Blackberry Z10 UK Sim Free Smartphone - Black

There are many other more competent reviews which will go into more tech and app references than I will here. I bought the Z10 because I needed a bigger screen, the reviews were promising and the price point very attractive. After 1 week of using the phone, I absolutely love the simple things. The casing is well built and square but yet it feels so comfortable in the hand. There are so many iPhones and Samsungs out there on their second or third screen because they easily slip out of your grip. They are designed to be difficult to hold with their polished surfaces and smooth metal edges. Something costing £500 that is difficult to hold, go figure!I just did a long haul flight so bought the battery box and spare battery bundled together for under £23. Not only did it keep the phone topped up but also topped up my Sony noise cancelling headphones from the built-in mini usb umbilical chord. A bit of turbulence later and I see tablets and Samsung Galaxy phones flying off the tray tables while my Blackberry Z10 stays put. The back actually grips onto surfaces, so if you happen to put it up on the dash of your car, it's not likely to fly out the window on the first bend. Simple things. Yes you can buy a skin for a Galaxy or iPhone but then you can't holster it. The Z10 leather holster is ideal to protect your phone from all your other stuff but the thing I like the most is the little peek function. You just need to slip your Z10 the slightest way out of the holster and it wakes up to display the time of day, a little more and you get some notification icons. You can also set the phone to answer and hang up calls using the dedicated holster case. Simple things. I'm not making this up, this phone actually interacts with it's accessories, it recognises it's holster and responds to it. It can be charged at the same time as it's spare battery, no need to wake up during the night to switch batteries on the charger. And it can be boosted from the spare battery box if you have no alternative power source available. BTW the battery box is tiny, very compact and lightweight yet ingeniously simple.I'm glad the boffins at BlackBerry are thinking about us old timers and making phones that are easy to use and easy to navigate or change settings on. The hub is just so simple it's crazy. See everything together or filter out the Facebook and Twitter or Email, you choose. It's simple.My final accolade comes from my 22yo daughter who has just installed Apple iOS7. She hates her iPhone now and has been messing with my Z10. Now she is asking the question, why have complicated when you can have the same performance kept simple?Available now below £300 unlocked and sim free. What are you waiting for?

Right, for those who love to make a `research' into their phones, I feel really sorry for you. I guess I haven't done my research on Z10 as I expected the phone to work without making a research!Issues: when I open, for the first time the BlackBerry app store or what ever it's called (accurate on 18 June 2013) the first message I saw was: "Skype is coming soon to Blackberry" I was horrified! Apparently, different phones on the Blackberry OS have different apps, so, e.g., if there is the Skype app for Blackberry Bold, it doesn't mean that there is the same app for BlackBerry Z10. That wasn't the end, some `native' apps, e.g., Box was switching continuously between web browser and app itself to fill the gaps in software. The lack of apps is also very disappointing! If you compare iPhone's Facebook app to the one on Z10 you will be horrified, as I was! The interface of Z10's Facebook app is so basic, that reminds me of its first version on iPhone or Android, it is so limited! I am returning my phone, I have a life and I don't want to waste my time on `researching' how to make my phone work!Good things about BlackBerry - the phone interface looks good and more functional than iPhone, however, with new iOS 7 this autumn the advantages will be on the iOS side.

I really like this phone. It's my first BlackBerry, I was fed up with Android, and this phone proved to be really good. I like the Operating System, and the fact you can install Android apps too, it's a double win.Pros: great camera quality, good size 4.2'' screen (ideal for me, I don't like the 5'' phones, I finds them uncomfortable), good choice of apps (BB apps have a small footprint too compared to Android apps). Easy to use, good keyboard, good browser...Cons: Data Services and Wifi have a 2-step to turn on and off, as opposed to Android system able switch on-off in 1 touch. Battery is poor (it does not last a day), compared to the Sony Xperia I had before, which had a much longer battery life. I don't know if i can purchase another battery, but this is quite annoying.