Category: #Reviews

Ulak – Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Knox Armor Series #Ulak # Samsung #Note4 #Review #Cases

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is certainly up there with the best devices on the market now and this comes at a price too dropping your Note 4 could be a costly mishap so protection would be advised though many like the naked feel to a device but its best to have it protected outdoors especially as a screen for this device would set you back around €180 or so.

Today we look at the  case for the Galaxy note 4..

  • Advanced Front Cover Design for Easy Installation
  • Built-in Screen Protector without compromising sensitivity
  • Advanced dual-layer (PC + TPU) design provides great impact and shock resistance and prevents accidental drop, bumps, and shock
  • Easy access to all features (buttons, camera, speaker, and ports)
  • Four corner cushioning for shock resistant protection, Sporty profile and multiple color options

Presentation – 

Is the same as it was in the S5 case we reviewed and its simple easy packaging containing the case,interns and some instructions and its easy to open..

The case is pretty tough and not too bulky and you can be sure your Note 4 will be well protected here with this case and there is some nice colours to pick from and overall its quite sturdy and should you drop your Note 4 you will be fine in most incidents,its all luck on how the device hits the ground anyhow.

The camera area on the case is quite good offering full protection to the lens and flash,both are recessed so good protection here even on a flat surface faced down you will be fine once the surface is flat and smooth and nothing sitting around,no loss of function is affected either as some cases can obscure viewing angles.

On the left and right sides of the case we have our usual areas covered and where buttons are concerned they are soft coverings and functionality is as normal,not stiff and travel well,there is again a black edging as seen on the S5 case adding more grip and quite comfortable to hold,durable and should last the phones lifetime..

Front and back..

All areas again on front and back are catered for and pretty safe from harms way,even the proximity sensor and front facing camera are protected here,the entire screen is recessed and so to is the home key and speaker grille,this offers maximum protection all round and makes holding and using the phone easy with good grip and nice to use,there is not much bulk to be fair and the case is not heavy so an overall user experience would be good,this is if you value your device and work outdoors especially on building sites,this case is made for you.

 

Top and bottom..

Again all protected in the best way with a flap over the USB area,this was a tad stiff as was the headphone socket but certainly loosened up over time so this will keep out dirt and dust which does accumulate over time and indeed can cause problems,the Spen area was the only gripe here for me as I found it hard to get the pen out but then I have big fingers so this would not be something everyone would have to worry about,also on the case there is a bumper on each edge which is a nice design featured and should give more protection should your device hit corner first,this would give notable damage with no protection at all

If you fancy one of these cases they are not expensive and can be bought from Amazon and they are a worthy investment especially if you are the outdoor type,some prefer not to have case on their mobiles but I am between both,if i am out I take a case and at home or in office I prefer the naked feel on my expensive phones,I do like to feel that product that’s been paid for…It is better to be safe than sorry regardless as some day it will happen when you drop your nice expensive phone and have a small fortune to hand out,at $10.99 its a bargain.

Ulak Note 4 store on amazon

Ulak – Samsung Galaxy S5 Knox Armor case review. #Cases #Reviews #Samsung #Ulak

Ulak is a new brand who makes cases for mobile phones catering to fashion minded people wanting to add some individuality as well as protection to their smart phone or tablet.They have been in touch with us and sent us over a few samples to review and today we kick off with the Samsung Galaxy S5 case..

Features

  • Advanced dual layer designed case combined of Polycarbonate hard shell and flexible TPU withstands accidental drop, bump and shock
  • Front cover with built-in screen protector prevents scratches without compromising sensitivity
  • Samsung Galaxy S5 Fingerprint Scanner Compatible; Samsung Galaxy S5 Heartbeat Sensor Compatible
  • All features accessible with case installed; Port covers keep out debris and dust; Sporty design with multi-color options

First off the packaging is quite simple and straight forward with an easy to open product which contains the case,instructions and a built in screen protector so all in all you are covered here regarding protection for you Galaxy S5.there is also a layer of removable layer of thin polythene on the front and back of the case which is probably for transportation purposes..

 

 

The case is easy enough to install and something very similar to Otterbox,you just peel the edge away from the housing and then then the housing pops out and from here on its a simple process to put it all together and will be no trouble for anyone to install which is good,some cases can be a bit cumbersome or require some effort to install,not the case here it will take about 30 seconds in fact taking your time,maybe less..

The top of the case has all aspects covered with access for the mic,headphone socket which is also covered with a flap to keep out dirt and dust,this is a nice featured to be implemented also there is clear access for the infra-red beam,also on the top corners there is addition bumpers raised should the device land on its corner this will give it extra protection,these raised bumps are present on all corners..The camera area is also recessed giving good protection and enabling users to put the device on a flat surface which will keep it free from scratching the lens and flash etc.Also present is cut outs for the proximity sensor,earpiece and secondary camera again not performance lost in these areas.

The bottom of the device follows line with the top and again present is the two bumpers on the corners,we also have another flap here which gives optimum protection against the elements and protects the USB charging.connectivity port,the flaps on both ends are quite solid and don’t seem to come loose which is good and makes you feel secure your important parts are well protected at all times.The speaker again is below level which gives it protection from the elements with no sound loss or interference with having the cover going around the edges.

 

On the sides of the case again protection is excellent with soft buttons to make full use of buttons and no feedback is lost here,they are soft and malleable and not solid blocks and travel well and they follow inline with the band which surrounds the housing and feels soft whilst the backing on the case is hard,the case itself is grippy and will not slip out of hand at all and does not add much bulk to the device either,overall its a good case and priced quite well to be fair in what it has to offer.The screen protector is also fine and built in and no feedback was lost,over time it may become marked like any other offering similar on the market so it cant be faulted here on that respect.

You can purchase the case from the Amazon store and this case in particular will cost you $10.99 right now and comes in a variety of colours..

 

 

 

 

BlackBerry Classic Review. Old and new combined,one handed use is perfection. #Review #BlackBerry

We have had our BlackBerry Classic for some time now and its time to talk about it and we felt the device faired out,going back to its classic design language its certainly more solid and has better looks and performs well all round its solid in hand and ideal for one handed use,pros and cons like any other device are present so lets look some more.

If you missed the unboxing take a look here first and have a look at the device.

Build Quality.

Overall i liked the build quality,with metal trimming around the entire device it gives it a good look and it looks tough just like the Passport,the trim looks well and gives the classic a premium look,the backing of the classic is also quite nice with a grippy cover it makes the phone much less easier to drop,although it fits perfectly fine in one hand it may be slightly to big for some,that was not the case for me as one handed use was how i used the phone.Check out the images below for a tour of the device and as you can see the quality is quite good all round.The keys are solid with good travel,non catchy and the sim and sd trays too are solid.

The Camera 

Not bad but with the small screen you are hampered to some extent,there is a panoramic option though which you would probably be more inclined to use if you are any way a photo enthusiast,( I aint one really but do take pictures)the camera itself is 8MP with auto focus and sports a flash too and there some settings to play around with and HDR,this worked well also on the Leap and the passport…whilst it does take great photos as mentioned the smaller screen may be an issue for some folk..With a 2MP on front its also adequate so for any selfie fanatics you can relax.

The keyboard and navi keys

I was never a fan of qwerty keyboards until i tried the Nokia E71 to be honest and after the E72 i think was the last time to use such on a daily basis until the Passport came along and that keyboard was a joy to use,you knew you where hitting the right keys all the time even though it was cumbersome at times it worked a treat,the same applies to the keyboard on the classic although probably a bit too small my my shovel hands,the problem here is it takes up space and leaves you with a small screen but the keyboard is simple to use,the navi keys and trackpad are quite tactile and the trackpad helps out on the screen when viewing pages as you will need to navigate some more due to the screen size,they may look tight and clustered but to use they are quite good.

WP_20150615_20_10_44_Pro

Display.

Ok the screen is small its 3.5 inches so you are limited as to viewing options here without having to navigate the screen but thankfully the navikey helps out here and as mentioned its tactile so zooming through pages etc is quite fine but you will notice this compared to larger screened devices on the market,.Outdoor visibility was quite good but viewing angles poor..

Sound

Dual speakers… No that even fooled me to begin with although aesthetically they look great one is actually a mic ,a trick we have seen many a time on other devices across the board,similar to the huge outer speaker grille and a tiny speaker underneath.the device packs great sound once its on a flat surface,if its in your pocket it will get muffled due to the placement of the speaker down the bottom,music sounds crisp and clear and the music player is also good,on watching you tube etc again sound reproductions proves the same and this department..The stock earbuds as in most cases with any mobile these days are kinda poor but if you have your own personal ones to use yes the sound is good when plugged in you should also note.

 

 

The OS

Same as the Passport 10.3.1 its reliable and works fine although there is a newer version rolling out as we speak,its been rather good overall with some frequent freezing issues which can be expected on any OS the lack of native apps is the main problem here which applies to window phone but thankfully we can sideload the playstore and get plenty of missing apps there some may render oddly on the device due to its size,a similar issue which applied to the passport so if you are an apps kind you should be fine once you use the playstore,my daily apps that I use worked fine although trying some others did not but what do you expect,there is enough apps to keep the average user who is not app centric happy. BlackBerry hub and blend are great features,Everything else is pretty much the same as discussed before on the Passport and works fine…

Browsing

Fine,the odd page freeze or render issue,this might bother some and screen estate is not huge so remember 3.5 inch is small compared to todays standards which is now 5 inches and up for most users but the classic i targeted at a certain market but  3.5 is small folks…

Connectivity

It comes with NFC which was amiss in the Leap,although NFC is still slow to start here those of us who have it use it well most of us and we also have peripherals to use alongside which is handy.Bluetooth 4.0 LTE ,Wi-Fi/Direct micro USB and we can also use it as a mobile hotspot. If you have Miracast for example this will also work with the Classic.

Battery

2,515mAh – Again its good like any Blackberry easily a day of medium – heavy use,if you are not so tough or reliant on media etc two days is no problem if its just for calls emails some social media and quick browsing.

Overall thoughts

I think they played safe here with an below today’s standard internals,its like a mini mini of the passport curved that will suit the business user,i cant see it attracting new customers but rather the current BlackBerry Classic junkie,the camera is quite it does everything it says on the tin for its intended market and thats it,for me its too small but I like it due to the the navi keys and trackpad,using a device this small one handed is a joy I must say even though i am custom to a bigger phone I could use this with ease ,it did take a few days to get used to it but once I got over the size it was nice to use,its been years since I used this form factor and it brought back memories of a love/hate relationship of QWERTY handsets because you will love it and hate it..Same applied to the Passport with its odd shape but that’s in a league of its own and will remain there for some time its a powerhouse with a funky design,the classic is for classic fans,one which i was not but it has a place with me now and its a good effort from BlackBerry that could of been a little better in terms of specs.

 

Samsung Level Over – @Pat_Seery takes a look and shares his thoughts #Samsung #LevelOver

At techbuzz we like to people a chance to have their own product/s showcased and if anyone has a product they would like share a review on you can come here and have it published,All you need to do is drop us an email at techbuzzireland.com. Welcome Pat Seery who is one of many people that have contacted us with a product they own.

Pat shares his thoughts on the Samsung Level Over headset,so its over to you Pat.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a pair of these and in spite of other “Bigger” brand names being in the same market I still went for these well I wasn’t disappointed at all. A Lot of people were complaining about the “Plastic” look of Upper end Samsung products, they still feel like a premium set of earphones in the hand they`re lightly constructed yes but after wearing them for quite some time I think you`ll be glad of this.


Several features including noise cancelling and Bluetooth with of course Samsung’s level App make these just astounding to listen to with your phone. I also have used them on the Samsung 55-Inch HU8500 Smart 3D UHD 4K LED Curved TV and let me just say “WOW!” the sound is just amazing as soon as they`re paired your off and with active noise cancelling there’s no bleeding of sound so you`re IN the movie you are watching. One thing I really liked is that they just aren’t BASS which really annoyed me about the beats series of headphones they’ve really good midrange which is essential if you’re not going to be listening to just music on them.


As with the Samsung VR they do come in a lovely big box and carrying case (which is almost identical to the VR case albeit with different embossing) an inline remote control and a USB charging cable (I must point out that Samsung for some reason have seemed to have stopped supplying power plugs with their peripheral devices for some reason so this doesn’t come with the earphones)
The specifications include
Bluetooth 3.0
50mm speakers Bio-Cellulose Diaphragms
15 hours of Listening/Talk time
Impedance 41 ohms

BlackBerry Leap review. A solid performer all round for a good price. #Review #BlackBerry

Having used the BlackBerry leap for some two weeks now its been yet another surprise on how BlackBerry have changed over the last year or two,once a hater of the devices i have changed my mind and the OS has also improved too which is quite good offering lots to its consumers and after using the BlackBerry Passport for a few months it really is a credit to the company despite its funny shape,the Passport is a powerhouse and if size is not an issue you should try it,But we are here today to talk about the next model up which is a 5 inch touch screen not shaped weirdly and not sporting a physical keyboard does it perform well all around,well lets find out.

Unboxing and walkaround

Design

Typical candybar,solid feels good in hand and robust its a perfect sized device,perhaps a tad too small for me but i could happily live with it,this is just my opinion i am far suited to bigger devices. At 144 x 72.8 x 9.5 mm (5.67 x 2.87 x 0.37 in) and weighing 170g you will notice it,even in pocket which is a good thing,it’s slightly thicker than some devices but its good and the rounded edges on the back flow nicely and the device fits well in hand,it’s hard to drop it too the backing feels grippy,it picks up dirt but can be easily cleaned off.

The Keyboard

Having used the passport as my main device i hardly used anything else to be honest,i got to like the physical keyboard,something which i have not used in many years in fact,though i was looking forward to going back to the virtual set-up and the keyboard on the Leap reminded me of the one that’s presently on Lumia devices which alone are good but this keyboard is also excellent and has many features present and again i found myself typing fast in no time from coming from the one on the passport.

The Camera

Quite impressive it must be said so photo fans can relax since mobile photography is a big thing with the camera on board it takes pretty decent photos with many settings to toy around with too,even as a point and shoot it takes nice pictures and to the untrained not fussy eyes this does a good job.

The camera is just 8MP 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus and LED flash doesn’t mean it can perform,it does and the more you tamper with the settings the better it gets,it’s also got a HDR feature which pops up to remind you it’s there and again it works well.Also on board is panorama mode,time shift and burst mode,this is quite a common feature nowadays.

These are taken under normal conditions which is the ideal situation to be using the camera,in low light we have the flash to help out and pictures turn out fine ,depending on conditions some photos may look noisy and flat,this again is not a device aimed at camera fans but for its price it does the job quite well so you have a decent snapper should you need it,personally i aint a camera happy guy but it done the job when needed,recording too is also quite good autofocus works quite well,sometimes to well and often locked on target especially with just taking photos so its quite responsive.

APPS.

Lets not waste time really here,native apps are not reaping but we have a choice to add the play store if you like,one good thing here apps i used all worked well on the Leap as opposed to the passport and that was just the screen design which made some render rather odd and pointless on screen,all my apps on android i use worked fine on the leap so again its an option for users to consider,BB10 has improved but we are missing some apps similar to windows phone which i also use and can feel the pain to some extent,the maps are just ok and there is several other apps missing but again the play store can help out with alternatives.With the Blackberry world,Amazon app store and the play store you will be covered.

Display

Its got a 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 (720p) LCD display,its good for its price but not great either ,sunlight legibility is not great this is expected for the screen and its price it would be unfair not to say plenty of others have the same problem even high end phones like the HTC ONE M9 this beat it,viewing angles also shabby but not bad im not one to pay much attention to detail here but at times when i want to read my device outdoors i expect to but this is a common problem all round regardless.

Battery

Its good,easily get the average user through a day,nothing like the passport but good even for my standards,im a heavy user and mostly carry two phones but with my main sim here in this it done the job well better than expected in fact,with 2,800mAh under the hood it can take a pounding,with me spending much time browsing,checking mails and social media i never had to worry about looking for a charger during my time and for me that is a very good thing,we are more battery concious nowadays than before and find ourselves needing back up or to be close to a charger,this is something you do not need to worry about on the Leap.

BlackBerry Blend is on board the leap,seamlessly brings messaging and content that’s on your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer and tablet. Send and receive messages and access your files in real time, from whatever device you’re on.

Home-screen and accessibility.

As before with the passport we just have our static screen with icons,you can of course make folders which is useful,the drop down menu offers us plenty of settings to access so to move around the device is simple which is nice,there is many settings on the phone too giving a great level of customisation.Swiping to the left will bring you to additional apps you have stored and swiping to the right takes you to the blackberry hub which is simply great.

 

Browsing,Music – Media

Stock browser seemed fine depending on connection but again you can work around this at times but to be fair i could partly blame my Wi-Fi here,on 4G it was fast,this was also similar on the passport,overall it served well though and things looked good on the Leap Pages rendered quite quickly and viewing was on par with other devices at the price point,the speaker which is placed on the bottom is not bad but depending on where you let it sit sound will get muffled,aside that its loud .Listening to music is also quite good and with a decent pair of headphones you will not be disappointed overall for media.

Conclusion.

BlackBerry here in Ireland is pretty much a no go area for our providers which is a shame,it once was huge here but since the Z10 things went downhill with little or no option to buy it here in stores leaving business and enterprise fans annoyed who prefer Blackberry,this device is aimed at the younger generation but offers more than one might think,one thing that lacks is NFC again this is no big deal in Ireland but its catching on with the like of wireless charging,I think between the Leap and the Passport blackberry have turned a corner,having said that BlackBerry is now a niche but if they continue to dish out good devices they have a chance to re claim their stake. On a personal level i think the device is well priced and it offers pretty much the same as any other device in the price range alongside the added security.

The BlackBerry Leap costs just £199 sim free which is not bad and can be bought HERE or other leading online sellers.For the price its worth it..

The Hannspree sports watch review. Does the job at hand for the price you pay. by @jimboireland #Hannspree

The Hannspree sport watch gives us a few ways to track things such as a pedometer,weight loss tracking.sleep monitoring and message notifications.also sorting a long battery life it will make it attractive to some,with an Oled display which the digits are small you will get about 8-10 days of life. You can download a companion app from the store and simply sync to your watch via bluetooth and its good to go..Find out how we got on over the coming days,check out our unboxing and quick look below.

UNBOXING 

Ok the watch is cheap its not meant to be the Moto 360 some people expect these things on products,the moral of the story is you get what you pay for in life this is testament here with the Hanspree Budget watch it does however offer plenty if not more for the beginner or novice if you will.For its first attempt its good mostly besides the sometimes annoying pairing which took so time,the battery life is excellent compared to rivals in its category and means less charging,as an example i have to charge my Moto 360 DAILY which does bother me,its like having a second phone to cater for even though i do carry 2 devices daily its catering for it that annoys most with plugs everywhere..

There is a companion app available in the store which can be downloaded HERE  Quite good to have of course and pairing with your device can be a bit slow at time,having tried it on several devices i did find the pairing process tedious at first,after that it was fine on connecting the next morning most of the time..

Feature：
> Pedometer Function and Walking Distance
> Sleep Monitoring
> Message and Call Notification
> Alarm Clock
> OLED Display
> Splash Resistant
> Bluetooth Connectivity
> Long Battery Life

 

Accuracy.

Well it was good with some hit and misses but this is quite common even with high end alternatives,overall though this needs room for improvement and for its first attempt we can allow for it i guess,there is an array of options to turn on and off so this gives you control over what you want recorded.Steps/Distance/ActivityTime/Calories/Battery Level/Calls/Messages/Medication Reminder/Alarm Timer all included so not to be sniffed at.

Comfort level.

It is big,for me though it was not an issue but its light and does not bother me,compared to a Moto 360 it look cheap,that it is for the price you pay,but overall it was comfortable to wear light and thin.You may find yourself having to twist it back depending how you wear it,some wear watches in general face down i wear mine face up but thats just me.Comparing to a Moto 360 might seem harsh but most come in around the same size,some other trackers maybe of a different shape too like rectangular which i think is a better fitting design as opposed to the typical circle or squared designs we see.

Design

Light,circular and cheap. For its first attempt its not bad but be vigilant. The clasp broke on our review unit which to be fair can happen to anyone,especially when its been used quite often,perhaps a spare clasp could be in the retail package in future to coincide with its second strap that comes with it which is a nice addition to the deal.

Display

Small and minimal,often having to tap the screen multiple times to view details this is annoying,there is more blank space than needed for its first attempt,perhaps this is the base design for going forward which is forgivable,nonetheless pointless space wasted.

Overall thoughts

Not bad really considered the price point (£29.99),considered you could add an extra couple of euros and get something better its does the job mostly well,again this is for people really looking not to spend much money and want to venture into the wearable world and this is ideal in that respect,Also its tough apart from the clasp so you can drop it and not worry,i look forward to whats ahead for this and hopefully the space wasted is going to used well in an upcoming model and then we can see what has been learned and how well the next model has learned from this one.

Review – Jabra Move Wireless Headset. A Bargain for the price with quality. by @jimboireland #Jabra

We have had our Jabra headset just over a week now and its time to share my thoughts on these which proved a worthy headset considered its price bracket,i’m normally a fan of high end headphones but its nice to check out what’s new and thanks to Jabra they have sent use the Jabra Move Wireless Headset.. Aimed at the sports and fitness gurus here is what we think.

First off the packaging is not cheap and i would push it towards a more premium packaging,(see video for more) We are presented with a nice case and on opening we are then presented with the headset itself covered with plastic,surrounding the headphones is a nice foam cushion which protects the headset during shipping and personal use should you prefer to carry them in the case.Underneath the headset them comes some instructions,a USB cable for charging the headset and then a wired cable which can be handy if you should run out of power.Also included is a start up guide..

Cups

The headphone cups are comfortable to say the least and block out external noise,they nestle quite well on your ears and are not tight fitting like some headsets can be which make them non obstructive and they are not huge cups either they are probably just about right,the material is soft and durable and can be kept clean easily.There is some noise leakage but this can be expected depending on volume.

Adjusting the headphones is simple although you will at first need to apply some force as they are new,the strap is robust and made from metal and thin and the cable is not too long and does not interfere in any way nor do you feel it.

HeadBand

The HeadBand is thin and flexible and covered with robust mesh material so this will last quite some time and can be also easily cleaned,the material is tough but you don’t feel a rough feel from it and it does not snag in your hair so comfort here is optimum.

The controls are simple to use and small,one one side we have the volume toggle and multiplay feature buttons,these are small so it will take time to adjust to finding them once you use regularly you will naturally find them with finger,On the same side we have the 3.5mm headset jack which we can plug in to use them wired should you not have a bluetooth enabled device or if you are travelling on an airplane for example. On the other side we have the micro usb port where we charge the headphones,this is the only way they can be charged,there is also a switch to pair the headphones with your compatible device,there is a power and connection status indicator too,if you are wearing these and not connected you get an audible alert and the same applies when you do connect to a device.Call quality too was also crisp and clear so overall a good experience.

Connectivity

Connectivity is simple and these paired with many devices at ease which was great,,on your device you will of course see the name of the headset,if you are a user of many connected items this is handy to have,pairing is done in seconds,you just switch the button up and turn on your Bluetooth on device and follow the simple instructions,in all case it was just to confirm a number,this is the norm.

Conclusion.

Overall i was very impressed with these headphones,i am very picky and like quality,for the price you pay for these you are getting much more than expected,the sound is crisp and clear at all volumes and the build quality is also excellent,so these are worth every cent you pay for them in my view.Check out our unboxing and walkthrough below and if you have any questions fire off below..We would like to thanks Jabra once again for sending these over to us.

You can buy these direct from Jabra in the US or on Amazon AND Jabra UK

#Blackberry Passport Review – Do not knock it until you have tried it,its mostly good. by @jimboireland

Most people know me for been a Nokia fan or now what’s called a WinPhan due to been a Windows Phone user but i use all operating systems,but of late i have not dabbled with Blackberry i do have one or two stashed away but with the increasing decline in market share this is why i lost interest in using Blackberry Devices,but then came along the Passport,something new,fresh,different,it stood out and it made people talk and i said hmmm,initially i did slate it but over time it grew on me and said maybe this is the one for me to try out and see whats new. I have to say im very impressed.The presentation of the packaging too is also premium and looks well..

 

Design

First thing to note is the design,it stands out its different its bold,its odd but it works,on first use it will seem odd due to the devices shape and where the physical keys are placed.If you are use to big devices this difference does fade away over time,most people who change their devices on a regular basis would find the transition quite simple i would think,after a few minutes i got easily comfortable with the layout especially the keys and in no time you will be flying along typing away with no issues.The device squares in at 4.5 inches and 128 x 90.3 x 9.3 mm (5.04 x 3.56 x 0.37 in) its not too thick either,the back of the device is also quite grippy so slipping from hand is near impossible  and thankfully i have not had once dropped it yet.

 

With the keys positioned on the top right and the power key on top it was no issue as to reachability the device was comfortable in hand and i had no problems navigating the keys even though its quite square,those with bigger hands would find this easy to use and perhaps people with smaller hands might use it with both this would vary by individual,for me personally it was not a problem either one or two handed.The QWERTY keypad is easy to use even though its placed at the very end some may find it awkward but as mentioned it takes getting use to if you have not even used a QWERTY keypad after a long time.

Under the hood

The Passport comes with decent specs to say the least,The CPU is a Quad-core 2.26 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 300 GPU,and a Qualcomm MSM8974AA Snapdragon 801,ours arrived with the previous software Blackberry 10.3 but soon after the 10.3.1 update arrived which gave the device lots of extra which was welcome you can read all about that HERE

 

Battery

On board we have a 3,450 mAh battery which is non removeable this may be a setback for some but most devices today are unibodied so its something fans of phones with a removeable battery is going to have to come to terms with at some stage and recently we have seem samsung take this approach with the new S6 models.The battery will see you through the day no problem if you are an average to heavy user or power user.

Camera

The camera is quite good to be fair though its target market would not be mainly looking for a decent snapper this has all it requires and more and i found it quite good and up there with other devices in the market there is plenty of settings on the passport to suits ones taste,it does seem odd talking photos due to the shape of the device but you will overcome this after some usage and adjust with ease.There is more than enough here settings wise to to play with and become creative if this is your thing.

The camera does the job and on a recent trip it was a murky day and photos where quite good,with a 13MP camera with OIS,auto focus and an LED flash pictures turned out well i must say,i was pleasantly surprised by the results. I am not a camera fanatic as most know but when i want to take a decent photo i want a device that will do it and the passport provided me with that and exceeded my expectations.

 

Apps

Well there is plenty out of the box we have Blackberry World and the Amazon store this should suit most users needs,but the option to add the Play store (at your own risk) changes it all with most apps (personal apps i would use) working fine from the play store this is a huge bonus to users who want that bit more so on the App front you are well covered some apps will not work though.

Browsing the web.

The browsing experience was fine,at times though i did find it sluggish when several tabs was open this could have been my Wi-Fi or data but i did in general see it happen often on either but overall browsing was a pleasure although you might at first find it odd looking at pages on the screen due to its design,again this quickly fades away after some usage of the phone.You can also pick browsers we have Bing,Google and Yahoo.Pages rendered quite well and looked crisp and clear so i was happy enough overall.Another bonus is the previous pages you viewed are remembered so you can hop through pages and quickly swap through sites should be surfing for something in particular.

Maps

Maps worked a treat too,again we can download other apps for maps and now we also have the inclusion of HERE maps too which gives users an ample choice of mapping solutions which is also good to have there is also a nice compass built in on the device which looks rather neat.

 

 

Gaming

Gaming was fine being honest i am not mad into games on mobile as i once was years ago but i tried a few games i generally like to play such as snooker or pool,the games i tried worked fine,nice screen display and sound from speakers to so it passed the test here if you happened to be bored you are sorted.

 

Music and video

Music video and audio all played well and i found it a pleasurable experience the speakers are quite loud and crisp also to point out using several of my own headphones the sound was also quite good and had great audio pleasure,i do tend to listen to lots of music or watch you tube and the results for me where good and up to standard.

Overview.

They UI is actually quite nice and smooth image galleries and music galleries are the same but its easy to navigate these and its a smooth procedure,Swiping on the home screen from left to right will guide you through all thats on the device swiping down will bring up shortcuts and swiping up will leave you with your recent apps etc,its a simple UI to navigate and using simple gestures is all thats needed this is also implemented in the physical keys which is quite useful and its quite a nice experience once you get the hang of it.

 

 

 

The Passport is certainly a niche device aimed at a niche market but it stands up to the crowd,its more to offer than you might think some say this device is too late to the market but opinions always are divided,this is my first time to use a Blackberry in two years and i have been taken back somewhat on how things have changed,i did scoff it at first which i was open about but until you have tried it your opinion might change,this like any other niche device has its own genre but its got more to offer,shape aside,keypad location aside for some it might not be aesthetically pleasing but until you actually pick one up and use it,the keyboard is quite easy to use,it feels solid in hand and it only take hours to get a real feel for it you will be surprised.

We would like to thank Blackberry for sending us this device and its been quite an uplifting experience and has taken me by surprise after using it for two weeks,its not your regular looking device but underneath its got what it takes.Once you overcome the variables you will be impressed overall.

Image Gallery

The camera area.
Back of device.
Top of device.
Left side view.
Top view.
Right side view.
1 / 7

Blackberry Passport – Noreve leather wallet review. #Noreve #Cases #Blackberry by @jimboireland

Our Blackberry Passport arrived last week and of course as always we need protection and Noreve once again came to the rescue and provided us with a quite beautiful case for our passport the case is quite nice and bespoke and has a fantastic leather exterior to is and the lovely smell of leather is quite nice believe it or not.

 

The case is quite nice to hold and is in the fold factor design,for a large phone this may not suit some due to it folding down but if you are use to big phones and this style of case it will work fine its also not that bulky and does not add anything major to an already big squared device,it looks very slick and trendy and professional if i dare say.

Elegant case conceived in top quality handcrafted leather
– Hand-crafted manufacturing quality
– Practical thanks to its magnetic closure
– Slim and padded design
– Protects the device in an optimal manner
– All sides protective case
– Access to basic functions (multiple openings on the leather)
– Two business or credit card slots
– Headphones and headset jack access
– Charging and synchronization cable access
– Easy access to stylus
– Beautiful interior lining embossed with the Noreve logo
– Leather stand on the back for horizontal use

 

 

You can buy either of these cases from noreve over at this link here they range from €49.50 which may seem expensive to some,but these are quality bespoke cases and you can customize to our preference.