Yes it's been a while since I've blogged, I've been busy and have a had a lot of students.
Anyway, you probably remember my post "BlackBerry Inspires." I loved my Q10, but was shopping around for something even greater (hard to find!) for whenever my Q10 decided to leave the world. I initially considered the BlackBerry Classic, because it was as nice as my Q10 but had the optional trackpad like my primitive BlackBerry Curve AND it was available in blue (score!). Then I feasted my eyes on the BlackBerry Passport. Squarish, dorky, yet practical & functional as frick. THEN I learned of the BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition. I was like "It's just a different color, why is it $50 more??" I watched YouTube videos to see what the difference was between the Passport and the Passport Silver Edition. I began to learn of its superiority over the Passport. Better speakers, better grip on the back panel, protective metal ring around the camera, larger "chin" below they keypad, and a beastly stainless steel frame. I had to have it!
The Passport (including the Silver Edition), has a Gorilla Glass 3 screen, a touch-capacitive keypad (weird concept but handy), and a 13MP camera (more than my Nikon at 10MP!). In addition, this phone is unique-looking and beautiful, and in the week I've had it, I've gotten A LOT of comments on it. This is my lovely new phone:
I have taken some pretty nice photos with it, and I have had a MUCH easier time reading messages and web sites. I have even flipped it sideways and scrolled through web sites on the touch-capacitive keypad. This phone also has EXCELLENT speakers. It's a loud phone, so the alarm clock never fails to wake me up, even through my earplugs. Music and even notification sounds are so much fuller sounding. The screen is VERY bright--it's turned down a little in that photo to save the battery. I was able to really blossom when taking photos on the go with my Q10, and now I blossom even more as a photographer with the Passport Silver Edition. Here are some of my favorites taken on the new phone:
Click here for a comparison between the Passport and the Passport Silver Edition.
Click here for a showcase of the Passport's speakers compared to most modern smartphones.
Also, because this is a BlackBerry 10 device, not only can it run Android apps through the Amazon Appstore, BUT you can also download the Google Play store and download any app that is available on Google Play, so you don't miss out on your favorite apps!
The screen is BIG and wide, I can see more of my emails and web sites, my calendar, my message hub, etc.
Here is BlackBerry's "Work Wide" Passport commercial.
Here is a video breaking down the touch-capacitive keypad.
I also love the video camera, it takes video up to 1080p, and you can enhance the video just like you can with pictures, including a "Slow Motion" feature that most of my Facebookies have seen me playing with a lot lately.
My New Year's resoltuion for 2016 was to use my Q10 to get and STAY organized, and I managed to do it for the entire year. Now I am continuing with that on my Passport Silver Edition. I've had it for a week, and already it's been an excellent tool for fun, for work, and for teaching music lessons. My students can easily hear the companion recordings that go with their books thanks to the juicy speakers. I can also send teachers high quality photos of their students' registration forms so they are able to read all the information clearly. It's been better for phone calls--the caller's voice is loud and clear, and they can easily hear me. The BBM Video function is better because I can see Nathan on a bigger screen, and he receives higher quality video of me that no longer lags or skips, even without wi-fi turned on (just over a data network). I have also spent a lot of time researching this particular phone model, so I knew a lot about it when I got it, and I am also learning more about the BlackBerry 10 OS. I started watching stuff from Jan Ole Helmbold on YouTube, and I have learned a lot from him (and I think it's cute how he says "Spo-dee-fy" instead of Spotify because he's German). Here's to more enjoyment of my BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition!
*Enjoy your day*
