes some getting used to, but for the "no engraving" option, this is the best possible alternative. The keys themselves are very comfortable, pressed with little effort, the course is clear. Another problem here is the rather low location of the keyboard row - you will almost always have to keep the smartphone on the canopy, resting your thumbs on the very bottom. The fingers will definitely hurt from this at first, and the fear of dropping the device will haunt you for some time. Touch control, in turn, works very clearly and quickly, the keyboard is very responsive. It lacks the ability to scroll through the desktops with gestures on the keyboard, for one-handed control it would be manna from heaven. As for me, even such a wonderful and innovative keyboard still spoils the device somewhat. It requires a lot of getting used to for those who have lost the habit of pressing physical buttons, and some adaptation for those who are used to the previous layout of BlackBerry or Nokia devices. The ideal option, in my opinion, would be a larger touch screen on the entire front panel of the device. The BlackBerry numeric keypad is very good, and would be even better on a bigger screen. Yes, Passport in this form would become much less original, more like a regular phablet a la Sony Xperia Z Ultra or LG Optimus Vu, but some potential buyers would clearly appreciate this format.
The bottom end has a microUSB port, a microphone and two loud and clear stereo speakers. The company claims they are 18% more powerful than the HTC One M8 and 500% than Samsung Galaxy S5. This seems to be true - once you turn on music through them, you will not want to turn it off for sure. The sound through the speakers is very, very good, it is impossible to miss a call, but notifications are sometimes very quiet (on the current firmware, according to reviews, they were louder before, we have to wait for corrections). The top end has a power button, a 3.5 mm headphone port and a hook for the back cover. The location of the power button can not be called successful, from time to time you have to reach for it, and doing this with a square smartphone is not very convenient. To unlock the screen, you can use a gesture or the keyboard combination U + Enter / Return, but you have to block the button, this is a minus. The left side of the smartphone is completely empty, here we have only a bare stainless steel frame. By the way, the keyboard dividers are also made of steel, like the entire frame of the device. Three buttons are located on the right side: the outer ones are responsible for volume control, the central one is for calling the voice assistant and blocking the sound. The same buttons can control the music player, they switch tracks and start / stop playback with a long hold, just like in good old phones Sony Ericsson. Why Sony and other companies ignore this control method is a question, it is incredibly convenient for blind input and control of the player from your pocket, you just need to find the buttons with your hand. On the rear panel you can see the Blackberry logo, the main 13-megapixel camera window with optical image stabilizer, flash and two microphones, another stylish divider. Above it is a hinged cover that hides slots for nanoSIM-card and microSD memory cards. With the installation of nanoSIM, you should be more careful, the slot is not very conveniently located, and between some kind of smartphone internal board and the slot there is a gap where the SIM card enters and does not come back without any problems. Back panel made of soft-touch plastic like the Nexus 5, he also willingly collects stains and traces and is reluctant to get rid of them. Covers and cases to help everyone who does not like it.
The assembly of the smartphone is at its best, it is as monolithic as possible. The steel frame makes the device very durable, as you can easily see by watching a few crash tests on YouTube - Passport is almost indestructible. The device survived the fall of the screen down from a small height without incident. In general, we have a very solid and high-quality smartphone that will please you with its appearance and assembly for more than one year. Unless the BlackBerry logo on the back panel is a little peeled off.
Software
The smartphone is based on the latest version operating system Blackberry OS 10.3.1. The official update to this version will take place on February 19, but I managed to use beta versions of the firmware for some time with a very stable operation of all services and applications (except that the hub was not updated too quickly and there were minor failures in the camera). No lags or wild brakes were noticed on the device.
All other functions and chips of the system have not gone away. The lock screen displays incoming notifications and allows you to immediately jump to them, but you can’t delete them or reply to them without unlocking them, as in iOS. Pleasantly pleased with the peeping mode - you can unlock the screen incompletely by slightly swiping from the bottom of the screen to the center, look at notifications, and then lock it again with a reverse gesture. Desktop home screen running applications with full-fledged multitasking, it can now both hide when nothing is running, or hang with beautiful wallpapers and a couple of icons at the bottom. More applications themselves can now be displayed on one screen (there were 6, now there are 8, since the last thumbnails are divided in half), but in total there can be about 10 of them in memory (this can be seen when closing one of the eight applications - it will be replaced by another program from memory ). The set of pre-installed software was replenished with the Amazon app store and BlackBerry Blend. It is worth dwelling on the last utility in more detail.
Now it is in vogue for smartphones, tablets and computers to work together through the organization of a special ecosystem of interaction between them. Apple set the trend with its Handoff and Continuity, other companies have similar solutions, and now BlackBerry has such a solution. Blend is a multi-platform client (PC/Mac and iOS/Android tablets are supported). When you run the program on one of these devices, you are prompted to connect different ways to your BlackBerry smartphone (the main binding is carried out by BlackBerry ID). Immediately after that, you will have access to the internal memory of the device, all events, calendars, notifications, messages and more. Thanks to this, you will be able to respond to messages (including SMS), and in every possible way continue to do work on any device, having only one smartphone based on BlackBerry 10 with you. The advantage of this system is that it does not leave any data in connected device, all your tasks and correspondence remain on your smartphone. This is a significant advantage against the background of the same Apple solutions, where received SMS messages remain forever hanging in Mac messages if they are not deleted. Who knows who can read your important business letters! BlackBerry took care of this from the very beginning, so the BlackBerry Blend product can be considered very promising and interesting, and most importantly, easy to use.
As you remember, the BlackBerry 10 system supports Android apps. In the case of the Passport, there is no problem with this, all applications running on other BB-smartphones will work fine here too. To make them look good on a square screen, there is a special size optimizer. It stretches the program to optimal values. The same Play market, for example, looks great on a square screen, like most third-party programs. Install Play Market on Passport is quite simple, detailed instructions can be found. Otherwise, you can use a third-party client for the Google Play store - Snap.
There are other ways to upload Android applications to a smartphone, the easiest way is to download APK files. Some apps don't run on the phone, like the new Falcon Pro 3. The old Falcon worked fine on the BlackBerry Z30. Alas, among native applications for BB10 there are problems with working on Passport. The client for Twitter called Neatly at the time of writing the review is not adapted to a square screen, it is displayed only in half. It seems that such programs in the native application store can be found even more. By the way, the game Real Racing 3 for BlackBerry 10 disappeared from it for some reason, perhaps it is simply not available for Passport. An excellent alternative to the Neatly client is Twittly - very beautiful, functional and adapted to the Twitter square. In general, the software is still not very good, but Android applications help out, although they eat up more charge than native ones.
Camera
The device is equipped with a 13-megapixel autofocus camera with f / 2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization.
The camera interface is not too rich in settings, but it allows you to choose the aspect ratio of pictures (square 1:1, the usual 4:3 and widescreen 16:9). Square shots look best on a smartphone, but they are not obtained in full resolution, but something around 9 megapixels. But for Instagram, such pictures are just perfect! The Timeshift mode for a group photo has not gone away, allowing you to rewind blinking eyes and so on. There is a continuous shooting and a panorama. Video recording is carried out in maximum 1080p quality at 60 frames per second.
As for the quality of photos and videos, it is at least above average. The camera is not as versatile as the iPhone, but the photos and videos come out solid, nothing better from the BlackBerry yet. The optical stabilizer does not work very effectively for video and photos, there are blurs, the video image during recording looks smooth on a smartphone, but not so smoothly on a computer, the sound is written well, but a little muffled. In difficult conditions, the camera overexposes, and generally copes with this mode quite slowly, although focusing is already not very fast even in normal modes. In general, a very decent camera, but it does not strike the imagination. Examples below.
Tests, performance, sound
The smartphone is equipped with a Snapdragon 801 chipset with a frequency of 2.2 GHz (in fact, it is a Snapdragon 800, but Qualcomm no longer releases them, therefore 801), has 3 GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 graphics accelerator. The filling is powerful, still relevant and comparable to Nexus 5, Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and other flagships, and 3GB of RAM put the Passport on par with the latest models. As a result, the speed of the system is excellent, everything is smooth and fast, multitasking applications hang and hang, and have almost no effect on performance.
According to the results of synthetic benchmarks, the following picture emerges: in AnTuTu - 37,428 points, Vellamo - 0/747/1428 (the test does not pass very correctly), Basemark OS II - 562 points, Epic Citadel Ultra High - 45 fps, 3DMark - 8303 points. The device failed to cope with the rest of the usual tests, errors and incorrect functioning. It should be understood that these are Android applications and their incorrect work is connected only with this. Also, don't trust these results too much, since Android version 4.3 here is running in virtual machine, so the actual smartphone performance is slightly but higher. In the Relative Benchmark test for BlackBerry 10 with PS3/Xbox 360-level graphics, the device produces 15.2 frames per second and 1371 points.
In the case of games, everything is very good. The Android version of GTA Vice City runs at maximum graphics with almost no brakes, you can play more than comfortably. But the version of Modern Combat 5 for Android is already on maximum settings worse, there are brakes, so it's better to use the optimal default settings. Android games heat up the device strongly and quickly (right rear end and the right steel sidewall), so it's time to turn to games under BB10. Of the modern powerful titles, only Asphalt 8 was found, it goes to the maximum without any complaints, the device almost does not heat up with it. There are also simpler well-known toys, but there is not much point in testing them. It's a pity that Real Racing 3 for BlackBerry 10 is not available for the Passport, it would be very interesting to see it on a square screen. Well, I can’t help but complain about the huge number of garbage applications and games in the company store that exploit the names of famous toys for other platforms. By the way, in games there is a lack of support for control from a physical keyboard, it would be very convenient.
Autonomy Passport is beyond praise. In the HD-video playback mode at maximum brightness and volume, the device loses 9% per hour and will quietly last about 11 hours (the manufacturer claims 12, which, in general, is not far from the truth). The phone stably keeps 2 days of work with social networks and music, trips, distribution of the Internet.
Sound quality in good headphones very worthy - loud, clear and uniform. The smartphone plays more pleasantly than the iPhone 6 (not as sharply, but comparable in volume), has a very convenient player (and how beautiful square covers look on a square screen!), physical playback control keys (volume control and central, as you remember). In general, as an alternative to the Passport player, it is more than good. The internal 32 GB of storage will be enough for most, but for the rest there is support for microSD. All music, for example, can be stored there. There are no complaints about the quality of the connection, the network is strong, and the device shows more “sticks” in the same room and in the same room than the iPhone 6.
findings
The BlackBerry Passport is the perfect smartphone for all keyboard enthusiasts and the best BlackBerry device, if not in history, then for sure in the last few years. It looks great, is solidly built, has a lot of unique features and is unlike any other modern smartphones. The device is not very convenient in some cases, and it will not be easy to crawl onto it from another smart phone without a keyboard, but in return you will get an incomparable experience and a very reliable assistant, especially if you are not afraid of difficulties and you are ready for experiments. We are waiting for the further development of the concept of such a smartphone, or rather its successor, the announcement of which should take place very soon. Well, let's wish BlackBerry not to lose the fans won by the "passport" - it has done a lot for the company and these merits should not be forgotten.
For the smartphone provided for the test, we thank the blackberrys.ru store!.
