Everyday, I’m on the go; my active lifestyle keeps me on my feet, from training sessions to teaching group exercise classes. That’s why I’ve been a BlackBerry devotee since I started using smartphones. I don’t need to sit in front of a laptop to pull up information; I can just browse for it straight from my BlackBerry’s browser. I love how I can manage my emails, social media (Twitter, Facebook) and calls and texts from one device. So even though I’m mostly moving around the city by myself, I’m always just a text, call, email, tweet, or PM away from other runners.
However, all phones have a lifespan; my much-used and well-loved Curve 9360 was on its last legs earlier this month when I received my new BlackBerry Z10 from Globe.
Z10 vs. Curve 9360
The Z10 is the flagship phone from BlackBerry carrying their latest operating system, BlackBerry 10. This is a completely redesigned OS that centers around a gesture-based interface and what is called the Hub, which pulls together into one standby pane all your text messages, emails, calls, and notifications from social networks.
the BB OS 10 Hub
At a glance I can scroll down or search everything the Hub has recorded of all my messaging, which helps me stay organized even during a busy week.
BB 10’s gesture-based interface for the Z10 is very fluid. There’s no physical Home button; instead, you swipe up from below the screen to exit to the Main Menu, you swipe down from above the screen to get to the settings of a particular app, and you swipe up and left to Peek at the Hub (swiping from inside the screen border scrolls the display). All of these gestures can be done one-handed, which came in handy when I did some treadmill running and stationary cycling at the gym while waiting for some important messages and calls.
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Peek reveals I have one Facebook notification
With an uber-fast 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM, the Z10 is much faster than my old Curve 9360. Its HD graphics are also eye candy, making it a joy just to move within the phone’s screens.
The new OS also allows apps originally available for Android to be “sideloaded” onto the Z10, which meant I can finally have Instagram on my phone! (Please follow @kikayrunner on Instagram and Twitter.) Hopefully when apps have been developed natively for the BB 10 OS, we’ll have less need for sideloading, but it’s an awesome function to have.
The lifeblood of any smartphone is a data connection. With my Z10, Globe PowerSurf, and LTE connection I’m assured the fastest most reliable connection so I’ll never miss an update. The Philippine running community is linked together not just by face-to-face affiliation, but by their interaction online as well. I enjoy how connected I can be with the rest of the running community through my BlackBerry Z10.
Staying Connected with my BlackBerry Z10
Hi. Are you still using your blackberry z10? Were you able to buy cases for it? If yes, where? Thank you!