http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/30/3929760/blackberry-z10-review I really liked my BlackBerry when I had it, but our company switched over to iPhone mid last year due to RIM's inability to release stuff that our company needed in a mobile phone. I doubt we'll go back to BlackBerry. I wish them luck though.
I think they've already been measured for their coffin. Blackberry's bread and butter was corporate contracts, not the least of which is the Federal Government. But what company would update their Blackberry fleet to the newest, top-o-the-line model? They're sort of in a lose-lose situation. They've been "safe" for so long but for the past couple of years safe has meant "let's not do a damned thing different and see how that works". Now it's too late. I've been saying it for the past 2 years now. Blackberry is on it's way out.
I miss my office BlackBerry.. It did what I needed it to do and did it with a LOT of reliability and ease of use.. The Droid RAZR Maxx they replaced it with has similar functionality for programs, but little else.. The touch keyboard is a nightmare and the big reason I got it - the ability to generate a 4G hotspot - performs horribly... I'd love the Z10 to be a rebirth, so then maybe we'll get them back here at the office.
Yeah, I think their time has passed. Blackberries came at a time when there wasn't all that much choice out there in terms of smartphones, and I don't think the iPhone was even out by then, and sadly, I think they took their success for granted. I think a lot of companies have switched to the iPhone.
I have a Blackberry and I like it. It has it's... "issues" and I wish it had some of the app support other Smart Phones have, but I suspect this new device will have that as it seems to be closer to the phones that are out there. But, for me, a tactile keyboard is something I just have to have.
I am afraid that this really is a case of too little, too late. I think the only folks who will buy one are the die hard Blackberry fans. That means what, 1% of the market now? Blackberry isn't dying. I think it's dead and it just doesn't know it yet.
I have a Blackberry for work. I find them to be cumbersome and strange compared to my iPhone. They also aren't terribly reliable. The average lifespan of one of these devices seems to be a year. After that, something inevitably goes wrong and I end up getting a new one. I really think the company's updates are too little, too late. They should've made greater strides to remain competitive. There's just no way Blackberry can catch up to iOS or Android at this point.
I had a Blackberry for work and it was a piece of crap. After about six months, I would constantly have to take the battery out and blow off the contacts and then replace the battery. When I got a new one it developed the same problem after a few months. that soured me on Blackberry from then on, and now I just use my iPhone for work.