As BlackBerry Elite members, we are privy to info and updates and all things BlackBerry. As a BlackBerry Elite, I am excited to share BlackBerry news and info with my readers. I’m always excited when new products are released. I’m even more excited to share an interview with fellow BlackBerry Elite, Pat Wallace. Pat was great enough to do us the honour of talking about what he thinks of the new BlackBerry Passport.
Life on Manitoulin: Pat Wallace, as a BlackBerry Elite, how do you best educate or inform people about BlackBerry and BlackBerry products?
Pat Wallace: As any of my friends or family would tell you, I never stop talking about BlackBerry, and this has been called an obsession, addiction, sometimes crazy, but I call it passion. I make sure to let everyone know I am more than happy to help with any questions and they don’t hesitate to ask. I am constantly showing my device to people, even strangers and make sure to highlight the benefits. I am very active on social media and this often includes information about existing or upcoming features on BlackBerry and why they should choose the right device to keep moving! One awesome, and often overlooked feature I remind people about is reader mode in the browser, which makes reading articles on the web a breeze.
LOM: Exciting times with the new BlackBerry Passport released. Tell us what you love most about the Passport.
PW: The BlackBerry Passport is a great device. The battery gets me through even the busiest of days but I will admit that the screen is something that I really have come to love. The size is perfect for reading messages and is comfortable for viewing websites and pictures. Instead of reading narrow columns the wide display allows you to see 60 characters across, which makes a big difference, which becomes more evident when switching between devices.
LOM: Elevator pitch time! Tell us why people should get the BlackBerry Passport.
PW: The Camera, The Battery, The Display, The Speed… However, The new Touch Enabled Keyboard is really innovative and something to check out. Flick typing on BB10 keyboards is a great feature and the passport allows you to swipe on the physical keys to insert words as well as type on physical keys. My typing speed has increased back to a level that makes heads turn. The touch sensitive keyboard also works as a cursor, and brings a heightened precision and control which is fantastic.
LOM: I’m sure you get a lot of questions about BlackBerry. What are 5 things you think our readers should know about BlackBerry.
PW: BlackBerry is a strong Canadian company started in 1999 that has changed mobile technology around the world. BlackBerry secure, stable and here to stay.
BlackBerry makes the multi-tasking customers need to do achievable without compromise.
BlackBerry 10 runs Android Applications.
BBM is a free cross platform messaging service that allows you to connect with anyone around the world for free over data and Wi-Fi. You don’t have to worry about international messaging charges and can keep in touch with anyone, anywhere.
BlackBerry 10 is a QNX based operating system.
BlackBerry has a huge community of online support and resources for questions, tips, tricks and more. Some of the biggest BlackBerry users are there and happy to help.
LOM: Fun question- What is the most exciting thing that has happened to you as a BlackBerry Elite?
PW: The most exciting thing that has happened to me as a BlackBerry Elite would be recently, when attending the Passport Launch Event in Toronto. I was able to meet the CEO, John Chen and have him autograph my BlackBerry Passport. This was a very exciting day that I will never forget and I am grateful to have had the opportunity.
LOM: Fill in the blank. “The most incredible thing my Passport can do is ____.”
PW: BLEND.
LOM: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
PW: The BlackBerry Passport call audio quality is fantastic. It comes with powerful speakers, and with BlackBerry Natural Sound Technology it will adapt to your surroundings giving you the best call quality available on the market.
LOM: We also have some questions from readers that maybe you can answer.
Life on Manitoulin Reader: What android apps are and are not in the amazon store?
PW: There are thousands of apps in the Amazon App Store. They have free daily apps, trials of paid apps, and tons of well known apps from Pintrest and Minecraft to the Candy Crush Saga.
Instagram will require you to install and use the 1mobilemarket Android App store. http://market.1mobile.com
LOM Reader: Is the wide keyboard going to be hard to type on or hard to hold with my small hands?
PW: After a little while you will find the size is comfortable and you won’t have any trouble holding the device. It has a great finish that has some grip so it isn’t slippery reducing the risk of dropping it.
LOM Reader: How different is the Passport from the Z30 in terms of OS and capabilities?
PW: The BlackBerry Passport comes with BlackBerry 10.3 loaded on the device. This has hundreds of new features, new design elements and new settings too. Some of these include Panoramic photos, Instant Actions, Advanced Integration, BlackBerry Blend, Virtual Assistant, Meeting Mode and much much more!
LOM: Thank you so much for answering our questions, Pat!
PW: Thank you for your questions. I am happy to provide more information and answer any other questions, just send me a message on twitter!
@patwallace
About Pat Wallace:
Pat is an enthusiastic, easy-going guy with a passion for BlackBerry. He has a wide range of work experience. Pat grew up outside Ottawa, Ontario and now resides in Kingston. He works in sales, is a student in the healthcare field, and is a proud father who enjoys all things technology and travel. He enjoys spending time with his family. Pat has shown a dedication to BlackBerry for a number of years and is a proud BlackBerry fan on social media.
I didn’t hear much about this phone at the time as I’m not a huge BB fan — I haven’t ever owned one! I’m hoping they make a comeback though.
One of my daughters is a devout Blackberry user! I’m going to send this post to her! Great interview!
Great interview. Good to hear firsthand feedback. I had been curious about the Passport.
Thanks, JC! Lots of great info! Thanks to Pat for chatting with us!