Review: BlackBerry Passport

Gizmag reviews BlackBerry's unusually-proportioned Passport (Image: Chris Wood/Gizmag)
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BlackBerry’s latest smartphone is its most unusual and innovative release in years, but does it do enough to make it worth considering among a sea of worthwhile competition? The device certainly has its fair share of interesting features, and won’t have any trouble standing out from the crowd. Read on as we take a close look at the Passport.

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The Passport’s unusual design has garnered a lot of attention since it was quietly revealed back in July, and its sheer size combined with that unusual keyboard-to-display ratio is something that really hits you when you first take the smartphone out of its box. While its overall footprint isn’t radically different from other large-screened devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 or iPhone 6 Plus, its squarer shape makes it feel much larger.
The handset feels solid in the hand, with the soft-touch back providing ample grip, and I was surprised at how comfortable it felt in my jean pocket. You’ll be a little more aware of the 196 g (0.43 lbs) device if you’re carrying it around in your jacket pocket, but I didn’t find its size or weight to be an issue during day-to-day use.
The thing to note here is that the Passport is a two-handed device. I was almost able to click out quick messages with one hand, but it’s not something I’d want to do regularly, and it's something you would struggle to do if you’ve got small hands. Instantly, this makes the handset a little less user friendly, but fear not – there is an upside to the design.

Interestingly, I wasn’t able to type any quicker on the Passport’s physical keyboard than I can on a touchscreen, due largely to the ability to quickly trace out words on software keyboards. But I was far more accurate on the BlackBerry handset’s physical keys than software alternatives.
Physical typing is augmented with a row of software keys for inputting numbers and symbols. You quickly get used to using a mix of physical and software keys, and the overall typing experience is, as you would expect from a BlackBerry, top notch. The device also performs well in another key area, offering clear and loud audio during calls.
The 4.5-inch panel has a resolution of 1,440 x 1,440, giving it 453 pixels per inch. While that’s not as high as some smartphones out there, it’s comparable to both the HTC One (M8) and Samsung Galaxy S5, and I never found myself wishing I was looking at a sharper screen. The display real estate you’re getting here is less expansive than phablets such as the Note 4 or iPhone 6 Plus, but its aspect ratio means you’ll never find yourself having to flip the device into landscape mode to rearrange the content you can see.
To some extent, BlackBerry’s marketing spiel about the aspect ratio is right on the money, with the square screen working well for viewing documents and drawings, web browsing and using email. You can scroll through certain content, most notably web pages, by swiping up and down on the physical keyboard. Being able to keep your fingers out of the way while scrolling makes browsing on the Passport feel like a different experience to either a smartphone or tablet. It’s almost like using gestures to scroll through a web page on a laptop trackpad.
Though the display makes the Passport feel pretty unique, it does have its downsides. Trying to watch video on the square panel is an ordeal, with the aspect ratio of the content meaning that you’re actually getting a smaller image than you would on an iPhone 5s. As the device is targeted at business users, we don’t see this as a huge issue, but if you’re looking to pick up a handset for personal use, and have any desire to watch video content, you’d be much better off with a phablet.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Passport’s rear shooter, with the 13 MP camera taking some bright and detailed shots in a variety of lighting conditions. You can switch the aspect ratio between 1:1 (matching the device’s display) and more conventional 4:3 and 16:9 options. The camera here isn’t quite going to rival what you’ll find on a device like the LG G3, but it produces solid results.
It makes sense to have a solid rear camera, but, as a business device, a good front-facing camera for video calls is going to be at least as important. Unfortunately, the Passport falls flat here, offering a mediocre 2 MP shooter that produces blurry results with significant motion blur.

The Passport runs on BlackBerry OS 10.3, which pairs with a quad core Snapdragon 801 processor and 3 GB of RAM to provide a buttery smooth experience. The OS is capable, fluid and gesture based – you swipe up to minimize apps, down to open a quick settings menu, and right and left to get to the BlackBerry Hub and apps.
The Hub puts messaging front and center, aggregating alerts from various sources into a single feed that’s never more than a couple of swipes away. There’s a bit of an adjustment period if you’re switching from iOS or Android, but once you’re used to it, the BlackBerry OS 10.3 experience is very solid indeed.
The app selection in the BlackBerry World store is focused on productivity, and lacks most key apps you’ll find on other platforms. There is a silver lining here though, in that you can run Android apps via the pre-installed Amazon Appstore. Apps like Facebook, Spotify and Twitter are present, but the selection isn’t quite on par with that found in the Google Play or the iOS App Store. Most of the Android apps I installed ran smoothly, though one or two struggled with the Passport’s square display, cutting off UI buttons at the bottom of the screen.
Battery life is one area where the Passport really shines. The device can easily cope with a full day of moderate use, including web browsing, some light photography, emailing and general messaging. With display brightness set to auto, I was even able to rely on the handset for almost an entire second day of use.

So overall, can we recommend the BlackBerry Passport? The answer is yes, but with some significant caveats. We think it’s generally a good idea to get some physical hands-on time with a smartphone before making a purchase, but this is something that’s more important than ever with the Passport – you may well pick up the device and find that it’s simply too wide to be practical.
That said, if you can get past the out-there form factor and less expansive app selection, then the handset has a lot going for it. Its physical keyboard shows the company continuing to defy the industry trend, and offers an accurate and satisfying experience. While the square display might be poorly suited to viewing video content, it’s great for web browsing and messaging. Overall, we can’t say that the Passport is the right device for you, but we can say that it has enough interesting ideas to make it well worth a look.
The Passport is available now for US$600 off-contract.

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9983 review: Hands-on

It’s very rare that we find ourselves summoned down to Harrods in Knightsbridge for a phone release. But such was the case with the Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9983. The environment is well suited; this is a premium BlackBerry model, aimed at those for which a mere iPhone 6 or LG G3 alone won’t fit the bill. And yet, compared to the likes of the handmade £6,750 Vertu Signature Touch, the £1,400 asking price doesn't seem so steep.

This is Porsche Design's third BlackBerry handset, following last year's BlackBerry P'9982 - essentially a pimped BlackBerry Z10. This time around, its theBlackBerry Q10 that's been given the luxury treatment and with it, comes the return of the keyboard - BlackBerry's perennial calling card.

But if you're hoping for substantial new features, well, there aren't any. Internally, the phone remains exactly the same. It benefits from the latest version of the Blackberry 10 OS but then again, there's the forthcoming BlackBerry Passport to blow that particular tumpet. What we've got here then, is just a nicer-looking BlackBerry Q10 with premium branding and a massive price bump.  

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9983: Design and build

There’s no mistaking that the design and build is where the £1,400 price tag comes into play. Porsche Design has, to all intents and purposes, taken the BlackBerry Q10 and given the chassis a serious overhaul. The familair stainless steel machined Porsche Design logo is stamped above the 3.1-inch screen.

The same stainless steel edging is in effect around the handset, transforming the curved appearance of the BlackBerry Q10 into something much more angular. The design company pulled a similar trick with last year's P'9882. The weight of the handset remains pretty much the same, increasing slightly to 140g from the Q10's 139g.

BlackBerry devices were always noted for the keyboard and it's here that Porsche Design has shown some love. The P'9883 features glass-like PMMA plastic for increased durability and the design company has shaped the keys to create a pseudo 3D-like effect. And there's a nice new silver font too.

The raised buttons are comfortable to type on, but some quick test emails revealed that we've become too used to wide touchscreens - the cramped 'board takes some getting used to but there's a decent amount of travel on the keys.

Round the back, Porsche Design has coated the device with a "special glass-weave technology" that looks nice enough, but is immediately covered with smears and fingerprint marks. Which is a shame given how much you're asked to part with for it.

And yet, it's a sturdy, well-built phone. The silver and black blend obviously looks the business, and will find a nice home in the breast pocket of your Savile Row suit. This is the reason the phone is what it is - if you're of a particular income bracket and partial to an association with German automotive design, then you're going to like this device.

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9983: Features

New features were awarded barely a mention during the reveal at Harrods, and chiefly rely on the updates to BlackBerry's operating system. Unfortunately, all you're going to get with this phone is a different font and the silver, executive-style Porsche Design clock. There's also a particular PIN ID designation with BlackBerry Messenger that identifies you as a Porsche Design user.

Around back is the 8MP camera that Porsche Design has equipped with a sapphire crystal coated lens. A small array of features, included burst mode, panorama and time shift are there to play with, but really it's not up to the likes of the HTC One M8 in the photography department.

The square 3.1-inch display boasts a 720 x 720 resolution that is clearly designed for the email and spreadsheet mentality than taking in a TV series on the commute home.

If the black and silver look is a little too boardroom for you, you can add one of Porsche Design's handcrafted leather cases to the P'8893. They come in a range of colours, including yellow, orange, salsa blue, pomegranate, dark brown paloma grey and blue green.

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9983: Performance

Performance is handled by the same dual core 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor found in the original Q10, although, like the P'9982, Porsche Design has given the internal storage a boost. The original 16GB has been upgraded to 64GB and you can still use a microSD card to add even more.

There's 2GB of RAM, keeping things moving quickly, and a 2,100 mAh battery that, BlackBerry says, will afford you 14 hours of talk time. Part of the work that the company has done on the operating system is to make it more power efficient and the representatives we spoke to at the launch were pretty confident you could get a day and a half's use out of the device between charges.

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9983: Verdict

This is a phone being sold on its brand image alone, and to a very specific type of customer. BlackBerry, by its own admission, says this isn't going to be a mass-market phone. It's aiming to bring back the business love by way of a decent keyboard and supurb build quality. In the hand, it feels suitably premium - but then, so does the HTC One M8.

The inclusion of the Amazon App Store goes some way to remedying the worrying lack of apps that has always plagued BlackBerry and the edgy design is more mature and appealing than the curvyness of the original BlackBerry Q10. It would have been nice if Porsche Design had something in the way of third-party apps or services that could set this phone aside in a software sense as well as a hardware sense.

Ultimately though, you're going to want this phone in order to make a particular statement. It's a designer phone in the same way as there are designer sunglasses, watches and jackets. It's branding has little to no impact on the actual performance or usability of the phone - which still falls some way behind Apple's iPhone 6 or the top Android handsets.

This isn't going to be the phone that reinvents BlackBerry, but it does stand as a testament to the fact there are still customers out there that value exclusivity above all else. And to them, we say happy shopping.

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9983 release date: Out now

Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9983 price: £1,400 inc. VAT

BlackBerry reveals its Porsche Design P'9983 phone

Ailing smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry has launched a brand new luxury smartphone for its Porsche Design range, the fresh-faced P'9983.

The Canadian firm say its ritzy blower will hit shelves starting in OCtober from select retailers and dedicated Porsche Design stores.

The handset is designed to look premium, obviously, and touts a sapphire glass camera lens, a stainless steel chassis, and a glassy reaer.

In terms of specs, you're looking at a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, 2 gigs of memory, 64GB of internal storage (microSD slot in tow), and two cameras at 8- and 2-MP respectively.

The battery offers 2100mAh of juice, and connectivity comes courtest of WiFi, 4G/LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, a micro USB port, and a micro HDMI port too.

The screen is HD, although BlackBerry's thrown mainstream smartphone design to the wind and stuck with a teeny 3.1-in display.

The diminutive display also means you're looking at BlackBerry's age-old physical keyboard, with real clicky buttons and a good 3-inches of arguably wasted space. The tactile amongst you will be assuredly pleased though. Hurrah.

The OS will be BlackBerry 10.3, and BB says every P'9983 will have its own unique Porsche PIN in the 2AAXXXXX format. Instantly recognisable, we hear.

BlackBerry actually announced its new luxury smartphone in - surprise, surprise - Dubai, a city built on excess, although we're still not sure on pricing. Expect a big bucks R.R.P, though.

BlackBerry puts the squeeze on leakers

John Chen, who took over the beleaguered company in November, has threatened both leakers and the media with criminal proceedings if they report on any “critical and confidential project” until BlackBerry is ready to discuss it.

He described the leaks as both “distracting” and “misleading”. He said that it harmed stakeholders’ ability to properly understand what the company was doing as said that they are “seldom advantageous” for business.

“I recognise that, in some cases, the leaks reflect people’s genuine interest in BlackBerry,” Chen wrote in a post via BlackBerry’s official blog.

"There are a lot of people whose enthusiasm for our company and our products makes them want to know what we will do next — and that can be a tremendous asset for us as a brand.

“But, when curiosity turns to criminality, we must take strong action.”

He said that BlackBerry will now “take appropriate actions to prevent leaks from happening”. According to Chen, the company is already pursuing legal action against an individual for leaking information.

Chen admitted the company’s new approach would probably leak to fewer “blog posts with photos and rumours of the next BlackBerry smartphones”.

It is unlikely that Chen would have any success in suing publications as he has threatened.

In 1996, the Appellate Court in the United States ruled in a similar case brought by Apple that trade secrets are fair game for journalists – both offline and online – to report on.

In other words, don’t expect the rumour stories to stop flowing anytime soon.

How to color code calendars on OS 10.2.1

One of the features I take advantage of most on my BlackBerry is the ability to color code my calendar. As someone with multiple accounts and appointments that populate more than one calendar, this presents an easy way to distinguish between them. 

Whether it be managing a calendar for work, personal, or for your BBM group, all you need to do is complete these steps to set the colors for each of them.  

• From the home screen launch the Calendarapplication
• Tap Settings > Calendar Colors
• Tap on the specific calendar you wish to change
• From the popup, choose from the 15 predefined colors and tap on a color
• Repeat the above steps for each calendar you wish to set a color for
• Press the back button twice to return to the main calendar screen

Once this is complete, every calendar appointment will show in separate color so that you can differentiate between events and which ones are associated with a certain account.

For more tips and tricks, be sure to check out all of our BlackBerry 10 help guides.

Blackberry unveils new Q20 phone

BlackBerry is no longer focusing on beating the iPhone and Android, but that doesn't mean it's giving up on smartphones entirely.

 

The ailing firm unveiled its new Q20 smartphone on Tuesday, a device that tries to marry two separate mobile technology worlds. It comes with a physical keyboard, an old-school trackpad, and menu, send, back and end buttons. But it also has an iPhone 4-like 3.5-inch touchscreen.

The Q20 will likely appeal to longtime BlackBerry users who have resisted transitioning to touchscreen-only phones. But drawing new customers is another matter.

"The Q20 is a good way to shore up the base, which is important, but what it doesn't do is provide a compelling reason for new people to switch from Android or iPhone to BlackBerry," said David Braun, CEO of strategic consulting firm Capstone.

The Q20 will be available "in the second half of 2014," BlackBerry said. Pricing details have yet to be announced.

The news comes as BlackBerry attempts to reverse its years-long decline with a new collection of devices, a renewed focus on business customers and a push in software and services that can run on phones made by its competitors.

The task won't be easy. BlackBerry's recent financial results have been awful, with the company posting a whopping $4.4 billion loss for the quarter that ended in November.

Leading the transition effort is new CEO John Chen, who turned around the once-struggling software maker Sybase and sold it to SAP (SAP) in 2010.

"We have engineered a new strategy to stabilize the company and restore our customers' confidence in BlackBerry," Chen said in a statement Tuesday.