BlackBerry Z10 Review

BlackBerry was once king of the smartphone world.  For 4 years, it reigned supreme, until their world was eclipsed by the rise of Apple's iPhone and Google's subsequent introduction of Android. Since then, the company has spent time trying to regain their foothold by updating their OS and releasing touch-screen devices ranging from the Torch to the PlayBook tablet– but it wasn't enough to regain their position or even compete with Apple and Google. Fast-forward to 2013, with the introduction of the BlackBerry 10 OS and the new flagship Z10 phone. Could 2013 be the year of the BlackBerry or at least a convincing comeback?   So let's have a look at the vitals: The Z10 is 4G ready, and features a 4.2" touch screen (1280 x 768 resolution), front (2MP) and rear (8MP) cameras, 16GB of internal storage – expandable up to 32GB of external storage via microSD, 2GB of RAM, all powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4. All of these bells and whistles join forces to run the new and improved BlackBerry 10 operating system.   The first thing I noticed about the device was the lack of buttons on the face.  Sure, you have the power button, mute, and volume up/down buttons on the top and right edges, respectively – but there's no Home key, Search key, or "BlackBerry" key. You do get soft-keys on screen for calls, searching, and camera access, but all other navigation is based on gestures. Swipe up from the bottom bezel to get to the home screen – this works even when the screen is turned off, waking it up, and getting you right to your apps. Swipe up from the middle and to the right to get to notifications, swipe down from the top bezel to get to settings. In keeping with the trend started with the BlackBerry Playbook's OS, BlackBerry 10 devices can use Android apps using the Android Runtime included in the OS.  This means you can install OverDrive Media Console for Android on the device, and use it the way you would on the latest Android devices.   It's been awhile since BlackBerry brought something truly new to the market, and with Apple and Google having established a solid foundation for the new generation of Smartphones, the Z10 has a lot to prove. Based on what I'm seeing with the device, it doesn't look like the fight should be too difficult for BlackBerry. The Z10 is a solid device with quite a bit of power under the hood, and plenty of features to go around. The BlackBerry 10 OS is also pretty fresh with its emphasis on gestures, neat enhancements, and eye-candy. At least one former iPhone owner in our office has already made the change to the BlackBerry Z10. You may be seeing more of these devices coming through the doors of your library soon.   Justin Noszek is a Support Specialist for OverDrive

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