With a physical keyboard that doubles as a trackpad, and a squarish display aspect ratio of 1:1, the P35,790.00 BlackBerry Passport looks nothing like a consumer phone. But it does excel in – no apologies there – letting you get more work done. Here are six of its features that make it stand out, in a sea of Androids and iOS phones.
1. Square display shows “more”
The Passport has a 4.5″ 1:1 aspect ratio (1440×1440 pixel with 453 ppi) HD display using Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Unlike on a portrait phone, you immediately see images “bigger”, without the need to zoom or pan around. eBooks, documents, images, maps, and websites look “full”. I am amazed that I like them that way myself.
2. The physical keyboard is a touchpad, and doubles as a trackpad
That means you can scroll up and down on webpages, slide to move the cursor, flick left to delete a word, and highlight a word or phrase, all without your hands ever blocking the display. An unhindered view of the screen means you soak in information faster, and react accordingly.
3. Up to 30 hours of battery life, with heavy usage
With a 3,450mAh battery, the Passport won’t quit on you. Because decisions must be reached and deadlines met even though your current phone is low on power.
4. Access to two app stores – Android and BlackBerry
BlackBerry World has productivity apps while Amazon-curated Android apps are available through the pre-loaded Amazon Appstore. That means the latest Android games and apps, including Minecraft – Pocket Edition, Candy Crush Saga, Pinterest, Temple Run 2, and Cut the Rope 2 are within reach. Docs to Go, so you can read and edit office files, comes pre-loaded.
5. BlackBerry Blend allows the Passport to be used as your central message and email hub
Blend brings messaging and content on your Passport to your computer and tablet. Get message notifications, read and respond to work and personal email, BBM or SMS; and access your documents, calendar, contacts, and media in real time on whatever device you’re on. You can even use your computer to send out SMS messages from your Passport, and open email attachments on the Passport via MS Office on your computer. Blend works across desktop operating systems like Mac OS X 10.7+, iPad tablets on iOS 7+, and Android tablets on 4.4+.
6. Despite the serious executive look, the Passport sports a 13MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization
That’s right. You’re bound to need clear images even when it’s work-required (especially so, actually) although on a default squarish 1:1 aspect ratio. So you might as well get it along with everything else on the passport that’s tailored for getting things done.
Cameron Vernest, BlackBerry Managing Director for the Philippines and Singapore, gives us a rundown on their reinvigoration strategy en route to introducing the BlackBerry Passport, for getting things done on the road. Available through authorized resellers at SRP P35,790.00.
BlackBerry Passport Specs
4.5-inch IPS display, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 1440 x 1440 resolution
2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM
32GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 128GB
13MP rear camera with AF, OIS and LED flash
2MP front camera
WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
3G, LTE
BlackBerry 10.3 OS
3450 mAh battery
128 x 90.3 x 9.3 mm
SRP P35,790.00
Here’s the video.
