Gadgetory

there's something in em about using a blackberry in 2014 some of it is the pure nostalgia that comes with a 15 year old brand but the bigger part is the software BlackBerry 10 is a blend of old and new a kind of hodgepodge of traditional successes alongside more exotic ideas that couldn't flourish elsewhere and while the company continues to suffer from carrier woes and a steady loss of market share it's by no means taking these punishments sitting down its latest operating system update just recently cleared US carrier approval bringing a host of important upgrades to the BlackBerry experience and we're here to take a look at it I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow and this is our video review of the new software powering one of mobiles oldest brands blackberry 10 to one blackberry first officially announced the improvements contained in this update back in January but as American carriers have only recently gotten around to approving the update the list bears a quick review 10.2 that one brings enhancements to the BlackBerry hub a simplified dialer lock screen messages and picture unlock capability new quick settings new group support and SMS and email offline reading in the browser to sync enhancements automatic app updates a new device manager and enterprise upgrades we won't cover here it also enables the FM radio on BlackBerry's that have FM tuners installed and perhaps most crucially it makes third-party Android apps much easier to install if that sounds like a lot to swallow it is and it's not even the complete list but BlackBerry has implemented the improvements without disrupting the flow of blackberry 10 which we've praised in our reviews of the c13 q10 and others to see those reviews and our other blackberry coverage and follow us on social media and subscribe here on youtube swiping between cards and the app stack is as fluid as ever and the hub is just a peek away as before we still love the unified inbox which continues to reflect BlackBerry's expertise in messaging and there are more options for managing behavior now the new message banners are a great addition we've been asking for since Blackberry tens debut they render the entire experience much more glanceable than before obviating the need to peak quite as often probably our favorite messaging edition though is the new pinch to filter command which is a genius move we have ours set to display unread notifications on pinch so that we can immediately display the messages we haven't yet responded to but you can set it to do whatever you want other features have appeared like text wrapping and emails general search improvements image resizing server-side deletion and more everything you'd expect from a world-class messaging platform and most of what we wanted in the original BlackBerry 10 unfortunately the hub hasn't been sped up in general marking prior messages as read is possible but it's still cumbersome and still quite slow especially on older devices like the q10 this sluggishness extends to individual messages as well to the point where even opening a Twitter mention can entail a significant delay these pauses might seem insignificant but they stack up over time to make one of BlackBerry's best features one of its most frustrating counterbalancing that frustration is the platform's enhanced Android app support BlackBerry 10 has always run Android apps but now it's much easier to install them it's a simple matter of finding the apk for the app you're looking for and installing it from the browser we've had good luck with sites like apk train but you can even install hubs like the Amazon App Store if you're looking for something a little more legitimate this is without question 10.2 ones most significant upgrade since it throws open the doors to a much broader app selection than exists in blackberry world the apps don't all run without incident titles which rely on Google Play services won't work without some hack arounds security risks are a bit higher than updates are nowhere near as convenient as on an actual Android device some apps just plain don't run at all but if you can get around the stumbling blocks you can run hundreds of thousands of Android apps on your blackberry a huge payoff that makes the inconvenience worth it if you're a hardcore blackberry devote a back to the native updates they run the gamut from the curious to the Handy the new picture unlock isn't groundbreaking but it certainly stands out same for the new dialer which now offers text replies and the quick settings drop-down menu which brings faster system toggles it's also nice to be able to save web pages for later viewing yeah these upgrades are kind of small potatoes but they make blackberry feel a little more modern a little less stodgy and the more utilitarian improvements like the automatic software updates device manager and battery life enhancements are certainly welcome as well on the more creative side BlackBerry has given thought to some little things like calendar reminders if a reminder pops up and you know you're going to be late you can tell the BlackBerry that and it will tell the people you're meeting with which is pretty cool it's these little touches that push an already smooth and smart experience into the territory of something special we just wish there were more such touches throughout the OS or that they'd appeared sooner unlike bigger brands this company doesn't have the luxury of muddling along by competing with its past self people need a reason a WOW factor to choose blackberry over the competition then since 10.2 that one doesn't bring that necessarily we're still left waiting for the next version to blow our socks off sadly familiar refrain but 10.1 is the best version of the platform yet by a long shot it's a significant upgrade to the unique hodgepodge that is bb10 one that brings current BlackBerry owners a small step closer to parity with their ios and android toting compatriot while also reminding the world that blackberry may be down but it's not out not yet