BlackBerry Z10 Software Update Now Available
The first BlackBerry Z10 software update began rolling out to users today.
The update improves battery life and app performance. BlackBerry decided to roll out the software fixes after some early adopters provided some feedback on its performance. The five main changes the update brings are improvements to the camera for low-light settings, changes in how the system's browser handles video, adjustments to the phone, calendar and contacts app, and a fix to make it easier to sync Gmail calendars to the phone.
BlackBerry also stated that the update will allow users to have longer battery life in between charging sessions.
BlackBerry will launch the new Z10 smartphone in the U.S. this month and has already released it overseas. The company is reporting strong sales thus far, stating that the British debut tripled any previous launch day figures for the country.
The BlackBerry Z10 will be released on all four major carriers in the U.S. including AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon.
Specifications on the handset include a 4.2-inch 1280 x 768 display, an 8-megapixel camera, 16GB of internal memory, microSD slot, LTE connectivity, and a removable battery. The display on the device has a higher resolution than the iPhone 5.
BlackBerry also promised 70,000 apps for the new Z10 when it launches. These apps include Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds, MLB, and more. However, other popular ones such as Pandora, Spotify and Netflix were not mentioned by the company.
The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg praised the Z10's virtual keyboard, stating that it was faster and more accurate than either of the native keyboards found on the iPhone or Android phones. Its predictive typing allows it to be much more precise, according to Mossberg.
He also said that he believes it will give newly-branded Blackberry a chance to better compete with Android and Apple and once again become a major player in the smartphone market.