The BlackBerry Thread

Phila said:
I would say their marketing is almost nonexistent. I see the occasional commercial on tv, but thats it. I know BlackBerry is sponsoring an F1 team now, but thats not doing anything to help sales in the US.

I don't want BlackBerry to try to be Apple, not at all, but they need to find the best marketing people or agency they can and dump as much money as possible into an effective ad campaign. They need to show people why they need a BlackBerry.

Maybe BlackBerry needs to show an ad where the "popular" apps are running on BB10. Show someone on their Z10 using Spotify, playing Candy Crush, using Instagram. The narrator of the commercial could slip in a quick "run all your favorite apps with Google Play sideloading" and be done with it.
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Ah yes, I've heard the situation is worse in the US. In Canada I see at least some marketing, partly from the carriers and partly from BlackBerry themselves. Regardless, they definitely need something better I feel, but I don't think advertising sideloading is such a good idea - it'll draw a lot of criticism once people realize it's not a simple tap-to-install process.
 
Evel said:
Ah yes, I've heard the situation is worse in the US. In Canada I see at least some marketing, partly from the carriers and partly from BlackBerry themselves. Regardless, they definitely need something better I feel, but I don't think advertising sideloading is such a good idea - it'll draw a lot of criticism once people realize it's not a simple tap-to-install process.
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Here I see ads for the Q10 and Z10 but not nearly as many as the gs4.

Not only will it draw "are you joking?" criticism from media types and techies alike, but advertising sideloading would probably get RIM in trouble with Google.
 
My Bold 9930 has finally succumbed to its bath I gave it last month. I can no longer rely on it to stay powered on for more than an hour. I'm mad at myself because the phone didn't die on its own, I killed it.


My Z10 should be here by Thursday. I'm pretty excited to get it.
 
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Right now I can't get through one hour without charging, so I'll take it.

I got my Spotify.bar ready to go, now I just need the phone.


edit: Evel, can you give me a simple instructional on the debug token aspect of sideloading? I thought I had it figured out but the tutorial I used was no help.
 
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Well, that one hour is clearly broken. The Z10 is designed like that :no:

Mine's free, so I'm not complaining too much :dunno:
 
Phila said:
Right now I can't get through one hour without charging, so I'll take it.

I got my Spotify.bar ready to go, now I just need the phone.


edit: Evel, can you give me a simple instructional on the debug token aspect of sideloading? I thought I had it figured out but the tutorial I used was no help.
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Well first off, welcome to the club! Hope you can enjoy BlackBerry 10 as much as I've been enjoying it. :D Just keep in mind it is a new OS, and there will be things you'll have to relearn.

As for debug token sideloading, I'll try and run you through it, but let me know if you need any clarification.

Start by downloading the Android-Pack here and unzip it. I believe you said you had a Mac earlier, so that's the Mac version. The Windows version is here if you need it. Make sure your computer has the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment, as this pack is going to need it.

Next, go over to the BlackBerry website here to request signing keys. Under "I need to sign apps:", you need the second option: "For BlackBerry PlayBook apps developed using BlackBerry WebWorks, BlackBerry NDK, or AIR - AND - For BlackBerry 10 apps developed using BlackBerry WebWorks, or the BlackBerry 10.2 Beta SDK or earlier." A new signing process has shown up with OS 10.2, but I don't think it's able to perform the functions necessary for sideloading at the moment. The PIN at the bottom is not your device PIN, it's just a passcode that you'll need to enter into the Android-Pack later in order to create the debug token.

Once you've requested those, give them some time to arrive in your email. You should get two .csj files. Put them in the Android-Pack folder. Now, edit the config.txt file and pinlist.txt file with the options it asks for (the latter is just a list of device PINs that you want to use the debug token with). With that done, you should be able to run the "RegisterToken" file, which will create a debugtoken.bar file if you've done everything correctly. I believe the latest version of the Android-Pack tries to sideload it automatically (at least it does on Windows), but if you want that to work you'll have to put your device into Development Mode before you run "RegisterToken". Otherwise, just close the program once the .bar file is created, and sideload it through your own means.

In order to convert an Android .apk to a .bar file that will work with your debug token, you'll have to download the .apk and put it in the Android-Pack folder. Then, run "./ConvertAndroidApp.sh MyAndroidApp.apk" and sideload the .bar file it spits out. I assume that's just a terminal command or something, but the process works differently on Windows (you just drag-and-drop the .apk over the ConvertAndroidApp.bat) so I might not be of much assistance if something goes wrong here.

And that's it. Every 30 days you will need to renew the debug token however, so keep that in mind. The expiry date and time is listed the Development Mode screen if you need to refer to it. To renew it, just run "RenewToken" and sideload the new debugtoken.bar.

Now, one last thing to keep in mind: OS 10.2 still isn't officially rolled out. This means that, on the official OS, you're running an older, slower version of Android Player which is compatible with fewer apps. Personally, I'd recommend going with the latest leaked OS (10.2.0.1743) to get better performance out of your sideloads, while enjoying a whole host of new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements. It's pretty much rock-solid despite being a leak - I'm running 10.2.0.1725 and have no issues, but .1743 just addresses some bugs here and there that weren't worth the upgrade to me (since loading leaks involves wiping the device, but you're starting fresh anyhow). If you don't feel comfortable running the leak for whatever reason though, the process is exactly the same on OS 10.1, but apps may be more sluggish and troublesome in general.

Also, to address the topic of the Z10's battery life - I've heard mixed reviews from everyone. I had issues myself on 10.0, but ever since they started adding battery life improvements to the OS I haven't really been able to complain. I did, however, end up buying a spare battery bundle (I was gifted a Best Buy gift card, figured I may as well get one), and there were a few times where it came in handy. So if it becomes an issue for you, I'd highly recommend that accessory.
 
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Awesome! Thank you, that explained everything.

Now that you mention it though..

Evel said:
Now, one last thing to keep in mind: OS 10.2 still isn't officially rolled out. This means that, on the official OS, you're running an older, slower version of Android Player which is compatible with fewer apps. Personally, I'd recommend going with the latest leaked OS (10.2.0.1743) to get better performance out of your sideloads, while enjoying a whole host of new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements. It's pretty much rock-solid despite being a leak - I'm running 10.2.0.1725 and have no issues, but .1743 just addresses some bugs here and there that weren't worth the upgrade to me (since loading leaks involves wiping the device, but you're starting fresh anyhow). If you don't feel comfortable running the leak for whatever reason though, the process is exactly the same on OS 10.1, but apps may be more sluggish and troublesome in general.
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I have no problem with running 10.2, could you give me an idea of how to do that as well? I am on a Mac, but I have easy access to a Windows machine if need be.

Another question:

In order to convert an Android .apk to a .bar file that will work with your debug token, you'll have to download the .apk and put it in the Android-Pack folder. Then, run "./ConvertAndroidApp.sh MyAndroidApp.apk" and sideload the .bar file it spits out. I assume that's just a terminal command or something, but the process works differently on Windows (you just drag-and-drop the .apk over the ConvertAndroidApp.bat) so I might not be of much assistance if something goes wrong here.
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If I already converted the .apk to .bar through apk2bar.org is this step still necessary?

edit: nevermind, I see that I need to in order for the app to work with my debug token.
 
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Phila said:
Awesome! Thank you, that explained everything.

Now that you mention it though..



I have no problem with running 10.2, could you give me an idea of how to do that as well? I am on a Mac, but I have easy access to a Windows machine if need be.
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You'll need a Windows machine to install the leaks, as all the leaks come in the form of an .exe autoloader. I have heard of some people installing it on Mac's using a virtual machine or Boot Camp, but if you can easily access a Windows machine I wouldn't think it's worth the hassle. You just hook up the device through USB, then run the autoloader. The autoloader will wipe the device (SD card excluded) and install the new OS overtop, which isn't a problem if you're starting fresh, but if you ever choose to update to a new leak later, you'll probably want to backup your device in some way first. I just keep all my stuff on the cloud, but if you can't/don't want to do that, you'll need to use BlackBerry Link to backup and restore. It's also recommended to do a security wipe after installing the leak (before restoring, of course), as the autoloader does seem to leave some old stuff behind which can cause issues. For instance, if you had a password on the device before installing the new OS, it will still be there once the new OS installs, so some stuff clearly stays behind.

Phila said:
If I already converted the .apk to .bar through apk2bar.org is this step still necessary?

edit: nevermind, I see that I need to in order for the app to work with my debug token.
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Yep, just to expand on this, it has to sign the .bar to work with your debug token during the signing process. So that's why anything converted on apk2bar won't work, unless it worked without the debug token method in the first place.
 
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Got my Z10 today! But....... as I got it from eBay, it came with a T-Mobile sim card so I can't use it yet. Will have to run to the Verizon store to get a sim card tomorrow.
 
Phila said:
Got my Z10 today! But....... as I got it from eBay, it came with a T-Mobile sim card so I can't use it yet. Will have to run to the Verizon store to get a sim card tomorrow.
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Hm, which model is it? I guess it could have come with a T-Mobile SIM by coincidence, but if it's a T-Mobile Z10 I don't believe it'll work on the Verizon network. Verizon has a CDMA network, while T-Mobile is GSM, so Verizon has a different model (STL100-4) to T-Mobile (STL100-3).
 
No its definitely a Verizon device. It typed in "myver" and got STL100-4. I'll be at the store tomorrow morning to get a sim card, apparently they're free. We'll see.

Edit: The guy at the Verizon store couldn't have been more helpful. Got my phone activated in 5 minutes. I asked about the Z30 and he said he literally hasn't heard one word about it :lol:

Edit 2: this Z10 is so awesome. It's really a shame people won't even consider moving from iOS or Android. What a great experience BB10 is.
 
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Phila said:
No its definitely a Verizon device. It typed in "myver" and got STL100-4. I'll be at the store tomorrow morning to get a sim card, apparently they're free. We'll see.

Edit: The guy at the Verizon store couldn't have been more helpful. Got my phone activated in 5 minutes. I asked about the Z30 and he said he literally hasn't heard one word about it :lol:

Edit 2: this Z10 is so awesome. It's really a shame people won't even consider moving from iOS or Android. What a great experience BB10 is.
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Ah, good! Really glad you're enjoying it. BlackBerry 10 is a fantastic OS that just keeps on getting better, I really wish it had taken off. I can't wait to give it a try on the Z30 - I reached out to BlackBerry for a review unit, they'll be sending one my way soon as its available :D
 
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Aaaaaaaand I now have working Spotify on my Z10!

Thanks for all your help Evel. I really appreciate it.

The Z10 is so nice. If people truly knew how well it worked and if it just had some apps this would blow iOS and Android away. Its quite a well built phone as well.

edit: I just tried to swipe from the bottom up to close an app on my iPad and was disappointed it didn't work :lol:
 
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BlackBerry-Venice-Slider-Keyboard.jpg

http://crackberry.com/leaked-render-shows-blackberry-venice-slider-keyboard

not gonna lie....my curiosity is piqued.
 
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Seems to take a less than sexy pic to get that effect out of you. :p
 
GRtak said:
Seems to take a less than sexy pic to get that effect out of you. :p
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Three words: Physical. Keyboard. Android.

It could be made out of compressed donkey shit and I'd still be interested.
 
Seriously. My thumb is 1/2 the width of my iPhone 5C's screen. I just can't get used to typing on a touch screen.
 
rickhamilton620 said:
Three words: Physical. Keyboard. Android.

It could be made out of compressed donkey shit and I'd still be interested.
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That is setting the bar pretty low. :lol:
 
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