BY: Richard Goodwin
The BlackBerry 10.3 update on the BlackBerry Passport is absolutely HUGE, bringing with it an myriad of new features. Here’s how they work
The BlackBerry Passport is one of the most talked about handsets of 2014 – and for good reason, too. The design is insane by modern conventions, but it works. It uses a physical QWERTY keyboard that doubles as a trackpad, which, again, sounds utterly bizarre, but it works. And it’s powered by one of the most powerful (and underrated) platforms on the planet, BlackBerry 10.3.
I recently filed my BlackBerry Passport review and gave the handset a resounding two-thumbs up (4.5 out of 5). Needless to say I was very impressed by this handset. BlackBerry really pushed the boat out this time around, introducing a plethora of high-end hardware and a raft of useful and hugely innovative features like BlackBerry Blend, a versatile QWERTY keyboard, built in support forAndroid applications and plenty more besides.
BB10.3 has A LOT of new features and because it’s not a widely used platform (at least, not yet –– Passport sales might see to this) many of its unique, core features haven’t been properly detailed and explained –– I missed two HUGE ones in my review, for instance. So, with this in mind I felt compelled to do an article highlighting BB10.3’s many unique features and attributes, a lot of which are completely unique to BlackBerry and cannot be found elsewhere (hello, BlackBerry Blend). But, if I do miss any features or tricks or things you’ve found interesting either inside BB10.3 or aboard the Passport, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
BlackBerry Blend
Put simply: this is an absolute KILLER feature. Basically, BlackBerry Blend allows you to pick up emails, texts and BBMs on a PC, MAC or tablet when you’re away from your phone (or can’t be bothered to take it out of your pocket). BlackBerry Blend works across Wi-Fi, mobile data and via USB. The big deal here though is obviously the fact that Blend works on 3G and 4G, as this technically means –– although, please note, I haven’t tested this out myself –– that you can access your BlackBerry from a PC or tablet anywhere in the world, providing you have Blend installed and your BlackBerry, wherever it is, is switched on.
What You’ll Need To Run BlackBerry Blend:
- BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3 or later
- Computer using Windows 7 and later or Mac OS X 10.7 and later
- Tablet using Android 4.4 or later or iOS 7.0 or later
- IPv6 networking enabled
Got all that? Right, now all you need to do is visit THIS WEB ADDRESS and download and install BlackBerry Blend on your tablet or PC. The setup process itself is a four-stage affair, so once it’s downloaded, simply click through the steps and you’re done – it should take no more than five minutes.
Next, do this:
- On your computer or tablet, open BlackBerry Blend
- If your device is connected to your computer using a USB cable, click USB Cable Connection
- If your computer or tablet is connected to a Wi-Fi network or the mobile network, click Wireless
- When prompted, sign with your BlackBerry ID
- After a connection is made, verify that the passkey on your device matches the passkey on your computer or tablet
- If your device is password protected, type your password
- Optionally, click Remain signed in if you do not want to enter your password again when connecting to BlackBerry Blend
- Congrats! You’re now officially a BlackBerry Blend user.
Installing Android Apps On BlackBerry Passport
The BlackBerry Passport and BlackBerry 10.3 OS have nothing to do with Google or its Android platform. But thanks to the power of QNX, BlackBerry users can install Android applications directly onto BB10.3-powered units like the BlackBerry Passport (note: older versions of the OS require you to side-load the applications). This means all you have to do to get Android applications (things like Chrome, Drive and Instagram) up and running on your BlackBerry Passport is download a client like SNAP –– SNAP gives you full access to most of Google Play’s applications direct from your BlackBerry Passport, which, obviously, is bloody awesome –– or browse through the numerous third-party stores that offer APK files for BB10, such as:
Improved Active Frames
BlackBerry 10 has always had pretty decent multitasking, largely thanks to QNX and Active Frames. Prior to BB10.3, your most recent applications occupied the top left hand corner within Active Frames. Inside BB10.3, however, you’re free to rearrange the Active Frames as you like, meaning you can open your eight favorite applications and have them remain in exactly the same spot, which is great for quickly checking things throughout the day.
Lock Screen Notifications + More Information
This isn’t a new feature to be fair but BlackBerry has added in some new functionality which allows you to see more of what’s contained inside any given notification be it a BBM, a Tweet or an email. For instance, say somebody @’s you on Twitter, this will appear in the BlackBerry Hub, obviously, but it will also appear on your Passport’s lockscreen too. And if you tap on the lockscreen notification it will expand to reveal more details about the tweet, as you can see in the below image:
BlackBerry Assistant
Like Siri and Google Now, AND Cortana, BlackBerry Assistant is a personal assistant and like the aforementioned services it too can make appointments for you, read out texts and emails aloud (ideal if you’re driving), take notes, and set up meetings and reminders in your calendar application. This is BlackBerry’s first attempt at a digital assistant, so the company has sensibly kept the features-list simple and essential –– there are no witty remarks or quips, just useful features housed inside a well presented application.
Universal Search
BlackBerry has always had decent universal search, but in BB10.3 it integrates with BlackBerry Assistant too, meaning you can quickly add a calendar event or reminder just by typing a few short commands – typing, “Cal,” for instance, brings up options for both calling people and adding calendar appointments. You can also just start typing something on the Passport, say, Alien: Isolation, for instance, and then select Twitter or Facebook, Bing or Google to search there for whatever you’re looking for.
Speaking of Calendars, if you’re in a meeting the Passport will know you are and adjust its settings accordingly – i.e. silence the ringtone.
That’s it for now. There’s a load of camera stuff and some things related to the BlackBerry Hub that I wanted to include, but I’ll save these for an update in the coming days. Until then, I hope you found this little selection of tips and tricks helpful. Also, as I said in the opening paragraph – if you have any tricks of your own you’ve discovered, feel free to share them in the comments below.
No comments:
Post a Comment