The new BlackBerry got mixed reviews as the Canadian-based smartphone
maker launched its bid for a comeback, while diehard "Crackberry"
addicts cheered the new lineup.
Forums devoted to BlackBerry were
abuzz after the launch of two sleek new handsets for the Canadian-based
firm which at the same time rebranded itself as just BlackBerry,
shedding its old name of Research in Motion.
The company, which
inspired a cadre of loyal followers addicted to their smartphones long
before Apple or Android devices, hoped to build confidence in the future
of a company which some analysts said was on the brink of collapse.
But
the touchscreen Z10 and its keyboard-equipped sibling dubbed Q10, the
first phones operating on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system,
generated little enthusiasm from early reviewers.
Joshua Topolsky
of the blog The Verge said the new Z10 "mimics the iPhone in more than a
couple of ways" and described it as "a fine, handsome phone."
He
added that the device "feels solid in your hand, and is inoffensive
enough in its design that it won't really shock anyone," but lacked
style.
"If BlackBerry wants to spark some kind of excitement about
its new hardware design, this device won't get the job done," he said.
Cnet
reviewer Jessica Dolcourt said the new BlackBerry 10 platform unveiled
Wednesday "comes with many of the world-class features you'd demand"
along with tools for security and business users.
But she said the new software "is riddled with perplexing omissions and behavioral inefficiencies that wear on you over time."
The new system requires many "taps and gestures" and takes time to get used to.
"There's
no single, overarching failure I can point to, but rather, a growing
list of missing features and aggravating issues that take their toll in
the aggregate," she said.
The new system got, perhaps
unsurprisingly, a positive review from Crackberry.com, a website devoted
to fans of the firm, and its followers.
"Though BlackBerry 10 has
one foot in the past, it reaches out in new directions to finally meet
competing platforms head-on," reviewer Simon Sage wrote.
"The
bottom line is that BlackBerry 10 really is the best of the old and the
best of the new assembled seamlessly into an elegant, practical, and
integrated package."
"Saw the launch !! cant wait to get my hands
on it!" wrote Nidhi Manohar on the Crackberry.com Facebook page just
after the launch of the new devices for the BlackBerry 10 platform.
"The
BlackBerry Z10 is finally here and we couldn't be more excited," wrote
Crackberry editor Adam Zeis on the Crackberry blog, describing the new
touchscreen device.
"It's been wayyyy too long that we've had to wait this one out, but now it's here and it really was all worth it."
Some
diehard BlackBerry fans expressed disappointment, either because the
devices are still weeks away from launch in many countries, or because
they expected something different.
Crackberry fan Steven Soutar
wrote on Facebook "At last, confirmed device but seriously - april is
way too long to be waiting for this !!!!! Launch should mean launch, not
delay."
On the Crackberry forum, a user identified as Logan Six
wrote "Am I the only one that was expecting something more from this
presentation?
"Don't get me wrong, the screen share was a nice feature and the Alicia Keyes appointment was a surprise. But, that's it?"
BlackBerry 10 Launch: In pictures