Good news BlackBerry purists – the keyboard is back.
Place it next to the 2011 BlackBerry Bold and it looks similar. It’ss about the same size. It has a very similar keyboard.
But look closer. You’ll notice the larger 3.1-inch screen. BlackBerry ditched the old track pad and straightened out the keyboard.
Turn it on. You’ll really notice the difference. BlackBerry 10 presents a totally new user interface. With the Q10, it’s all about productivity.
The messaging Hub really shines with the keyboard. It’s the ultimate unified inbox. One view shows you messages from many different sources. From e-mail to Twitter to text messages, the Hub is always accessible with one simple gesture.
The background of the Hub, Calendar, and Remember app are black. It’s not just a design preference, but meant to save battery life. The OLED screen doesn’t need to use of energy to display black. It’s one reason the Q10 is rated at 13 hours of talk time. It also helps that it has a larger battery. By comparison the Z10 is rated at 10 hours.
The keyboard is also a great navigator. While on the home screen, just type what you want to do. Instantly – you’ll get back action suggestions.
There’s also a long list of keyboard shortcuts when you’re in different apps. For example, when reading your e-mail you can press “R” to reply to a message or “F” to forward it. BlackBerry fans love these time-saving tricks.
Enough with work stuff.  The Q10 can be used for multimedia and games too. With a dual-core 1.5 Ghz processor. It has the HTML5 Web browser packaged with BlackBerry 10. It has access to all the apps in BlackBerry World, and they work fine on the square screen.
The camera is also great. It takes 8 megapixel stills and 1080p video. A new high-dynamic range mode to use in tricky lighting situations.
The Q10 is available with the major carriers for $199 on a three year contract. Buying it off contract will cost you $700.
