In case you missed it, BlackBerry have rebranded: from Research In Motion, they’re now publicly known as BlackBerry. For starters, BB has 
recently launched a new range of devices powered by the new BlackBerry 10 OS. One of them is 2013’s first highlight on HD — the Z10.

So now that I have one in my hands, let’s see if it’s good as it’s hyped up to be.

FORM

Well, it looks quite a bit similar to one really popular smartphone out there. It’s neatly-shaped, although I was a bit disappointed that BB decided to go with a plastic casing (I was expecting something more metal-ish). You’ve got a 4.2” four-point multi-touch LCD screen: fairly generous. And, it comes with an 8MP main and a 2MP front camera. Want more? Help yourself to 2GB or RAM, 16GB of flash memory and a microSD card slot in which you can slap up to 64GB.

And hey — except for the power, mute and volume buttons — no physical buttons around here, 
especially that all-important back button. Interesting; the hint here is to keep an eye on the screen for that, although — like me — you may find yourself having question marks on your head on how to get back to something without running through the home screen 
repeatedly. And be ready to swipe around a lot.

PERFORMANCE

Warning: This thing has a lot of features. So bear with me as I present what I feel will appeal to you.

Whether you’re an old BB user or you’ve been using any other phone, you’ll find the Z10 a whole new experience. The BlackBerry 10 OS is good as advertised, but its gesture-based interface could be a bit tricky when you tinker with it for the first time.

After that rather cool unlock sweep (complete with fading eff-ect), say hello to your home screen, which holds up-to-eight recently-opened apps (PlayBook users will immediately notice the similarities). From here, swipe to the left and see your apps, and doing so the other way will show the BlackBerry Hub. Yeah, that BlackBerry Hub, taking BB’s messaging capabilities to another level.

And as for its camera, it has this little thingy called Time Shift that allows you to adjust photos until you get that perfect snap. Just tap on the screen to capture — it won’t stop taking frames until you let your finger go or until your storage runs out. There’s also a Story Maker that makes a nifty collage of photos and videos, complete with music. It’s also got a really smart calendar that reminds of conflicts on your schedule and even suggests other invitees to your event. And for BBM locos, the Z10 now has BBM Video. I bet a lot of people are celebrating.

AND SO…

There are speed-bumps along the way, and I’m guessing it’s because of how quickly the phone responds to the user. Although the technology is really great, even the most dedicated BB user would have to get used to this.

THE LOWDOWN

Processor:Dual-core 1.5GHz

Memory: RAM: 2GB; ROM: 16GB flash with microSD up to 64GB

Interface:4.2” all-touch screen; gesture-based navigation; 15:9; 1280x768

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, micro USB, micro HDMI; 4G LTE-ready, NFC

Camera : Main: 8MP auto-focus; front: 2MP

Specials : A lot!

Price : Dh2,599

PROS : Fast performance, great browser, light-weight, lots of innovative

CONS : User interface can 
be tricky, lack of 
back button, 
(still) limited 
number of apps

EDITOR’S RATING

9/10

alvin@khaleejtimes.com