BlackBerry Z10 put to the test

Consumer reporter Lynda Steele tests out the new Blackberry Z10 with Future Shop's Chris Newbigging. Feb. 5, 2013 (CTV)

The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone hit store shelves today and consumer reporter Lynda Steele got her hands on one to test it out. The new phones are seen by some analysts as a make-or-break product for the tech company. So does it live up to the hype?

Design & Function

The first noticeable difference between the BlackBerry Z10 and the iPhone 5 is size. The BlackBerry is a little bigger, with a 4.2 inch touch screen. There’s also no home button. Instead, you simply swipe your way through the various applications. The phones have a unique predictive-text feature on the virtual keyboard, which provides word predictions based on what users previously type. Swipe your finger upwards and the word will appear on the screen.

Camera and Video

The screen resolution is crystal clear and the eight mega pixel rear-facing camera has an interesting feature called Time Shift. If one person in the photo is making a funny face, you can click on their face and rewind the frame until you are satisfied with the image. BlackBerry Messenger has also been revamped to include video – and with 16 GB of internal storage there is plenty of room to download videos and new apps.

Multitasking

Everything, including your Twitter, Facebook and email, is in one centralized area – called the BlackBerry Hub. Each page can be accessed with just a quick swipe and you can check an update without leaving an app that’s currently open.

Another function available is called BlackBerry Balance. Rather than carrying two smartphones, one for work and one for personal use, you can separate and secure your work and personal information into two separate environments. The feature addresses corporate security concerns without limiting your use of personal apps.

Downsides

The BlackBerry Z10 only has 70,000 apps and needs to be charged often. Touch screen smartphones are known to use a lot of battery life and it appears this new smartphone is no exception.

Verdict

Battery issue aside, the BlackBerry Z10 is impressive and consumer reporter Lynda Steele predicts it will give iPhone 5 a run for its money. Future Shop has already had a constant stream of customers coming in to ask about the phone, and expects sales to be steady.