Z10 and BB10: Are BlackBerry's new launches worth your time?

But there are also a lot of good apps missing, Miller continues, from Spotify to Netflix, and no especially easy way to find new ones. "App discovery is as bad on BB10 as the PlayBook [tablet] with no easy way to browse all free apps and very limited featured sections," Miller writes. "I found the best way to discover apps is to search for ones you use on other platforms." Ouch.

The software

Of course, to a certain extent, neither the phone nor the apps selection matters much if the software isn't any good. So how good is the software, exactly? Well, over at CNET, Jessica Dolcourt finds a whole lot of quirks and "perplexing omissions." But she also finds a lot to like. 

"With its richly designed graphical interface," Dolcourt writes, "BlackBerry 10 is a mobile OS for grown-ups. Its spin on the virtual keyboard gives RIM plenty to boast about, its enhanced BlackBerry Messenger app is exactly as it should be, and the innovative BlackBerry Balance feature will be a certain type of business user's dream."

But you better love swiping, writes Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch. 

"BB10 is all about swiping to navigate. You swipe up to wake the devices, swipe right to check out BlackBerry Hub and view your notifications, swipe left to access your currently running apps and the home screen, and swipe down to check out both system-wide and app-specific settings," he writes. "Overall, while it’s different, it’s a surprisingly intuitive experience, and one that exceeds the tacked-on touch experience of BB OS 7 and earlier." 

Thinking about picking up a Z10? Drop us a line in the comments section. And for more tech news, follow us on Twitter: @CSMHorizonsBlog

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