Why I grew to love Blackberry 10 - Part 1
BB10 will likely go the way of Symbian OS, WebOS and a host of other mobile operating systems. Here I share a few reasons while I like and appreciate Blackberry 10.
1. The Interface and Gestures (See more)
I have found the gesture-based navigation intuitive. Simple example, you swipe up to wake your device, no need to press any button. How many persons have worn out the power button on their Android devices? The ability to navigate between applications on the BB10 seems some much better and easier than on the iPhone and way better than on Android (before Lollipop). I will mention other gestures as I go on. There are some gestures/actions I had hoped would have come over from the Playbook OS. These include the flick to close a program instead of clicking a 'x' and the restart or stand-by on-screen option on the battery icon instead of the power button to restart. The video below highlights a few of the gestures.
2. The Hub, The Hub, the Hub and notifications (View Hub Demo)
The hub is where you can receive and manage all your email accounts, SMS, calls, BBM, social media and other app notifications and messages plus more. Before this Facebook debacle you could manage and respond to Facebook messages (you can use Face10 now), notifications without going to the app or it would carry you directly to the app.
You can customise your apps and emails and colour code them and decide which ones appear in the hub or not.
For me, it has allowed me to manage and curate my personal and work email accounts better than I have ever had. Show unread and read emails with a pinch gesture and easily focus on priority messages.
Then when I get a notification, from whatever app I am in, I can peek into the hub (using an upside-down L or up and to the right gesture) to get a quick idea of the email or messages with the option to easily return to the current app.
3. Calendar and Meeting mode (10.3.1)
Meeting mode. Once activated, during meetings your phone goes into meeting mode. No additional apps needed. All this in addition to being a great calendar application.
In Part 2, I will look at the keyboard, Blend, video share and shortcuts
1. The Interface and Gestures (See more)
I have found the gesture-based navigation intuitive. Simple example, you swipe up to wake your device, no need to press any button. How many persons have worn out the power button on their Android devices? The ability to navigate between applications on the BB10 seems some much better and easier than on the iPhone and way better than on Android (before Lollipop). I will mention other gestures as I go on. There are some gestures/actions I had hoped would have come over from the Playbook OS. These include the flick to close a program instead of clicking a 'x' and the restart or stand-by on-screen option on the battery icon instead of the power button to restart. The video below highlights a few of the gestures.
2. The Hub, The Hub, the Hub and notifications (View Hub Demo)
The hub is where you can receive and manage all your email accounts, SMS, calls, BBM, social media and other app notifications and messages plus more. Before this Facebook debacle you could manage and respond to Facebook messages (you can use Face10 now), notifications without going to the app or it would carry you directly to the app.
You can customise your apps and emails and colour code them and decide which ones appear in the hub or not.
For me, it has allowed me to manage and curate my personal and work email accounts better than I have ever had. Show unread and read emails with a pinch gesture and easily focus on priority messages.
Then when I get a notification, from whatever app I am in, I can peek into the hub (using an upside-down L or up and to the right gesture) to get a quick idea of the email or messages with the option to easily return to the current app.
3. Calendar and Meeting mode (10.3.1)
Meeting mode. Once activated, during meetings your phone goes into meeting mode. No additional apps needed. All this in addition to being a great calendar application.
In Part 2, I will look at the keyboard, Blend, video share and shortcuts
Reference
- Blackberry 10 Change Log
- Keyboard Shortcuts (Q10,Classic, Passport)
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