You've probably already read our BlackBerry Passport review, which covers all the major bases of the device, and what it's capable of. Kevin and Bla1ze have had a few weeks head start on the device, but maybe a few first impressions are in order following our unboxing of the demo devices handed out at the Toronto launch event.
So, the BlackBerry Passport is big. It's as big as the pictures make it out to be. After a day, I'm pulling it out of my pocket and asking myself, "this is a real phone?" That's not to say it's bad, but only that it's surprising that someone made something so different. Even after sitting through BlackBerry's launch presentation and talking to the people behind making the thing, it's still an unexpected device to hold in your hand.
Bouncing between the Passport and the Samsung Galaxy S5, I can already tell that I'm going to be spoiled by the extra screen width. It's a palpable difference. The BlackBerry Passport's build quality is also markedly better. It counts for a lot, and in many cases even more than what's happening on the software side.
The keyboard is going to take getting used to. The spacebar jammed right in the middle of a standard row of keys plus the repositioning of many keys to the digital frame is necessary to maximize screen real estate while keeping a physical keyboard, but certainly imposes a learning curve. The bridge between physical and digital via the touch-sensitive keyboard is an interesting proposition, but one that poses a steep learning curve. BlackBerry 10.3 introduces a lot of noticeable refinements, many of which I'm still becoming familiar with.
The display resolution is outstanding, even by comparison to the latest iOS and Android devices. The screen's 1:1 aspect ratio, though, has me worried a bit about app compatibility.
Ignore my earlier mention about the VIP package. What threw me off was the flyer saying I've got 30 days of support directly from BlackBerry, which tends to be the kind of thing reserved for VIP demo packages. Apparently the same courtesy is being extended to retail customers.
These are the first things to come to mind after unboxing the BlackBerry Passport, but surely some of you have already cracked your TELUS models open. Let us know in the comments about your initial reactions.
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