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Tampilkan postingan dengan label technology. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label technology. Tampilkan semua postingan

Minggu, 08 Maret 2015

Bocoran Foto HTC One M9 Plus Terkuak, Apakah Tampil Dengan Tombol Fisik?

Jika bocoran sebelumnya menyajikan dua foto yang diduga warna hitam dari HTC One M9 Plus (yang diharapkan diperkenalkan di MWC 2015 bersama One M9). Nah, bocoran foto kini kembali terkuak, bukan cuma dua tapi empat foto, yang berasal dari sumber yang sama di Tiongkok, kali ini nampak menunjukkan warna silver/gold.
Jika foto tersebut memang One M9 Plus, tampak bahwa HTC telah melengkapinya dengan tombol home fisik, jika rumor sebelumnya benar, tombol fisik tersebut mencakup pemindai sidik jari. Selain itu, bagian depan M9 Plus tidak terlihat terlalu berbeda dari One M9, speaker BoomSound, dan tampak terdapat kamera yang cukup besar. Namun, dikatakan bahwa M9 Plus akan mengusung layar Quad HD bukannya panel 1080p seperti yang ditawarkan One M9.



Tidak jelas apakah One M9 Plus adalah perangkat yang sama dengan HTC A55 yang bocor sebelumnya. Menurut @upleaks, HTC A55 diluncurkan sebagai HTC One E9 di Tiongkok (meskipun kabar lain mengatakan bahwa mungkin akan dirilis sebagai smartphone Desire). Mudah-mudahan saja, HTC akan segera mengumumkan smartphone tersebut.

Kamis, 05 Maret 2015

Cara Root Galaxy Grand Duos I9082 Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Firmware

Pengguna Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos I9082 yang telah diperbarui perangkat mereka dengan Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean , dapat melakukan Root (ngeroot) perangkat anda menggunakan tutorial di bawah ini .

Disclaimer: Rooting void garansi perangkat Anda . Kami dan pengembang prosedur rooting ini tidak bertanggung jawab jika ada hasil yang tidak diinginkan dapat terjadi pada perangkat Anda . penggunaan panduan root ini semata-mata risiko Anda sendiri !


Pra-syarat
1 . Instal Driver USB untuk Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos pada komputer Anda .
2 . Aktifkan USB Debugging Mode pada telepon dengan menavigasi ke Settings >> Developer Options .
3 . Buat cadangan dari semua data penting Anda sebelum mengikuti panduan .
4 . The Galaxy Grand Duos harus membuka pabrik dan tidak terkunci untuk semua operator tertentu .
5 . Pastikan baterai telepon telah terisi lebih dari 80 persen .
6 . The CWM Pemulihan dan file SuperSU bekerja hanya pada Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos I9082 . Menerapkan ini pada setiap salah varian kekuatan bata perangkat. Verifikasi nomor model Galaxy Grand Duos dengan memilih Settings >> About Phone .

File Diperlukan :
1 . CWM - touch_i9082_chotu.tar.zip (Mirror Link)
2 . Perbaiki - Recovery.zip (Mirror Link)
3 . UPDATE - SuperSU - v1.51.zip atau versi terbaru
4 . Odin 3.07 (Mirror Link)

Langkah-langkah untuk Instal CWM Recovery di Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos I9082
Langkah 1 : Ekstrak Odin 3.07 dan file CWM - touch_i9082_chotu.tar.zip menggunakanWinRAR/7-Zip/WinZip atau aplikasi lainnya .
Langkah 2 : Salin Fix - Recovery.zip dan file UPDATE - SuperSU - v1.51.zip ke kartu SD eksternal ponsel
Langkah 3: Matikan Galaxy Grand Duos . Kemudian boot perangkat ke Download Mode dengan menekan dan menahan Volume DownHome dan tombol daya secara bersamaan sampai konstruksi Android ikon robot dengan segitiga peringatan muncul di layar . Sekarang tekan tombol Volume Naik untuk masuk Download Mode .
Langkah 4 : Jalankan Odin pada komputer anda sebagai Administrator .
Langkah 5 : Hubungkan Galaxy Grand Duos ke komputer menggunakan kabel USBketika sedang dalam Download Mode . Tunggu sampai Odin mendeteksi perangkat . Bila perangkat terhubung dengan sukses , ID : kotak COM akan berubah menjadi warna biru muda dengan nomor port COM . Selain itu, bila berhasil terhubung akan ditunjukkan dengan pesan yang mengatakan Added .

Catatan : Jika pesan Ditambahkan tidak muncul , maka coba instal ulang driver USB atau mengubah port (kabel USB) pada komputer .
Langkah 6 : Pada Odin , klik PDA dan pilih file CWM - touch_i9082_chotu.tar.md5 . Juga , memastikan pilihan Auto - Reboot dan Re - Partition  di Odin tidak dipilih (tdk dicentang) .
Langkah 7 : Double - cek dan klik Start pada Odin . Proses instalasi akan segera dimulai .
Langkah 8: Setelah proses instalasi selesai , cabut kabel USB untuk melepaskannya dari komputer . Kemudian matikan telepon secara manual ( Keluarkan baterai dan dimasukkan kembali ke dalam ) .

Langkah-langkah untuk Root Galaxy Grand Duos I9082 dengan Instalasi SuperSU via CWM Recovery
Langkah 9 : Boot perangkat ke CWM Recovery dengan menekan dan menahan Volume Up , Home dan tombol daya bersama-sama .

Catatan :
Ini harus boot di CWM recovery jika Anda beralih secara manual dari telepon pada Langkah - 8 .

Langkah 10 : Sekarang pilih install zip dari sdcard , pilih pilih zip dari sdcard dan kemudian arahkan ke file Fix - Recovery.zip . Pilih dan mengkonfirmasi instalasi dengan memilih Ya .
Langkah 11 : Kembali ke recovery menu dan ulangi Langkah 10 tapi kali ini memilih berkas UPDATE - SuperSU - v1.51.zip .
Langkah 12 : Setelah proses instalasi selesai , kembali ke recovery menu dan pilih sistem reboot sekarang untuk reboot ponsel .

Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos I9082  Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, kini telah berhasil di Root. Anda sekarang dapat menginstal aplikasi yang memerlukan izin root. Verifikasi status Root (Root Checker ) perangkat dengan men-downloadnya dari Google Play Store .

Terima untuk semua Sobat pengguna Android telah mampir di blog saya . Metode akar ini awalnya diumumkan melalui XDA - Developers thread asli . Smoga Bermanfaat...............

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review: light in the hand, heavy on the wallet

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review: light in the hand, heavy on the wallet
Sony's consumer electronics division is in an ongoing state of flux. Having already given up on PCs and e-readers, the company recently pledged to make fewer TVs and smartphones in a bid to get its books back in the black. How Sony's strategizing will affect its output of tablets remains unclear, but no doubt a keen eye is being kept on the reception of its latest slate, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (don't let that mouthful of a moniker fool you -- Sony only classes the 8-inch tablet as "compact" to differentiate it from its two previous 10.1-inch devices). The company is renowned for the quality of its premium products, and like the two smartphones that make up the rest of the Z3 family, its newest tablet is a testament to that legacy. Cutting to the chase, it's an elegant and powerful device, but with prices starting at $445/£300, those credentials might not be enough to make you choose Sony over the competition.
GALLERY|30 PHOTOS

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review

  • + See all 30
74
Sony

Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

PROS
  • Thin and light design
  • Stunning display
  • Fast performance
  • Long battery life
CONS
  • Expensive compared to similarly sized flagship tablets
  • Sony's Android skin feels dated
  • Poor camera
SUMMARY
Sony's Z3 Tablet Compact is a well-made, thin and light device with a stunning display, brisk performance and robust battery life. Still, it's difficult to recommend at this price ($445 and up) when there are other thin and light flagship tablets that cost less, many of which offer higher-resolution screens and more capable cameras.

    Hardware

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
    Sony's experimented with quirky devices in the past, but these days it tends to take a distinctly no-nonsense approach to design. Similar to the other members of the Z3 range, the Tablet Compact has a deliberate, square profile, softened only by slight rounding of its corners and sides. Some might call it uninspiring or flat-out boring, but I regard it as stylishly simple. Where other manufacturers might use vibrant colors, clashing textures and a bit of imagination to attract buyers, Sony prefers an IP65/68 dustproof and waterproof rating alongside stainless steel corner guards for extra durability.
    That's not to say it's completely lacking in design accents. Sony's signature aluminum power key is in attendance, and a purely ornamental dark gray border (silver on the white version) around the perimeter of the device serves to break up the rubbery plastic and tempered glass that dominate the back and front, respectively. Dotted along the edges, you'll find a volume rocker next to the power key, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Sony's magnetic dock connector and a couple of sealed cubbyholes: one for the micro-USB port and another protecting the microSD and nano-SIM slots (the latter only being present on the LTE model, of course).
    The direction of the two silver Sony logos on either side of the tablet suggests it's meant to be used in portrait orientation. This is even clearer when you consider the high, central position of the main camera on the back of the device, as you have to be mindful of obstructing the lens when taking photos in landscape mode. Previous Z-series slates -- excluding the curious "tablet edition" of the Xperia Z Ultra -- have sported an almost symmetrical, picture-frame style of display bezel. With this new 8-inch effort, however, the left and right bezels are slim enough that I can grip the tablet firmly with just one hand. While that sounds convenient, it's actually more uncomfortable than it should be to use it this way.
    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
    The power key and volume rocker sit central on the tablet's right edge, and directly opposite is Sony's useless proprietary magnetic dock connector. When I'm grasping the slate with one hand, then, these features are in just the right spot to rub and scratch at my skin. Aside from this design oversight, the tablet is a joy to use, mostly because it's only 6.4mm thick (0.25 inch) and weighs 270g (9.5 ounces). That's even thinner and lighter than the latest iPad mini, which comes in at 7.5mm (0.29 inch) and 331g (11.7 ounces). The Z3 Compact is perfectly balanced and light enough that you can easily suspend it between your paws for extended periods of time without fatiguing; in fact, it's the only tablet I've used that hasn't had me wishing for a case to prop it up in right out of the box.
    An unavoidable side effect of being so thin and light is that the tablet also feels a tad...delicate. Now, the device does bow to my twisting and flexing tests a little more than I'd like, but even then, I'm content with the overall build quality. In other words, I wouldn't choose to make it sturdier at the expense of size or weight. Also, the Z3 Tablet Compactis fully waterproof, after all, so it's not like Sony's thrown this together using spare parts and a roll of duct tape.

    Display and audio

    The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is decked out with an 8-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS LCD display (283 ppi). In simpler terms, that means it has a full HD (1080p) screen with a few pixels left over for accommodating the standard Android navigation keys. As is Sony's way, the tablet's graced with several of the company's display technologies, including Triluminos and X-Reality for richer colors and sharper images. Forgetting the trademarks, the panel is, quite simply, gorgeous. Colors are vivid; whites are accurate; and blacks are basically as good as they can be for an LCD display. Viewing angles are excellent, and the panel can also claim fantastic sunlight readability. On a nice day, you'll still get a modicum of glare coming off the glass, but the screen burns bright enough to be easily visible even in strong, direct sunlight.
    I didn't expect much from the tablet's stereo speakers. The only clues as to their whereabouts are two slivers of missing plastic above and below the display glass, and I can't say these narrow grilles look particularly functional. I guess it was inevitable that I would be pleasantly surprised, however, given my low expectations. Sound is well-defined, even if it is restricted to the middle and top end, and the speakers kick out more than enough volume to annoy everyone in your train carriage. At approximately 75 percent of maximum volume, though, the tablet begins to vibrate and audio loses all sense of clarity as distortion takes hold. The speakers could be way better, and any semblance of bass whatsoever would be appreciated, but there are also worse ways to watch an episode of your favorite show in bed.
    Having had the pleasure of reviewing the excellent Xperia Z3 Compact, I had a hunch the Tablet Compact would be a different animal once a set of headphones was plugged in; and I wasn't wrong. Through headphones, audio is crisp and perfectly balanced, with a healthy bass range to get your head bobbing. There's all manner of technology working away in the background to make sound output as good as it is, such as an audio-resolution upscaling engine, but all you need to concern yourself with is what you want to watch or listen to next. The tablet supports several high-resolution audio formats, too, if you happen to have a particularly fancy digital music catalog.

    Software

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    The Z3 Tablet Compact is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat for now, but Sony expects to upgrade the slate to Lollipop (Android version 5.0) in early 2015. Hopefully it won't just be an under-the-hood upgrade, as the company's custom skin could do with an overhaul, too. It's familiar and comfortable enough, as it doesn't stray too far from the stock Android experience, but it could use refining in the same way Z-series hardware has been subtly nipped and tucked over the generations. At this point, it's almost toocolorful and cartoony, given the business-like appearance of Sony's devices themselves.
    The firm has something of an ongoing love affair with bloatware that could do with being scaled back, for example. Out of the box, you need to spend a moment clearing the Z3 Tablet Compact's home screen panels of unwanted widgets and shortcuts, before setting it up how you actually want it. The overly cluttered app drawer? Well, that's something you just kinda have to put up with, which isn't a huge deal if you make good use of the home screen carousel. Still, having several different gallery apps and various music and movie players could easily be avoided. You can forgive Sony for preloading its own tablet with homegrown services -- of which there are many -- like Video Unlimited, the Lifelog activity tracker and the PlayStation app. I'm less magnanimous, however, when it comes to more obvious bloatware like the OfficeSuite, AVG antivirus, Kobo, QR code reader and Garmin navigation apps. Thankfully, these are all uninstallable, so they can be easily purged if they're of no use.
    Beyond the general verdict that Sony's Android skin is at least intuitive to use, there are a couple of nifty features that also deserve a mention. The baked-in screen-recording function that's accessed via the "shutdown menu" (which pops up after holding down the power key for a second) is neat, even if you don't see yourself using it. Also, the Z3 Tablet Compact supports PS4 Remote Play, meaning you can use it as a wireless screen for your home console as long as both devices are connected to the same WiFi network. Both smartphones in the Z3 series are also capable of this, but it makes way more sense on the tablet due to its significantly larger display.

    Camera

    Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet plays host to a pretty underwhelming pair of cameras, and unfortunately for those hoping for better this time around, the Z3 Tablet Compact is kitted out identically. I doubt you'll care much that Sony hasn't bothered upgrading the 2.2-megapixel front-facing shooter. I've made many a Skype call on the device with no complaints regarding picture quality from the other end, and I guess if you absolutelyhave to take that opportunistic selfie, you'll just be glad to have a shooter on hand. I understand that cameras just aren't a priority for tablet makers. The smartphone photographer is a much more demanding breed of user, whereas a tablet camera is more of a functional asset -- it's there for when you need it. Still, the quality of the 8.1-megapixel camera with its Exmor RS backside-illuminated sensor on the Z3 Tablet Compact is almost inexcusable, especially as Sony expects you to spend the better part of 500 bucks for the privilege.
    GALLERY|24 PHOTOS

    Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact sample shots


    Whether you're using the manual or "Superior auto" setting, which, incidentally, restricts image resolution to six megapixels, photos rarely come out how you want them to. All cameras typically do their best work in situations with plenty of natural light, but even under these conditions, images from the Tablet Compact are frequently washed out, overexposed and lacking realistic color representation. Every now and again, you'll be surprised by the quality of a picture, but only because the previous five have been a disappointment. If there's one compliment you can bestow on the Z2 Tablet's camera, it's that it isn't as bad as the one on the Z3 Tablet Compact. Since they use the same hardware, I can only conclude that the sensor hasn't been calibrated properly in the newer slate.
    It simply can't deal with artificial light, with the auto-white balance setting struggling the most. Low-light performance is a little better. Sometimes images are knowingly overexposed to jack the brightness up a tad at the expense of contrast and color, which isn't unusual in mobile devices. When this doesn't occur, though, you're left with a dark, grainy image -- the kind you won't care to share unless filtered and hashtagged accordingly. As you'd expect, video performance isn't markedly different, with 1080p clips suffering in the same way stills do. The autoexposure setting tends to be commendably consistent, but focus often stutters and the quality of the video itself is lacking. And that's when you're framing a static shot; start panning around and it's like watching a flipbook your eyes can't keep up with.
    I'm certain I could've achieved better quality photos more consistently had I begun digging into the endless menus of Sony's camera app, but that's just not my style. Out of all camera software, that's why I prefer the stock Android app. It takes care of everything for you, and though you could argue Sony's "Superior auto" mode is comparable, the fact that I have the option to tweak settings means I'm always mindful I could be squeezing something better out of the lens. I flat-out dislike Sony's take on the camera app due to the infinite number of settings available. I imagine even a pro photographer would quickly tire of the cumbersome, disjointed menu system, regardless of the deep level of control it seems to offer.
    Alongside the manual and "Superior auto" modes, there are various other camera "apps" available on the device and to download. Some are potentially useful, like the YouTube live-broadcasting mode, Evernote plug-in and "Timeshift burst" feature, which lets you select from a set of images taken before and after you hit the shutter release. Others are there to inject a little fun into the proceedings, such as the augmented reality camera apps that overlay virtual objects and critters onto your images. And some of your photos are bound to be so bad that you'll want to hide them behind dinosaurs and ninjas.

    Performance and battery life

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    The Z3 Tablet Compact might look starkly different compared to last year's 10.1-inch Z2 Tablet, but hardly anything has changed when it comes to the key specs. You're still looking at 3GB of RAM and a quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipset with Adreno 330 GPU, albeit clocked at a slightly higher speed of 2.5GHz. There are a couple of reasons the core internals are nigh on identical. For one, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 SoC is basically as good as they come; and secondly, it's got more power than you realistically need in a tablet. Games like Asphalt 8: Airborne run dreamily on the highest graphics settings, so if you're partial to the odd session of [insert game of choice here], know that it'll run as well on the Tablet Compact as it would on any other top-tier device.
    It should go without saying, since the tablet handles processor-intensive 3D games without a hiccup, but if you need confirmation: The general user experience is super-slick, too. Whether you're swiping furiously through the home screen or app drawer panels, or taking care of the basics like checking email and browsing the web, the Tablet Compact never misses a beat. It's a high-end device with a price to match, and that's most certainly reflected in the performance stakes.
    When it comes to connection protocols, the Z3 Tablet Compact supports practically everything you can think of: dual-band WiFi (up to 802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, ANT+, WiFi Direct, Miracast, MHL 3.0, DLNA and various other, more obscure acronyms. In addition to the two WiFi-only configurations with either 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage, there are two models with nano-SIM slots for tapping into Cat 4 LTE networks (maximum download speeds of 150 Mbps). I've been testing out the SGP621, which supports LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17 and 20. Thus, it's the model most suitable for European and North American markets (though it won't work on Sprint's 4G network), while SGP641 is the SKU for Asia, with support for LTE Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28 and TD LTE Band 40. You're not limited to data traffic on the LTE variants, by the way, meaning you can use the Z3 Tablet Compact as a comically oversized phone if you're so inclined (or have no other choice).
    Battery life is easily one of the standout features of both the Xperia Z3 and its miniature counterpart. The Z3 Tablet Compact is no different. While the slate's 4,500mAh battery isn't oversized for an 8-inch tablet, it lasted between 13.5 and 14 hours in our standard looping-video rundown test from a full charge (I ran it a few times to be sure I was getting an accurate result). To put that into perspective, that's among the best results any tablet's ever achieved.
    In real life, you're looking at more like 10 hours of continuous use, since you'll be losing efficiency by doing more than simply watching a locally stored video for over half a day. Battery life drops dramatically if you're doing more processor-intensive tasks, of course. I used it frequently over the holiday period to Skype with relatives and friends, and I estimate you could stay on a call for around three to four hours from a full charge. If the slate is destined to sit on your coffee table for the majority of its tenure, though, it'll turn out to be one of those devices you forget to charge for days on end, because you simply don't need to.

    The competition

    Right now, you can pick up a 16GB WiFi-only Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact in the US for $479 on Amazon, or £300 through Amazon's or Sony's online UK stores. It really isn't worth springing for the 32GB configuration at $500 or £349 when a 16GB microSD card can be found for significantly less than the mark-up, but if you require LTE connectivity, you're looking at roughly $545 or £399. It goes without saying, then, that this isn't exactly a cheap tablet, and it's hard to justify the price when you can find perfectly good products like Amazon's Fire HD 6 for $99/£79. The Z3 Tablet Compact is in a completely different league, of course, especially when it comes to computing power, but then it depends on what you're going to do with your slate. Plenty of folks would be better off choosing a much cheaper tablet if browsing, emails and social networking are their primary concerns.
    At the higher end of the spectrum, there haven't been too many notable releases since the Xperia Z2 Tablet was launched in early 2014. Of the devices that have comparable screen sizes to the 8-inch Tablet Compact, the strongest competition comes from Google's Nexus 9Apple's iPad mini 2 or 3 and Samsung's 8.4-inch Galaxy Tab S. The Nexus 9 is the newest of the trio, and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. It's a tad heavy, but with a high-res display, decent battery life and excellent performance, it's not a bad device for the $399 asking price. The iPad mini 3 is also $399 for the 16GB configuration, and is a great little tablet all-round, though the $299 iPad mini 2 is arguably a much more attractive option if iOS is more your bag. The 8.4-inch Galaxy Tab S is currently selling for $340 at Expansys, making it the cheapest of the lot. It's thin, light, powerful and carries a gorgeous 2,560 x 1,600 display.
    If you haven't noticed the theme here, let me spell it out for you: The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is at least $80 more expensive than its closest competitors. And the real problem is that I wouldn't consider it to be necessarily better than any of the products mentioned. Each device has its flaws and killer features, so obviously personal preference comes into play when you're deciding what tablet's gonna suit your needs best. But, it's kinda hard to justify the extra expense when the Z3 Tablet Compact doesn't have an obvious edge.

    Wrap-up

    Sony's Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is a lovely piece of hardware. It's light on flair, has a borderline-terrible camera, mediocre stereo speakers and a slightly tired Android build. On the flipside, though, it has a fantastic display (even if it is only a 1080p panel), outstanding performance and long battery life. Maybe I'm just boring, but the facet I like most is how thin and light the tablet is. I haven't really wanted for a new slate since I picked up a discounted OG iPad mini many moons ago. While I've been using the Z3 Tablet Compact, I've grown to adore how... compliant it is. For me, its size and weight are the most impactful features, but therein lies the problem.
    There are other thin and light tablets. Some have higher-resolution screens; others are beautifully designed; and all are cheaper than the $479 Z3 Tablet Compact. A high waterproof rating doesn't justify such a high price, and I shouldn't really be complaining about things like camera performance for that kind of dough, either. I've had the luxury of using the featherweight tablet for an extended period of time -- enough to fall in love with its petite profile -- but I haven't had to drop a cent for the pleasure. While I'd be happy to add one to my gadget repertoire, I simply can't bring myself to drop nearly 500 bones on a tablet that doesn't stand out enough from the crowd. If it were cheaper, maybe -- but for now, I'll stick with my two-year-old iPad mini, thanks.

    BlackBerry Classic review: A love letter to fans and few others

    BlackBerry Classic review: A love letter to fans and few others
    Let's put Apple, Samsung and all their ilk aside for few moments: It really wasn't that long ago that a homegrown Canadian company called BlackBerry (well, RIM at the time) basically ruled the mobile world. The outfit's slow decline has been chronicled, opined upon for years, and yet, some of BlackBerry's most ardent fans still clamor for the days when QWERTY keyboards and teensy trackpads were uber-efficient status symbols instead of the relics they are now.
    Enter the BlackBerry Classic. The name says it all, really: It's a paean to BlackBerry's halcyon days, and it's got a look plucked straight out of 2011, to boot. We took one for an extended spin to see how BlackBerry's throwback formula holds up today, and (very long story short) it's mostly the past mashed up with a touch of the modern. The bigger question, as usual, is whether or not it's worth your time. I suspect you already know the answer, but read on for my full impressions.
    GALLERY|21 PHOTOS

    BlackBerry Classic review

    • + See all 21
    68
    BlackBerry

    Classic

    PROS
    • Its physical QWERTY keyboard is still aces
    • Lots of good software touches
    • BlackBerry holdouts will love the throwback design
    CONS
    • Finding (and installing) apps can be tiresome
    • Hit-or-miss performance
    • Can't remove the battery
    • Mediocre camera
    SUMMARY
    The BlackBerry Classic hearkens back to the good old days, when a solid QWERTY keyboard and a dense design turned phones into full-blown business partners. Alas, with inconsistent performance and an app ecosystem that takes plenty of getting used to, the Classic is still best suited for absolute die-hard productivity hounds and long-standing BlackBerry devotees.

      Hardware

      Historically, BlackBerry has been uneven when it came to build quality: For every tank the company put out, there was one that was unsatisfyingly light. Even the venerable Curves and Pearls of yore skewed toward the lighter, plasticky end of the spectrum. Not so here. The Classic is dense and solidly constructed, as if to declare -- loudly -- that it's more of a tool than a toy. One thing the Classic doesn't share with its old-school comrades is the ability to pop off the rear cover for a foolproof restart or a handy battery swap. No, its dimpled back plate is affixed to the chassis, so all you'll be able to do with it is finger the chrome BlackBerry logo and gaze at the 8-megapixel camera and LED flash running across the top of the Classic's backside.
      Itching to pop in a SIM or a microSD card? Hope you've got a paper clip handy; you'll need one to access the pair of trays along the phone's left side. On the opposite edge, there's a pair of volume buttons separated by a key dedicated to launching the digital assistant (more on that later). And the front? It's just the sort of blast from the past I expected here. It's even got a notification light to pulse at you whenever an email lands in your inbox to complete the historic look. Rounding out the facade is a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera lodged above the 3.5-inch square 720p screen.
      Below all that lies the affectionately named "tool belt," bringing along dedicated Call, End, Menu and Back buttons... and a trackpad. It's been years since I've seen an optical trackpad on a smartphone, let alone used one in lieu of a touchscreen to get stuff done. And you know what? I didn't miss them at all, or so I thought. After a few days, my tune started to change, if only a little. In case it wasn't apparent, the Classic's tiny black nub helps you ably home in on teensy links and subtly nudge the cursor between letters so you can polish off that witty Twitter retort. For such minute operations, the trackpad is just lovely. You can use it for grander gestures too, like scrolling through a story, but in those cases it never feels quite as comfortable swiping a thumb down a glass touchscreen (Gorilla Glass 3, in this case).
      If anything, it almost makes more sense as a supplement to a touchscreen than a means of navigation unto itself. The rest of the tool belt is as straightforward as it is functional, with only the Menu button coming off like a relic. BlackBerry has spent more than two years refining the way BB10 works with a touchscreen, adding gestures that feel natural and replace the Menu key almost entirely.
      And then there's the keyboard. I've always been fond of retro devices like the BlackBerry Tour 9630, a phone whose tiny QWERTY keys got me through at least one college paper dissecting some long-dead poets and a failed relationship or two. The Classic has a pretty standard four-row affair, with all your letters, numbers and punctuation crammed into the top three rows leaving the space bar and Symbol keys (remember those?) all by themselves. If you've never picked up a BlackBerry before, the size and density of these keys will take some time to get used to; it took three or four days before muscle memory kicked in and I could peck out messages with something approaching the fury I used to have. And after that? I wouldn't quite call it typing nirvana, but there's a comforting amount of travel and a satisfying click to those keys. Welcome home, BlackBerry fans. It would've been nice if the company had transplanted some of that sweet, sweet gesture-tracking tech we saw in the Passport into the Classic, but "newfangled" isn't the name of the game here.

      Display and sound

      Beyond the obvious Huey Lewis joke, there isn't a lot to be said about the Classic's 3.5-inch square screen; it's bright enough to use in direct sunlight, and colors are plenty vivid, too. BlackBerry was kind enough to let you tweak the screen's white balance right from the settings, something that just about every other smartphone maker out there is loath to do. Is it going to do much good for anyone who isn't seriously finicky? Maybe not, but I couldn't help but dial down the default warmth level a touch anyway. It's certainly not the most pixel-dense screen you'll encounter, which is slightly tragic since the Passport squeezes four times as many active pixels into a screen that's only an inch bigger diagonally. Once again, we've got BlackBerry's business-friendly mantra to thank here; small as the display is, there's still enough space to get you thumbing through emails and tweets without too many complaints.
      Speaking of the sort, yes, I've got a few. A square display doesn't sound all that obtuse in theory, but the reality can be rougher than you might think. The lack of vertical screen space means that your thumb will get more of a workout because of the additional scrolling needed to plow through an article. The kicker: Just about every video you watch on your phone will be flanked by some serious letterboxing thanks to the aspect ratio mismatch. You'll usually find way more empty space surrounding a video than there is video itself, but that's fine -- the lackluster speaker lodged on the Classic's bottom helps ensure you won't want to watch for long anyway.
      There's a noticeable hollowness -- a lack of depth -- to the sound issuing forth from the driver, which I guess is in keeping with the Classic's predilection for serious business. (Don't be fooled by the other speaker-like grille on the other side of the micro-USB port; that's the microphone.) You'll want to plug in some headphones to get the full experience -- such that it is -- but avoid the ones that come in the box. When I tear into the packaging of a new phone, those pack-ins are usually the first things that get tossed in the junk drawer and these earbuds were destined for the same fate. They're a comfortable pair, even surprisingly so, but they sound pretty lousy. Grab a $10 pair from your local big-box store -- trust me. You'll be a lot happier.

      Software

      We did a deep dive on BlackBerry 10.3 when we played with the Passport last year, so I won't dwell too much on the nitty-gritty. Suffice to say, the platform has come a long way since those early days. The version loaded on the Classic (10.3.1, to be precise) looks a little flatter and feels more polished than builds we've futzed with in the past. Let's start from the top.

      The BlackBerry Hub (a slide-out panel that offers tantalizingly quick access to all of your messages) continues to be the best part of the BB10 experience. No matter where you are, no matter what app you've got running, that unified inbox is just a swipe away. For FOMO-prone types like me, it's a godsend. BB10 also sports what's probably my favorite visual multitasking metaphor since the days of webOS cards, and now you can dismiss each of those apps (up to eight of those active frames are visible at any one time) with a click of the Back button when they're highlighted.
      New to this build is the ability to run apps in the background without an active frame, which can be jarring the first few times; I apparently granted Rdio background access and it took me time to figure out how to kill it. Those two features in tandem speak to just how seriously BlackBerry takes its beloved productivity angle, and it doesn't stop there. I won't lie: I bristled at the idea of loading up my full-to-the-brim work computer with yet another mostly pointless smartphone-management app, but BlackBerry Blend is probably the best-executed of the lot. Setup took all of a few moments once I remembered my BlackBerry account details, and marking emails as read and adding calendar entries reflected immediately on the Classic. Good stuff.
      Even some of BB10's me-too features impressed, like BlackBerry's virtual assistant (which also doubles as the Search interface whenever you start typing something while on the home screen). Thing is, invoking it by holding a button on the side of the phone was strangely inconsistent; it'd work just fine about 95 percent of the time, but I've spent more time scratching my head wondering about the other 5 percent than I care to. It's a silly little error, and one that needs fixing. Once you've roused it, though, your phone-bound concierge is plenty smart. I needed to dig up a scheduling email from my boss sent weeks ago, and just couldn't be bothered to do all the swiping and typing required. Instead, I asked my assistant if I had "any messages about news from Terrence," and a moment later, it surfaced exactly what I was looking for.
      It didn't take long for me to use the BlackBerry Assistant for other things I could've easily done by hand. Turning off Bluetooth and turning on WiFi? Launching apps? Checking in on Foursquare? All easily handled by talking at a phone. After a while, it became less about the utility of the thing and more about seeing how awkward I could get before it stopped recognizing my words. (I gave up when the assistant correctly rendered and interpreted "What type of Pokémon is Charizard?" with Wolfram Alpha's help.) If the assistant dismissed itself and let me pick up where I left off, I'd like it even more.
      And now it's time we acknowledge the hulking mammoth in the room: There's still a noticeable dearth of apps for BlackBerry 10. CEO John Chen knows just how dire the problem is. In an open letter meant to tap into a larger conversation about net neutrality, he basically asked developers of big-name apps to bring their wares to BlackBerry 10 because, well, it's only fair right? Sorry, John. It's a shitty, vicious circle, but that's just not how it works and the end result is an app landscape that still feels barren even after two years.

      Let's consider some of the big names, shall we? I don't post much on Facebook and Twitter, but I'm a sucker for sharing photos on Instagram. Those first two social networks are well represented by a pair of native apps, but you'll have to turn to third-party offerings to get your filtered-food-photos fix. Productivity and communications tools like HipChat, Yammer, Convo and Slack don't exist in BlackBerry World either, and that's a shame considering the Classic's business-friendly ethos. Those omissions alone mean this thing wouldn't fly as a work tool here at Engadget, nor in any of my other post-college jobs. When it comes to media, there's Pandora, but no Rdio or Spotify apps. That said, you can find versions of the latter two in Amazon's Android app store. If you're looking for something really specific, you'll have to get your hands on the Android .APK and sideload it onto your Classic. Thankfully, that's gotten easier over the past few months; with a little patience and some elbow grease, you can get a mostly working version of the Google Play Store running on BlackBerry 10 devices.

      Camera

      Summing up BlackBerry's classic device philosophy is pretty simple: They're great for business and lousy as cameras. Sad to say, but history really does repeat itself; neither the 8-megapixel rear shooter nor the 2-megapixel selfie camera is worth writing home about. Out of the box, the Classic was set to shoot photos with a 1:1 aspect ratio, which is great for Instagram and the square screen, but less so for viewing images on other displays. A quick pop into the Settings will fix that right up; from there you can choose 4:3, 16:9 or a new panorama mode.

      BlackBerry's promo materials insist that the Classic's camera is snappy, and you know what? It is -- when it wants to be. With the sun overhead or bright lights nearby, you can hardly tell you've snapped a photo at all -- it's that fast. (There's also something satisfying about using the space bar to snap a shot, but I digress.) Thing is, the camera does an about-face in dim conditions where you need to use the flash. I've spent too much time after pressing the shutter button wondering if it worked -- only to move my hand inadvertently, and then I realize I've just ruined a picture in progress. Even under otherwise decent conditions, letting the camera autofocus can take a while, and even then it has trouble locking on stuff in the foreground. Unless you drag the focus reticle around yourself, expect your fair share of soft photos.
      GALLERY|14 PHOTOS

      BlackBerry Classic sample shots

      On the upside, images are reasonably detailed and pretty well-saturated. A semiautomatic HDR mode helps fill in the gaps, though; whenever you point the camera at a brightly lit scene, a notification drops down from the top asking if wouldn't rather HDR-ize whatever you're looking at. Honestly, you might as well just use it full-time. Naturally, the Classic shoots 720p or 1080p video in a pinch with mostly pleasing results: Colors aren't oversaturated and the resulting footage is lacking in crispness, but it's enough to capture the kids flinging their first spoonfuls of macaroni.

      Oh, and be sure to lock your phone before you slip it back in your pants. I was puzzled to discover a slew of seafoam green images and pitch-black videos in my camera roll, and I can only surmise they were snapped from inside my pocket. Silly me: I'd forgotten how finicky physical buttons and tight denim can be.

      Performance and battery life

      BlackBerry didn't bother throwing in the same top-tier parts here as it did in the square-shaped Passport. In fact, BlackBerry apparently wanted to complete the throwback formula by choosing a chip that's been around for ages: a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus, paired with 2GB of RAM. That might sound like a nail in the Classic's coffin, but the reality isn't nearly that grim. The process of actually navigating the Classic -- thumbing down web pages, swiping between home screens and sifting through messages in your Hub -- is all pretty painless. Then again, BlackBerry has almost always nailed this sort of bread-and-butter functionality, so it's really no surprise that the Classic handles all that with aplomb.
      (This is the point in the review where I'd normally drop in a pretty little table of benchmarks, but that would've been an exercise in futility -- a slew of Android benchmarking apps might have run on the thing, but there's no way they were going to tell us the full story.)
      With all that said, there's still a lingering sense of slowness that can be hard to ignore sometimes. And those sideloaded Android apps? They can be rock-solid when they feel like it, but more often than not you'll tap one to launch and wait... and wait... before it finally springs to life. Oh, but wait: Your ordeal isn't over yet. There's also the question of how well the app will even run. Rdio, for instance, moved with all the urgency of a glacier, which would almost be tolerable if it could consistently play music worth a damn. Longish startup times aren't even exclusive to apps you've downloaded yourself, either. I stared at a black screen for seven or eight seconds waiting for something as mundane as the Reminders app to get its act together, and five-second lulls were common when firing up still other first-party apps. These constant, seemingly minor delays are an ever-present reminder that what I had in my hands wasn't even pretending to be a flagship. They're the price you pay to own a piece of nostalgia incarnate.
      At least you won't be left wanting more juice. The non-removable 2,515mAh battery will easily get you through a full day plus a bit of downtime at home before needing a top-up. Thanks to a battery-saving mode baked into BB 10.3.1, I managed to get the phone to last until noon the next day, but even so, the brightness and performance trade-offs can be a bitter pill to swallow. Thankfully, you can determine when those power-saving measures kick in, and even if you want them to at all. Here's what really gets me, though: Sticking around for a full day of work is table stakes for a BlackBerry, and the Q10 hangs in there just about as long as the Classic does with a removable battery. While it would've been nice to see the company give us the option of swapping cells, the battery is really the least of the Classic's issues.

      The competition

      Let's face it: If you're even considering this thing, it's because you feel that deep, urgent sense of longing for everything BlackBerry stands for. If that's the case, you may want to consider the Passport instead: Its innards are in line with plenty of other top-tier smartphones on the market, and that curious touch-sensitive keyboard is all sorts of lovely once you get used to it. Throw in a bigger, more pixel-packed screen and you've got yourself a real BlackBerry flagship... even if it did make us all scratch our heads when we first saw it. Both the Classic and the Passport (or at least, a less pointy version of it) will be available on AT&T at some point, but there's still no firm word on when. For now, if you're a BlackBerry buff in the US and you need to replace your aging Bold, buying these things unlocked at full price is the only way to go.

      On the off chance your BlackBerry allegiance is starting to waver, you could also cut out the software middleman and go straight for an Android device. Bear in mind, the Classic costs $449 unlocked -- assuming you could wait until Tuesday rolls around, a 64GB OnePlus One could be yours for a full $100 less. Yes, you lose the thrill of pecking on a physical QWERTY keyboard, but you'll get a better screen, a better camera and Android apps that run the way they're supposed to. If you're considering signing an agreement with AT&T to get the Classic, you could also nab a contract-free LG G3, a device we mostly loved that'll cost you about $30 more than an unlocked Classic. Neither of these choices will really sate your desire for a BlackBerry, but they will be worthy pocket companions. And hey, if you ever long for the company of your BlackBerry-toting friends, the BBM app is just a few taps away in the Google Play Store.

      Wrap-up

      Saying that the BlackBerry Classic isn't for everyone is like pointing out that snow is really quite chilly and oxygen is a lovely thing to breathe. It's so obvious that it barely means anything at all. What the Classic is, though, is a mostly reliable device, so long as you're willing to put up with its many, many quirks. I toted the thing through the thrumming hellscape that is the CES show floor, and I was grateful for its comfortable keyboard and its constant flow of easily glanceable messages. But did I feel so much as a pang of regret or longing when it came time to put the Classic back in its box?
      Take a wild guess. Everything I needed to get my job done and beyond (even with stringent corporate IT policies in place) was available -- and ran better -- on my iPhone and Android devices. In the end, the Classic is a device with its heart in the right place, but a head stuck in the past. Unless you've been on this roller-coaster ride since the good old days, or you're a sucker for a good underdog story, leave this thing on the shelf. The rest of the world has moved on, and you probably have too.

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