Blackberry Passport, best in it's class.

A class of it's own!  Work smart, work 'wide' Blackberry Passport review!

When you first see the blackberry passport, you might be kind of Freaked out by its appearance. But don't let that sway you away from a beautiful experience on a mobile device. By today's standards, the average cell phone user might say that the BlackBerry Passport is weird. But they will be wrong.

Let's start by talking about one of the best features on the blackberry passport, the 4.5 inch display. It comes in at 1440 x 1440, which is a pixel resolution density of 453. I would say that is well above today standards, if not right at the top. The screen on blackberry passport is beautiful, and very vibrant. It displays text and pictures, and all colors when viewed beautifully.

Next let's talk about the keyboard, the three row keyboard that BlackBerry has placed on this device. BlackBerry markets this device as a device that you want to use to work wide, and they've succeeded in that area. Here are some of the functions that the BlackBerry keyboard can actually do.

• Gestures like flick to type
• Word predictions
• Voice to text
• Double tap keyboard to show cursor
• Touch sensitive keyboard
• Keyboard can be used as mouse
• Swipe down to expand on screen options
• Cut and paste
• Switch between languages easy

With this keyboard you can do all of those things. My first experience was with the BlackBerry Z10 using flick to type. I couldn't get used to this feature on the BlackBerry Z10, probably because it was already a touchscreen device. I know now that I just needed the sensation of something on my fingertips while typing. Typing on the blackberry passport won't make you any faster at what you're doing, but it will make you more accurate. I've noticed that I make less mistakes when using the blackberry passport, and that's a good thing.

Moving onto one of the best features of the blackberry operating system as a whole, is the

BlackBerry Hub. The BlackBerry Hub is essentially just a central location for all of your notifications. While others have tried to implement this type of notification Center, BlackBerry has done  it the best. From social media, emails, text, SMS picture mail, anything you can think of is housed in one location call the BlackBerry Hub. If you like to keep things organized, the BlackBerry Hub is for you.

BlackBerry include some great features with BlackBerry 10.3. One of the best additions to BlackBerry 10.3, is the Amazon app store. In the Amazon app store you can find tons of games, applications, and anything you need that can't be found in BlackBerry World. It may not be perfect, but it's a great addition to a fantastic operating system!

This time around BlackBerry included BlackBerry voice assistant, and it is very nice and very accurate. Web browsing, call quality, speaker quality, battery, camera quality, are all fantastic on the blackberry passport. The blackberry passport has a 3450 mAh battery, and it is sure to last you for at least a 24 hours and still have some battery left before you end your day. I've managed to get a full on every charge, while using the device. I would end mu day with about 20 to 30% everyday. Which is just great, considering I on it nonstop from the morning until. Emails, lots of text and BBM, and loads of Web browsing all of which won't run down the batter on the BlackBerry Passport in a day.

My overall experience with the blackberry passport is phenomenal, and I would highly recommend this device. Even if you're not a business person, or persons going to use this device solely for business. It is still going take good care of all your personal needs.   

The Blackberry Passport comes in 4 colors. 

• Black
• White
• Red (limited edition)
• Black/Gold (limited edition)

The Black one has a soft touch feel on the back, while the White version is more of a Matte feel.  I have not used the Red, or the Black/Gold versions.  But I would imagine they are about the same.  This device is just a joy to use as my daily device, and it has held up great for the way I use it.  It feels good in your hand, and will not slip out like some other devices we currently use.  This device has a nice texture on the back, so it will stay snug in your hand.  Speaking of slipping out of your hand, or dropping it.  I don't think the Blackberry Passport will break on the first drop.  Nor the second or third for that matter, because it is well put together.  It has a steel beam construction, that runs through the middle of the device which hold it together.  Great idea by Blackberry to go with this design element, it gives it a nice look as well.  When putting it in your pocket, or wherever you will know it's there....because it weighs in at 196g.  However, that is not a bad thing, because I like to know my phone or device is there while stored.  Don't let the weight fool you, it is not like what you would imagine.  By today's standards, it's right in line with tons of other devices in the weight category.  

All in all, I rate this device a 9.9/10...and that is only because of the way it is built.  For the average user, it will take them some time to get used to the size of the screen and how the device is shaped.  For me, it took all of 15 mins to an hour to fall in love.  I have/had lots of big devices already, (iPhone 6 Plus, Note 1,2,3, and 4, MediaPad X1, Mate 2, and so on), and this one fits in perfectly.

I think this is a must have/try to the non believers who might think it's not a good device.  You have to try it, before you can speak on it.  Check the video below at the break...you might like it.

A full listing of the specs can be found clicking on this link - Blackberry Passport specs sheet but I've listed some of the important ones below.

• 4.5 inch LCD capacitive square touchscreen (1440 x 1440 coming in at 453ppi)
• Custom 3 row touch sensitive keyboard by Blackberry
• Snapdragon 801 Quad Core processor, clocked at 2.26GHZ
• 3GB of RAM & 32GB of storage, with SD card support up to 128GB
• 13mp rear camera, 2mp front camera
• BBM messenger
• Blackberry HUB
• Dual band Wi-Fi
• Non-removable 3450mAh battery

If it's not tech, it's not worth talking about.

J. Williams

I've found another one that I like!

Nokia Lumia 830

There are very few offerings of Windows Phone devices currently on the market today, and Nokia is the leader.  If you were to ask some people if they have a Windows Phone, they might just look at you and laugh.  I will agree that WP is not very popular to most, or as popular as iOS or Android.  However, that does not mean it is not a great OS to use.  If you think about it, most people use a PC daily.  So you would think that a WP would be their first choice, right?  Wrong.  Today, there are more iOS and Android devices floating around than WP, and that's just a shame if you ask me.

One reason people may not choose WP over iOS or Android, is because they are not educated on the OS.  I also believe that store reps who sell phones, do not push the product enough so people will know how nice it really is.  I've actually experienced this in a local store.  When I asked about the Nokia Lumia 1520, all I was told is that I don't want to get a Windows Phone.  I should get an iPhone or Android phone, but when I questioned why?  There was no rebuttal at all from the rep, and he had no idea about Windows Phone OS.  Sadly, but I digress.

Let's move on to why this device is a really nice one to own, and why I think you should consider picking one up if you are in the market for a new phone.

I will start with some of the main things it has offer you...

• 5 inch screen (a nice sweet spot for a screen size)
• Removable 2200 mAh battery - this battery will last you at least 1.5 days on a single charge
• 10mp Carl Zeiss Pureview Camera - it takes some GREAT photos and videos
• MicroSD, that can hold up to 128GB SD card
• 16GB of on board storage, with 1GB of RAM

That's  just a few that I wanted to point out, but overall it's a good package for a phone.  (click here for a full list of the specs)  There are plenty of phones that offer much higher specs, but specs don't mean much if the phones doesn't perform well.  Most would agree to this.  I've been using this phone daily for the last week straight, and it has not failed me in any way.  There are a few short comings, but I will give my cons in a bit.  

The screen on this phone is a 720p 5 inch display, and has 294ppi.  Which equates to a clear, smooth, beautiful experience on a phone.  I did lots of web browsing, and watched lots videos.  All of which was solid, and it performed without a hiccup.   Netflix looks great on this phone, it's truly sharp crisp display and you will enjoy it.

The Camera on this phone to me, is the main highlight.  It takes some of the best photos I've ever seen on a mobile device, and I've got lots of them.  The Nokia Lumia 830 doesn't have the highest pixel count on a phone today, but what it does have is Carl Zeiss.  That name alone, says quality!  This is a huge jump over your average cell phone today, and the fact that I can have it on my $400 phone is just amazing.  The videos and photos produced from this 10mp camera, are just fantastic.  You will be amazed if you give it a try, and might even consider it one of the best you've used.  I tested this camera in more ways than one, and even put it up against some of my 'so called' higher end phones.  To tell you the truth, it held it's own!  See the issue I have with some people who do 'tech' reviews on mobile phones, is there standards.  They are too high, and in most cases phones that don't have super specs are overlooked sadly.  Well, on to the next topic at hand.

The battery!  All I can say is 'ALL DAY LONG' it will last you all day!  I had no problems making it through a full day on a single charge, and even made it almost 3 days.  That being said, screen on time was around 5 to 6 hours.  I'm a heavy user, so a person that is not constantly on their phone, will get even better battery than me. 

Cons?  Yeah I have a couple, and they are minor...very minor.  So the back cover on this phone is even worst than a samsung back over, and we know how bad those are.  I feel like I can break this thing so easy, it's scary.  I know we don't take the back cover off that often, but when you do it is not the strongest of the bunch.  Next is the front camera.  While I like it, and I think it is very solid for a front camera...I wanted at least a 2mp on the front.  Images are okay, and video chat is good...and I will leave it at that.

So that's it for now folks, check out the video at the break. You can watch my full review as well.

Remember, if it's not about 'Tech' it's not worth talking about.

J. Williams