I have written allot of post about my love hate relationship with Blackberry because of the issues I had with my z10 when I bought the device on launch day last year. Restarts, 10.0 software issues and so on. So I went back to IOS and my iPhone 5S. I finally decided to bite the bullet, give Blackberry another chance and bought a new z30 100-5 unlocked model from a Canadian seller off Craigslist last Friday. The person was nice enough to give me his contact data, so if I have any warranty issues in the future, he would help me to exchange the device if that ever becomes necessary.



I finally decided to come back to Blackberry after have some major issues with my iPhone 5S the past month and I really have grown tired of the stale IOS7, seriously. It was a hard decision because I have allot of money invested in the Apple app ecosystem and I use Mac's in my business, but with the release of the 10.2.1.195 leak I decided to go for it.



I installed the 10.2.1.195 leak the day I bought my z30 home, I side loaded the Snap app and installed all the core apps I was using on my iPhone 5S, with the exception of a few news and sports apps that don't run with the current runtime on the leak. I know they are not the paid apps I had in IOS, but they function just as fine as my paid ones did. I found after a couple days of using the z30 as my daily driver, I am not missing the paid ones at all and the add banners are a non issue for me.



The Hub, the first thing I noticed was having the Hub again, what a valuable software function. I know that IOS and Android have the notification screen, but it's not even close the functioning like the hub does. The priority hub functions in 10.2 is also a very nice feature. The LED light blinking is another feature I liked having back. I have seen postings about folks having issues with their Facebook and Twitter notifications in the Hub on 10.2, but mine are working fine. I have used Android and IOS allot and none of them have anything that compares the the functionality of the hub, period.



Lock screen notifications and peak, I like the feature of having my messages show up on the lock screen and being able to just tap the message and it takes me right to it. The peek function is also a valuable feature to me now. Going back to using the swipe functions compared to using the home button takes some getting used to, but after using the device for a couple of days, I find it easier to navigate rather then keep pressing the home button to go back and forth.



The Screen, I read allot of forums talking about how the screen is not up to par with what is currently out there, to this I say BS. I find the screen to be excellent for what I use the device for, which is my emails, texting and social apps. The colors are bright, the text is sharp and easy to read. I am not a gamer and I don't watch movies or videos so I can't tell you how good the screen is for these functions. I don't see the pixel density issue everyone is talking about, I compared my z30 against my sisters Galaxy S4 using the apps I normally use and I don't see any difference, period. I have found having the extra screen space is wonderful for composing my emails and reading PDF and DOC files from my clients, it's a hell of allot better then that tiny screen on my iPhone 5s where I had to constantly use the pinch zoom function when reading text.



Build and Feel, the z30 has a nice solid and quality feel to it, I feel like I got a nice product for the $400.00 US dollars I spent for the device. I find the z30 much easier to use then the Note 3 or xPeria Z, which I found where impossible for me to use as a daily driver. The z30 is the perfect fit for someone looking for extra screen space like myself.



Warranty and Support, I do miss having the Apple store when it comes to any warranty and support issues I might have down the road. My carrier T Mobile has all but abandoned the brand here and Blackberrys warranty policy is not consumer friendly, especially here in the USA. But, I will worry if and when that time comes and I know the Canadian seller will keep his word in helping me to exchange the device.



I sold my iPhone 5S on Craigslist this past Saturday and I am recommitting to Blackberry and the z30 again, I know there are folks out there who might think I am nuts. But, I have found that what I now expect out of my smartphone, Blackberry and OS 10.2.1 are going to work perfectly. I also find myself not being able to put the z30 down, I use it for everything now, Facebook, emails, messaging and so on.



Addicting, yes it is and I am happy to say I made the right decision to come back into the Blackberry community. I just hope the new folks in charge will show the same commitment as the loyal Blackberry community and myself have? Only time will tell. For now I am rocking on my new z30 100-5 on the T-Mobile USA LTE network.