ReviewNex: Blackberry

BlackBerry Q10 review

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The BlackBerry Z10 arrived in a whirlwind of frenzied marketing at the beginning of the year, but that new phone smell is starting to wear off so here's the second new instalment from the company formerly known as RIM - the BlackBerry Q10.</div>
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While the Z10 saw BlackBerry tread new water in the mobile market with its first fully touchscreen device, the Q10 sees a return to more familiar territory with the handset sporting the firm's famous QWERTY keyboard.</div>
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BlackBerry is keen to keep up the premium appeal of its first BlackBerry 10 handsets, with the Q10 sporting an equally lofty price and you can expect it to set you back around £560 (around $850/AU$830) SIM-free.</div>
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Over in the US the BlackBerry Q10 will require you to part with $249 up front for a two year contract - which makes it more expensive than theSamsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5 - while in the UK it can be had for free on two year contracts starting at £36 per month.</div>
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The BlackBerry Q10 arrives as the natural successor to the Bold 9900 andBold 9790 at the top end of the keyboard toting tree, which has been pretty much ignored by every other manufacturer as touchscreen smartphones are today's big business.</div>
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There's still a market for handsets sporting a set of physical keys though, with a number of people still preferring the dexterity and accuracy this option provides over their touchscreen rivals.In terms of design BlackBerry hasn't taken any great strides forward and to the untrained eye the Q10 could be mistaken for the 9900.</div>
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What you will note however is the once curved keyboard has now been straightened out and the metallic frets separating the rows of characters are now slightly raised for improved tactile feedback - in other words you should be able to feel where your thumbs are on the board more easily.</div>
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We'll cover the keyboard in more detail in our Keyboard section, so keep your eyes peeled for that.</div>
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Despite packing a full on QWERTY keyboard the BlackBerry Q10 is only a shade wider than the Z10, and noticeably shorter measuring up at 119.6 x 66.8 x 10.35mm.</div>
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The textured rubberised rear of the Z10 is out and in comes a glass weave finish on the back of the Q10 which provides a decent amount of grip and a relatively solid, if not plastic feel.</div>
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Glass weave is a surprisingly tough covering and a tricky one to get scratched - although it's not impossible.</div>
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A single silver fret - reminiscent of the ones separating the keys on the front of the Q10 - runs horizontally across the back of the handset, elevating the 8MP camera lens (and single LED flash) from the surface you place it on, in a bid to avoid scratches.</div>
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The casing below this fret can be removed by simply sliding it down, to give you access to the 2,100mAh battery, microSIM, microSD port capable of handling cards up to 32GB in size - which compliments the 16GB of internal storage (of which 10.5GB is actually available to you).</div>
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You'll need to pop the battery out of the Q10 to gain access to the microSIM port, but thankfully the location of the microSD slot means you can swap out cards without have to remove the phone's power source.</div>
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The catch keeping the rear plate in place seemed sturdy enough fresh out the box, but we fear it could wear down pretty quickly and we've heard from other BlackBerry Q10 reviewers that their back plates are already feeling a bit loose.</div>
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Every now and then when we slide the Q10 out of our jeans the rear plate would come loose and while we maybe need to stay away from the skinny leg garments, it's a bit annoying.</div>
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Thankfully the headphone jack has been moved from its rather inconveniently positioned spot on the side of previous BlackBerry devices to the top of the Q10, allowing you to slide the handset into your pocket without fear of snagging the cord.</div>
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It joins a centralised metal power/lock key which looks identical to the one found on the Z10 and 9900 and is pretty easy to hit and responsive when you do so.</div>
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On the right you get the same trio of buttons as you find on the flagship Z10, with volume switches sandwiching a third key which activates voice control when held down.</div>
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All are within easy prodding distance, but the metal keys sport an angular finish and the edges can be quite sharp if you catch them at the wrong angle.</div>
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BlackBerry has continued with its dual port offering on the left of its BlackBerry 10 devices with both microUSB and microHDMI slots situated together allowing for an easy link up to a computer, TV or even a projector.</div>
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In terms of design and hardware the BlackBerry Q10 delivers the tried and tested method of the keyboard toting smartphone and although it may not plough any particularly new furrows it will offer a welcome familiarity for anyone looking to upgrade from a BB OS 7 handset.<br /><br />ReviewNex Stars: 3/5 ***</div>
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BlackBerry Q10 review

The BlackBerry Z10 arrived in a whirlwind of frenzied marketing at the beginning of the year, but that new phone smell is starting to wear...

BlackBerry 9720 review

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The announcement of the BlackBerry 9720 was not met with widespread excitement, largely because it is running the older BlackBerry 7 operating system and not BlackBerry 10.</div>
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The company has repeatedly pointed out that there's life in the old BB7 yet. Is it right, or is this an unwelcome step backwards? We got hold of the handset to find out.</div>
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Before we jump into the underwhelming specs it's important to note that this is firmly aimed at first-time smartphone users. BlackBerry's Executive Vice President for products, Carlo Chiarello, explained that, "It's perfect for customers upgrading from a feature phone or entry-level Android or Windows Phone device, as well as existing BlackBerry smartphone customers, that want a richer experience and jump up in style and performance."</div>
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Sporting a 2.8-inch IPS touchscreen with a resolution of 480 x 360 pixels, and a 35-key physical, QWERTY keyboard, the BlackBerry 9720 has the classic BlackBerry look.</div>
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Inside there's a 806MHz processor along with 512MB of RAM, a microSD slot, a 5MP camera, support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G HSDPA and a 1450mAh battery.</div>
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Those specs are limited, but the BlackBerry 9720 will cost you £165 SIM-free, £99.95 on PAYG or you can pick it up for free on a two-year contract at £11 per month in the UK. Compare that with the £280 price tag on the BlackBerry Q5 and you can begin to see the potential attraction for BlackBerry fans on a budget.<br />Competition at this price range comes from the Nokia Lumia 620, theSony Xperia U, and the Samsung Galaxy Fame.</div>
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At first glance the BlackBerry 9720 looks like a new model of Curve. Taking it out of the box it feels quite solid; in fact it weighs in at 120g (4.2oz).</div>
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The bottom of the screen is broken up by the classic BlackBerry keys: send, menu, escape, and power, with a touchpad in the middle. The keyboard beneath is surrounded by matt plastic. At 114 x 66 x 12 mm (4.49 x 2.60 x 0.47 inches) it's certainly very easy to hold one-handed.</div>
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There's a rubber strip that runs all the way round the sides and encompasses the headphone port, top left, the lock button up top in the middle, the volume and mute keys and a dedicated camera key on the right spine, and your micro-USB port and dedicated BBM key on the left spine. It feels and looks cheap and nasty.</div>
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The textured back plate is ribbed, black plastic with the silver BlackBerry logo, and it's easy to remove thanks to the opening at the bottom which allows you to insert a thumbnail. Flip the battery out and you'll find the SIM slot underneath.</div>
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The microSD card slot is at the top, to the right of the camera lens and flash. It's oddly angled and leaves you feeling unsure whether the card is actually inserted correctly.</div>
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You can't expect a premium feel at this price and you certainly don't get one, but the 9720 is comfortable to hold and easy to manipulate with one hand. Oh, and it comes in black or white - fancy.<br /><br />ReviewNex Stars: 3/5 ***</div>
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BlackBerry 9720 review

The announcement of the BlackBerry 9720 was not met with widespread excitement, largely because it is running the older BlackBerry 7 opera...

BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9982 review

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It's a phone many are finding difficult to justify for BlackBerry in its current unstable condition. But the Canadian firm isn't listening to the naysayers - it's just ploughing on.</div>
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That determination has led to the arrival of the rather clumsily named BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9982 - a smartphone for the wealthy business person who wants something to gloat about at the next board meeting.</div>
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This isn't a phone for the mainstream, and with a recommended retail price of £1450/$2350 (around AU$2500) it's something which only the very elite will potentially consider.</div>
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We say potentially, because for all that money you're not actually getting a great deal. Think the P'9982 looks familiar? Well that's because it's just a run of the mill BlackBerry Z10 with a fancy stainless steel and Italian leather suit.</div>
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In terms of design the Porsche Design P'9982 is more angular than the phone it's based on, with a more pronounced chin below the screen - although it is crafted from stainless steel rather than plastic.</div>
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That stainless steel frame runs up either side of the P'9982 and connects to a chunk of stainless steel at the top of the handset.</div>
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It's a design we weren't overly keen about on the Z10 or Z30 as it appears to add unnecessary bulk to the device without offering anything above a place to splash the Porsche Design logo.</div>
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On each side of the P'9982, towards the bottom, is a small square where the Porsche Design logo resides - a subtle reminder that this isn't your ordinary BlackBerry Z10.</div>
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We found the P'9982 sat nicely in the hand with a well balanced 140g weight which was enough to make the phone feel premium without being overbearing.</div>
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That said, it doesn't feel as premium as the price tag suggests and we'd argue that the HTC One and iPhone 5S feel the same, or perhaps even better than the P'9982 in the hand.</div>
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The stainless steel frame means it's a solid handset, and the Italian leather rear provides a decent level or grip while also feeling rather lovely. It does appear to be something that could get damaged relatively easily though.</div>
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If your leather back does get ruined you can always remove it and replace it with another - although there's obviously an additional cost there.</div>
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Under the rear cover is a removable battery - the same 1800mAh power pack found in the Z10, although this time it's got Porsche Design written on it. BlackBerry claims it's good for 9 hours, but we were unable to test this during our hands-on time.</div>
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There's also access to the microSD slot which can take cards up to 64GB in size, and the microSIM port which annoyingly can only be reached if you take the battery out.</div>
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That will prove a pain for anyone who switches SIMs on a regular basis - like the international businessmen (and women) who this handset is targeted at.</div>
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At 131 x 65.6 x 9.5mm the P'9982 is ever so slightly longer and thicker than the Z10, but the width remains the same - as does the 4.2-inch, 1280 x 768 display.</div>
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In fact the P'9982 sports exactly the same specs as the Z10 apart from one thing - the internal storage has been boosted from 16GB to 64GB.</div>
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The screen is clean and clear with some decent viewing angles, although when you think that we now have full HD display on our smartphones (which cost less than half the price) you end up feeling a little short changed by the P'9982.</div>
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That feeling grows when you discover that the Porsche Design P'9982 still holds onto the humble 1.5GHz dual-core processor from the Z10 - there's no quad-core chip on offer here.</div>
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During general usage the dual-core chip manages pretty well with the relatively fluid BlackBerry 10.2 operating system, but it noticeably struggled when we started to ask a little more of the P'9982.</div>
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We're still not totally sold on the BlackBerry 10 platform, with its slightly confusing gesture controls making some tasks a little fiddly and the poor selection of apps in the BlackBerry World store doesn't help.</div>
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It's not all bad news though, and the BlackBerry Hub is a truly useful part of the interface, bringing in all forms of communication into one central inbox which can easily be navigated and filtered.</div>
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Web browsing is something else BlackBerry appears to have nailed with its new OS and the P'9982 is no exception with blisteringly fast load times on both mobile and desktop sites.</div>
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There's 2GB of RAM backing up the dual-core chip in the P'9982 which will no doubt help the surfing speeds and the inclusion of Flash supports is something BlackBerry has over iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices.</div>
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Return to the rear of the handset and there's the 8MP camera which also adorns the Z10, but on the P'9982 there's a chrome ring round the lens to try and add a more premium feel and it sits in a bar of glass which also houses the single LED flash and the name of the handset.</div>
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The camera app is basic, yet intuitive and the shutter speed is relatively quick with the whole screen acting as the trigger. Auto-focus is in play, and it can slow down snapping as it tries to settle.</div>
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BlackBerry has always been well known for its physical QWERTY keyboards and it made a big deal about its touchscreen offering on BlackBerry 10 which sits on the P'9982. It's a slick offering and we were able to get up to a decent typing speed, but we still prefer SwiftKey on Android.</div>
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Every Porsche Design P'9982 handset comes with a certificate of authentication in the box, so you can prove to your doubting friends that it is the real deal. The certificate also holds a unique BlackBerry pin starting in "2AA" - an exclusive prefix available only to those who have splashed the cash on a Porsche Design handset.</div>
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Early verdict</h3>
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The BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9982 is targeted at a minority of elite business players, it's not meant to capture the imagination of general consumers - which is lucky, because it won't.</div>
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That said, for a phone which costs so much the P'9982's look and feel doesn't come close to justifying the price tag. You need a hell of a lot more than a bit of shiny metal and a layer of cowhide to push a sub-standard flagship smartphone as high-flying premium offering.</div>
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While the Porsche Design P'9982 isn't quite a grotesque in price, look or spec as the luxury Vertu brand, it's still set up to target those with more money than sense.</div>
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BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9982 review

It's a phone many are finding difficult to justify for BlackBerry in its current unstable condition. But the Canadian firm isn't l...

Blackberry Z10

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The BlackBerry Z10 was the first handset from the company formerly known as RIM, now renamed BlackBerry, to run its new operating systemBlackBerry 10, and there was much more on the line here than simply making a few pennies – arguably the company's survival rested on the success of this device and the BlackBerry Q10.</div>
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It's no secret that BlackBerry is on the rocks, with the company even admitting that it hasn't been in the best shape of late, and the 4G toting Z10 was the start of what it hoped would be a successful revolution.</div>
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Since its launch in January the BlackBerry Z10 has received a few software updates which has seen things become more stable, plus the app store has also witnessed some new arrivals, so we've taken the time to update the keys parts of our review with the latest information.</div>
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In the UK the handset has witnessed a massive price drop since launch and you can pick up the Z10 free on contracts starting at £32 per month, while you'll need to fork out just £149.95 if you want it SIM-free.</div>
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Sporting a 4.2-inch 1280 x 768 display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and lower price tag, the BlackBerry Z10 finds itself jostling for position with the Nokia Lumia 925, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and iPhone 5C.</div>
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Lock eyes on the BlackBerry Z10 and you'll notice it's an unassuming slab of black glass and plastic that mimics the general aesthetical design of many a smartphone these days.</div>
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The Z10 is a little bezel-heavy with a sizable gap above and below the screen, and that's before we even get to the additional plastic chunks stuck on both ends of the handset.</div>
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It all seems a little unnecessary but luckily it doesn't make the BlackBerry Z10 overly cumbersome, with the handset measuring a comfortable 130 x 65.6 x 9mm (5.1 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches).</div>
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Weight wise the BlackBerry Z10 finds a happy medium – weighing 137.5g (4.85 oz), it's nowhere near as heavy as the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, yet it's not as feather light as the iPhone 5.</div>
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The weight gives it a reassuring presence in the palm and while the chassis is distinctly plastic, the handset's heft at least restores some form of premium feel.</div>
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Around the back you're greeted with a textured plastic rear that is slightly rubberised, providing a decent level of grip.</div>
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There are only a couple of things to note on the back of the BlackBerry Z10: the 8MP camera with a single LED flash, sat in the top-left corner, and the shiny metallic BlackBerry logo in middle.</div>
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We were pleased to find that the rear can be removed easily by placing a finger in the indented speaker grill at the base of the Z10, enabling us to simply peel off the plastic.</div>
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Underneath you'll find microSIM and microSD slots, with the latter capable of supporting cards up to 32GB in capacity, although we've been told that a future update may see this support boosted to the 64GB variants.</div>
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This means you can build nicely on the already decent 16GB of internal storage, which will appeal to many who have been put out by the likes of the iPhone range and HTC One, which don't offer storage expansion.</div>
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An added boon is the removable 1,800mAh battery, enabling you to switch out a dead battery for a fully charged one if you're someone who likes to carry multiple power packs around.</div>
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On the rear cover itself you'll notice the NFC pad, which enables the BlackBerry Z10 to interact with other compatible wireless devices.</div>
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On the right-hand side of the Z10, anyone familiar with the BlackBerry PlayBook will instantly recognise the triple button setup, with volume rocker switches separated by a central key – used for playing/pausing music and activating voice control when held down.</div>
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Up top you get a centralised power/lock key next to a 3.5mm headphone jack, while on the left there's a couple of handy connectivity ports.</div>
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The metal finish of the keys gives the handset a touch of class - if not a little sharp when you catch your finger on them - and all are well positioned, enabling us to reach them easily when using the Z10 one-handed.</div>
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The now standard microUSB port that features on pretty much every phone these days (bar the iPhone) is present, alongside a miniHDMI port. This enables you to connect the BlackBerry Z10 directly to a TV for big screen viewing.</div>
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There's no HDMI cable in the box so you'll need to pick one up separately, but there is at least a USB cable so you can hook the Z10 up to your computer.</div>
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The BlackBerry Z10 doesn't wow us with a new design, but it's a sturdy handset with a decent build quality and functional layout that makes it easy to handle.</div>
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