BlackBerry Z10 Review

The BlackBerry Z10 is everything to BlackBerry - and I don't just mean for the platform or the newly rechristened company that has adopted the brand for which it is most known. The BlackBerry Z10, the first smartphone to run the BlackBerry 10 operating system, is a sink or swim device that will likely determine if the company will manage to hold on to its ever-dwindling market share and right the ship that sent it from first to worst in smartphone relevance.

Blackberry Z10

The days of a BlackBerry being the definitive smartphone are gone. The BlackBerry Z10 debuts at a time when smartphones are as much about play as they are productivity, and this phone can thrive in this era only if it can strike a balance between entertainment and enterprise. Can the BlackBerry Z10 be the savior that BlackBerry - the company and operating system - so desperately needs?

Hardware & Design

The BlackBerry Z10 has what many might consider a generic appearance. There are no eye-popping colors like we've seen with Windows Phone 8 devices, nor any bold curves to elicit the cliché labeling of a phone being "sexy." It's an all-business box, rectangular and overwhelmingly black except for the silver-colored buttons that appear in limited areas. That's not to say that being all business is boring; the Z10 just so happens to have a design that favors minimalism. The 130mm x 65.6mm x 9mm (5.11in x 2.58in x 0.35in) frame is basically the "Little Black Dress" of smartphones.

Z10: a new dimension

A large bezel and lines along the edges make the BlackBerry Z10 subtly catch the eye, but a user's senses will quickly gravitate to touch. Hard plastic is used for the front and sides of the phone, but a lusciously soft rubber-like material is used for the back of the phone. It has dozens of tiny dimples similar to the Google Nexus 7, and it's definitely one of the most comfortable smartphone materials to rest gently in your palm.

The body is otherwise sparse, as BlackBerry has shed the weight of a physical keyboard and trackball that has been so common for the handset maker. The Z10's only distractions from its otherwise understated build are micro USB and microHDMI ports on the left; a power button and 3.5mm headphone jack on the top; and volume buttons, separated by a button that can pause music playback or be held down to prompt voice commands, on the right. The bottom of the phone houses a speaker that plays music at a decent volume, and there's also a red notification light in the top right corner.

Screen

A 4.2-inch screen serves as the face of the BlackBerry Z10. The display looks excellent thanks to strong brightness, which can be adjusted on a sliding scale, and a 1280 x 768 resolution that densely packs pixels into a smaller space. The high resolution is typically seen on phones with larger screen sizes, so the 356ppi display on the Z10 creates a detailed picture that looks wonderful for videos and text. The brightness levels also translate to a legible screen when viewed outdoors.

Performance & Specs

BlackBerry 10 is an operating system built entirely on the concept of fluidity; users move from one app to the other and change course at an instant. Facilitating that persistent state of movement requires a strong set of internal hardware, and the BlackBerry Z10 fits the bill with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM. The processor keeps the Flow and Peak elements of the BB10 software moving freely, and the phone seems to buzz along with only a few hiccups.

One nagging feature is that when launching an app, the phone first navigates to the Active screen and then launches the app. The act adds only a fraction of a second to the process, but the presentation makes it seem as though the phone is slower than necessary. The same appearance of sluggishness happens when switching between portrait and landscape orientation, which is odd considering that every other aspect of the BlackBerry Z10 navigation appears to be quite fast. BlackBerry 10, at least on the Z10, appears to have excellent memory management and the hardware to effectively run the operating system with practically no drag.

Key BlackBerry Z10 specifications include: 

- 16GB internal storage, microSD slot up to 32GB 

- 4.2-inch IPS display (1280x768 resolution, 356ppi) 

- 1.5GHz dual-core processor 

- Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, microHDMI-out 

- 4G LTE and HSPA+ 

- 1,800 mAh battery

Galaxy S3 vs Nexus 4 vs iPhone 5

Samsung revealed the Samsung Galaxy S3 in May of last year and the handset quickly became the best-seller of 2012. The Apple iPhone 5 came out in September and then the LG Nexus 4 was revealed in November. All of the handsets are superb but which happens to be the best?

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs LG Nexus 4 vs iPhone 5

Power: When it comes to processors the LG Nexus 4 has the Qualcomm quad core of 1.5GHz, while Apple chose the A6 processor for the Apple iPhone 5, which is 1.2GHz. The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with the Exynos processor internationally. The Apple iPhone 5 might have the slowest of the three, however it has twice the speed of the Apple iPhone 4S. As the LG Nexus 4 has the four cores and 2GB it has the best of both. If you want four cores on the Samsung Galaxy S3 then you get 1GB of RAM, while with 2GB of RAM you get dual cores (US version). The LG Nexus 4 has to be the winner.

LG Nexus 4

OS: In terms of the operating system the LG Nexus 4 has Jelly Bean 4.2, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 has 4.1 and of course the Apple iPhone 5 has iOS. This is the most streamlined of the operating systems, but if you need customisation then you would have to choose Android. The Samsung Galaxy S3 and the LG Nexus 4 have Android, but it is the LG Nexus 4 that generally gets updates the fastest as it has the Nexus name. The OS is just personal choice and so this means that it has to be a draw for the LG Nexus and Apple iPhone 5.

Storage: The LG Nexus 4 comes in choices of 8GB or 16GB; however it lacks SD card support. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is in 16GB or 32GB and this can be expanded to 64GB. The Apple iPhone 5 is offered in 16GB, 32GB or 64GB but lacks SD card expansion. This means that the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the winner.

Samsung Galaxy S3

Display: In regards to displays the LG Nexus 4 has 4.7 inches of True HD IPS with 318ppi and resolution of 1280 x 768. The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes in at 4.8 inches and has 306ppi and resolution of 1280 x 720. The Apple iPhone 5 has the 4 inch display, which is the smallest, and 206ppi with 1136 x 640 resolution. While all of the screens are great and this will be a personal choice, the IPS displays do offer more realistic colours and the Super AMOLED is generally hyper real and over saturated. On the plus side the blacks tend to be deep and colours are vibrant. As the LG Nexus has the biggest IPS display it stands out as the winner.

Battery life: You may get around 15 of talk time from the LG Nexus 4 thanks to the battery of 2100mAh. The Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 5 both offer around 8 hours. In recent tests AnandTech said that the Apple iPhone 5 came first and this was followed by the Samsung Galaxy S3, with the LG Nexus 4 just behind, which puts the Apple iPhone 5 ahead.

Design: The LG Nexus 4 comes in at 129 grams with measurements of 133.9mmx68.7mmx9.1mm, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is 136.6×70.6mmx8.6mm and weighs 133 grams and the Apple iPhone 5 is 123.8mmx58.6×7.6mm, with a weight of just 112 grams. If you want a handset with superb looks then it has to be the Apple iPhone 5, with the LG Nexus 4 following on close behind and the Samsung Galaxy S3 in last place. The device does happen to be the smallest and it is the lightest and so the Apple iPhone 5 is the winner here.

Apple iPhone 5

Connectivity: The Samsung Galaxy S3 and the LG Nexus 4 both come with NFC, while it is the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 5 that support LTE. If you have a need for both then you would have to go for the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Camera: The LG Nexus 4 has a camera of 8 megapixels and this has support for 1080p video, LED flash and autofocus, there is also a camera of 1.3 on the front. The Samsung Galaxy S3 along with the Apple iPhone 5 both have a camera of 8 megapixels, which support LED flash and autofocus. The Samsung Galaxy S3 also has a camera of 1.9 and the Apple iPhone 5 a 1.9 on the front. The camera of the Apple iPhone 5 is best in low light and all of the cameras come with points that are good and bad. The LG Nexus features Photo Sphere, while the Apple iPhone 5 has a camera that is excellent in low light conditions and it has the better BSI sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is known for taking video and still together.

Bottom line: If you want a device that is easy to handle and which looks great then you may go for the Apple iPhone 5. If you want a device that is cheap then you could take a look at the LG Nexus 4. The downside is that there are things missing on it, but you do get quite a lot for your money. If you want a handset that is all-round good then you could go for the Samsung Galaxy S3 which has a fair price tag as well. So if you are looking for a handset that covers all the bases without breaking the bank, it has to be the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs. HTC Butterfly: Stylus Vs. 1080p Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has been hogging the phablet spotlight recently, and for a good reason. It's an excellent handset, but it's also not the only option. There exists more than one massive Android smartphone, and here's a look at the two at the top: the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the HTC Butterfly.

Before we start comparing technical specs, it's important to remember these are two different phones that offer two different experiences. One has a stylus and Samsung trimmings, while the other sports a more pure HTC approach. Read on to figure out which one is worth your hard-earned cash. 

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a beast. Not simply because it's huge, but because it is one of the most powerful handsets to hit the market. The Galaxy Note 2 comes with a 5.55-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, and Android Jelly Bean. The handset also features an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. Oh, and the Galaxy Note 2 comes with LTE support.

The HTC Butterfly, on the other hand, is the international variant of the HTC/Verizon Droid DNA smartphone. This means that the HTC Butterfly can claim something the Galaxy Note 2 can't - a 1080p display. In addition, the Butterfly comes with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, and 16 GB storage (just like the Galaxy Note 2). 

While it comes with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, the handset also comes equipped with a more powerful 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. For the record, the U.S, variant of the Butterfly, the Droid DNA, comes with LTE support.

So what's exactly the difference between the Galaxy Note 2 and Butterfly? That's easy to answer since there's one distinguishing feature for both - do you want an S Pen stylus or a 1080p display?

The S Pen stylus is essentially a digital pen for the Galaxy Note 2 that allows for "creative multitasking" according to Samsung. 

You can draw, take notes, and even scribble your secrets into your Android system using the Galaxy note 2. The HTC Butterfly is half an inch smaller and comes with no stylus, although it does feature one of the only 1080p smartphone displays on the market. 

So which is more important to you? A Samsung device with the S Pen stylus, or an HTC handset that will give you 1080p? 

HTC Butterfly Reviews and Specs

Amidst the rumours that some smartphone makers were contemplating coming up with a 1080p display, HTC came out with their HTC J Butterfly for Japan, Droid DNA for the US and simply ‘Butterfly’ for the Malaysian market. 

REVIEW

Beautifully build, awesomely powered and intelligently designed. That’s the everlasting feeling you are left with after fully testing this Snapdragon S4 quad-core ‘superphone’ with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 in just a 5inch form factor. With 2GB of RAM it easily should be the best in class with its benchmark scores, and almost is – tying out with the LG Optimus G in some. The overall performance is enhanced with Adreno 320 GPU, which means playing videos in 1080p or the most graphic intensive games is a breeze.

HTC J Butterfly

 Because of the amazing display, everything just looks spectacular – almost like a dream. And though the 5” form factor has a slightly longer length compared to the breadth (almost iPhone 5-esque), it does not suffer any of the display issues that the iPhone 5 did, as the 1080p resolution is a standard one. Multimedia is enhanced because of the Beats Audio integration, plus there is 25GB of additional storage space via Dropbox to compliment the internal 16GB. 

The microSD card will support up to 32 GB, making space a non-issue. With Android 4.1 Jelly Bean available straight out of the box (upgradable to v4.2) with Sense UI on top, the user experience is smooth, fun and quite intuitive. Extended use, especially graphic- intensive use, heats up the battery a bit. But the same issue we have encountered with every major smartphone with pumped-up specs. 

HTC Butterfly

On the negative, the micro-USB slot feels a bit fiddly to open and the micro-SIM slot too isn’t the best. The nice grip-assuring material at the back ensures the phone never slips out and the excellent finishing overall lends it a distinguished look.

VERDICT

The HTC Butterfly has got a Full HD display before all major smartphone makers, but the gadget is not resting on those laurels only. It performs brilliantly, has excellent Google integration and the Sense UI is pleasantly easy to use and customize. With a plethora of connectivity options to boot, as well as a fairly good battery life, the Butterfly should be high in everyone’s shopping lift, if they can afford the price tag, should be around RM 2,299.00

CAMERA

The 8MP snapper is rather good, perhaps the best camera on a HTC device. The UI is the same that we saw on the One X+, and the front 2.1MP cam has 1080p video capabilities just like the primary cam.

CONNECTIVITY

4G is an option available on the Butterfly along- with Wifi, DLNA, Bluetooth v4.0, AGPS + GLONASS as well as micro-USB.

SPECS

• 5” Full HD Super LCD 3 Display
• 1.5 Ghz Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM, Adreno 320 GPU
• Android v4.1 Jelly Bean (upgradable to v4.2)
• Sense UI 4+
• 8MP with Full HD video recording
• 16GB internal, microSD support up to 32GB
• 140gms, 2020 mAh Li-Polymer battery

Highlights of CES 2013

HUGE SHOW: Attendees filling the aisles at the 2013 International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. - AFP

Being such a massive exhibition, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) always has upcoming products by the truckload. Here are a few of the ones we found particularly interesting:

nVidia Project Shield

One of the big announcements at CES 2013 was nVidia's Project Shield, a handheld gaming console running on the company's Tegra 4 processor and the Android operating system.

Project Shield looks like what you would get if you slammed an Xbox 360 controller and a 5in 720p display together.

This handheld runs many Android games, but it has a trick up its sleeve - much like the Nintendo Wii U, Project Shield can also stream desktop PC games from a compatible PC via WiFi to the handheld.

This means that players can move away from their TVs and play a desktop game on the Shield while their spouses watches a movie.

Xi3 Piston

The Piston from Xi3 was probably best known by another name at CES by various gaming journalists - the Steam Box.

Although it is not the official name nor called that by gaming company Valve who had invested in Xi3 to help produce the Piston, this tiny gaming console will indeed run Valve's Steam digital distribution service.

Although pretty small, the Piston runs on AMD's Trinity platform which features a 3.2GHz quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, four USB 3.0 ports, four eSATA ports and four USB 2.0 ports with up to 1TB of storage.

That's enough power to run many games on the market today, including the graphics intensive ones.

Pebble Watch

Making an appearance at CES was a successfully funded Kickstarter project, the Pebble Watch.

This smart watch has an e-ink display with customisable displays so you can have a different watch face whenever you like by simply downloading a new skin on to it.

We're not talking about differently designed watch hands or an analogue display - the Pebble can completely change its display to any of those but it can also display time in all sorts of funky ways.

However, the reason the Pebble is interesting is that it comes with Bluetooth to connect to your smartphone, as well as the ability to install apps.

These apps can access GPS on the smartphone to display speed and distance, or control music on your smartphone.

CubeX

3D Systems, one of the pioneers of ­consumer 3D printers also showed off the CubeX, a high-end 3D printer with the largest build volume of any current models.

Just to give you an idea, it can print objects about the size of a basketball in one single print job.

The printer itself can use either ABS plastic or PLA at the same time, and even comes with either a single cartridge ­edition which prints in one colour, all the way up to a three-cartridge model which can print three colours at the same time.

The printer's layer resolution is reasonable although not the finest available, at 125microns.

Huawei Ascend Mate

Huawei's Ascend Mate deserves a mention because it seeks to dethrone all other Android phablets with its massive 6.1in screen.

It may not be a Super Amoled screen but it has the same 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution as most tablets, and is protected by Corning Gorilla glass.

Ascend Mate also has a fast 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, a large 4,050mAh capacity battery and 8-Megapixel camera for pictures.

Huawei expects to start ­shipping the Ascend Mate by the second quarter but the price has yet to be announced.

Sensus Touch

Canopy's Sensus touch-sensitive iPhone case has to be one of the most interesting gadgets at this year's CES.

Apart from protecting the underside of your iPhone, the Sensus also adds a touch surface to the back of the device. The case offers multi-touch response for up to 10 fingers to the entire back surface of the phone.

The additional touch surface benefits users as they would be able to run their thumb on the underside of the phone when scrolling up or down when surfing, without their finger blocking the view.

Other potential applications include mobile gaming for apps that support the case.

Canopy is targeting to launch the Sensus for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5 by the middle of this year for USD69 (RM208).

GoPro Hero3

GoPro has announced its Hero3 mountable camera and it's tougher than ever as it is waterproof up to 60m deep.

The rugged model is smaller, lighter and its 12-megapixel ­sensor can capture up to 30 photos per second.

It also offers a wide variety of video recording options that include 1440p at 48fps (frames per second), 1080p at 60fps and 720p at 120fps.

It also has built-in WiFi connectivity and can be controlled via a remote or smart device.

The Hero3 is available now from their website for USD399.99 (RM1,200).

Kingston DataTraveler HyperX Predator

Kingston came out of left field with the world's first 1TB thumbdrive at this year's CES.

Besides an awesome name, the HyperX Predator is a small but mighty USB 3.0 flash drive that can hold as much data as most bulky external hard drives.

It has a rated read speed of 240Mbps read (megabits per second) and write speed of 160Mbps.

There is no word yet on the product's availability and pricing.