Five things I don't miss from BlackBerry 10 after moving to the BlackBerry Priv

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In much the same vein as my post, Five things I miss from BlackBerry 10 after moving to the BlackBerry Priv, there's plenty about BlackBerry 10 that I certainly won't miss after to moving to the BlackBerry Priv. As much as I love BlackBerry 10 as an OS, there's simply no denying the fact it hasn't taken off as well as it could have and with that in mind, there are some inherent problems with not running a popular operating system, as I'm sure many of you are already aware of. Let's take a look at five things I don't miss.

App Gap
  • App Gap - Look, let's not beat around the bush here. There's an app gap on BlackBerry 10. I get it. YOU personally, might not have a need for a ton of apps or using the browser is perfectly fine solution for you because you feel HTML5 is the future, and that's fine, but it really comes down to the fact that the majority of the world doesn't think that way and people REALLY love their apps. If your platform doesn't have all the popular apps the majority want, it's going to be a rough battle, and it's one that BlackBerry has fought. They lost, and that's OK. Even they realize it now and have stated, Priv is one of the solutions for the masses who need those apps but want the BlackBerry experience and well, Priv delivers. I'm glad to be no longer treated like a lower class citizen because of my smartphone. All the apps I want will, for the most part, be available to me and readily available through the Google Play Store.
  • Lack of Media Content - Once upon a time, BlackBerry World was full of movies and music but as most BlackBerry owners now know, that didn't last too long. Those items are no longer available in BlackBerry World and to be perfectly honest, it was a huge loss in my opinion for the ecosystem, when compared to Android and iOS. With the launch of Priv, that no longer matters. You have full on access to the Google Play Store for movies, tv shows, music and even books and magazines. Don't want to fork over money to Google? That's cool. You don't REALLY have to. There are providers who offer those things within their own apps, which you totally have access to now.
android
  • Lack of Wearables Integration - Sure, you could likely lump this one under apps as well but I'm really looking to be specific here. As a BlackBerry 10 user, your wearables options were incredibly limited. Pretty much every wearable out there requires an app to go along with the hardware, be it Android or iOS and those apps were largely off the table as there was 1) No native apps available for the integration. 2) The Android runtime in BlackBerry 10 often can't communicate with the hardware as needed. Sure, some developers such as Benjamin Sliwa and his Talk2Watch app filled the void for Pebble users, but that's just one wearable in the whole mix of things. I, nor you, no longer have to worry about that with the move to Priv as it brings all the wearables integration Android offers. Your Moto 360 will work. Your Pebble will work. Even simple stuff that came out before the wearable explosion if you will, such as the Nike Fuelband will work. No messing about and ending up disappointed when you find out your new toy won't work. Hell, you can even look beyond wearables as well and look at cool stuff like the new Sphero BB-8 and Parrot AR Drones. As a Priv owner, you have access to these things, and that's dope!
Twitter
  • Slow Turnaround for App Support - Honestly, I could sum this one up by simply telling you to open the Facebook or Twitter app but I'll expand upon it. The last time Facebook for BlackBerry 10 was updated was on Jun 4th, 2015 and Twitter was Apr 16th, 2015. The apps right now, this very second, are pretty broken for some, and each have released a ton of new features in the meantime, but the chances of those features being fully rolled out to BlackBerry 10 is slim to none. On Android, though, that's not a problem as Android is the largest operating system and popular companies roll out their app updates faster to fix issues when they arise, and it's one of the first platforms for testing new features alongside iOS. Arguably, this could be lumped into the app gap portion but personally, I feel it's something different especially with the given examples of Facebook and Twitter. These issues are eradicated on the Priv, simply because it runs Android.
Priv box
  • Lack of Carrier Support - Arguably, the verdict is still out on this one but thus far with the Priv from my own experiences as well as those who shared their thoughts with me, things are off to a good start. People underestimate the importance of carrier support, not only to sell the devices but also when it comes to after purchase care and support. You don't have to look far to find carrier reps who dislike BlackBerry 10 devices and try to push people away from them. That said, with Priv there has been improved reception, and some seem more willing to go ahead and help push the device and that translates to more familiarity with the product so should you have questions, need help, or need support from the carriers, they're more willing to go ahead and help out instead of shrugging you off and telling you to call BlackBerry or suggesting you just buy an Android or iOS device. That's extremely important to some folks as we're not all experts in these areas and need that hands-on help and treatment and as we all know, BlackBerry doesn't have store locations like Apple so that additional carrier support is needed.

So there they are. Five things I don't miss from BlackBerry 10 after moving to the BlackBerry Priv, and again like my 'Five things I miss from BlackBerry 10 after moving to the BlackBerry Priv' post, you're not likely to agree with them all, and that's fine by me. I didn't share these to hate on BlackBerry 10 or anything like that; I just wanted to highlight some of the benefits with a move to Priv. Have some benefits of moving to a Priv you want to share? Perhaps, things you didn't like about BlackBerry 10, that Priv solved for you? Let us know in the comments.

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