BlackBerry 10 browser test outpaces iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8
Is Blackberry on their way to a comeback?
Quote:
BlackBerry 10 browser test outpaces iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8
BB10 load times top rival handsets
Comparison tests have shown the BlackBerry 10 web browser to be faster than its equivalent on Apple's iOS 6 and the new version of Windows Phone.
The long-awaited software and first handsets will not be officially launched until January 30, but developers have had their hands on early builds for months, in order to prepare apps for the platform.
The Gadget Masters website used the BlackBerry Dev Alpha B handset and a developer build of BB10 and placed it up against the iPhone 5 on iOS 6 and the HTC 8X running Windows Phone 8.
The tests (shown in the videos below), showed the Webkit-based BB10 handset to render pages much faster than both rival platforms, although the site is yet to test against an Android handset.
I really do hope RIM manages to turn their ship around with this one. I've never been much of a Blackberry user but I sure do like to see a good ol Canadian company do well. It's one of the few globally recognized products we make.
I don't plan to use a BB again but if OS10 is awesome , it is great for everyone IMO- the competitors will need to up their game and we may yet see more innovation in the software and hardware on mobile devices.
While I am sure it is a quality phone that blackberry made it is ugly beyond belief looking boxy and the bezel looks awful. I hope that this isn't what the phone will look like because I would love to support a Canadian company, but that is just an ugly phone, which makes it tougher to purchase in my opinion and that isn't to say anything for the quality of the appworld in recent years.
There are many things wrong with how those tests were set up. I'm not going to get into it. But it's clear that the reviewer was not qualified to evaluate and comment on the relative performance of the two units.
I also hope that RIM does OK - I suspect though that their solution was to throw a lot of horsepower at the platform, and the battery life is going to be substantially worse than many competing phones. But we can't even tell if that was the approach taken based on what was shown here.
The first person to film themselves unlocking BB10 with one hand, while holding the phone wins a prize. Don't think it's possible to gesture like that with your thumb.
There are many things wrong with how those tests were set up. I'm not going to get into it. But it's clear that the reviewer was not qualified to evaluate and comment on the relative performance of the two units.
I also hope that RIM does OK - I suspect though that their solution was to throw a lot of horsepower at the platform, and the battery life is going to be substantially worse than many competing phones. But we can't even tell if that was the approach taken based on what was shown here.
If they somehow manage to make it worse than the S3, they deserve a fataing medal.
__________________
"Wake up, Luigi! The only time plumbers sleep on the job is when we're working by the hour."
RIM's only significant chance of making a comeback is if Google starts their own wireless service, which has been rumored. Carriers make no money off of iPhones and would obviously prefer to sell something other than Android if Google becomes a competitor.
This further underscores my belief that they are throwing excessive amounts of horsepower at things - their browser is webkit based and should perform very similarly to Android and iOS devices processor cycle for processor cycle.
I have zero confidence that the Blackberry engineers have done anything to the Webkit codebase to make the software faster, otherwise one of Google or Apple would have done the same, since they are the two most experienced Webkit development houses currently active.. It's doing this with higher clocked hardware.
My prediction is battery life will be among the worst of the smartphones currently shipping, and we will read article after article extolling the fallen virtue of the BB 8730 and it's nearly week-at-a-time battery life.
Having the fastest browser is not a priority for me, especially when they're rendering the desktop versions of those pages. I want features.
I like that I can natively stream music from my Windows 8 PCs to my Windows Phone 8 handset over cellular. I like that my phone's battery can last a solid day with my usage patterns. I like that it has NFC and wireless charging. I like the (steadily improving) app selection, and the awesome integration into social networks right out of the box.
Fastest browser? Meh. Tell me what the phone is going to do to make accessing the data and services I use all the time easier and more convenient.
Then maybe I'll find time to worry about who wins the web browser shootout.
And if RIM ruins the battery life on this device, good luck getting any traction in the marketplace. BlackBerry used to be the gold standard for mobile battery life.
__________________
-James
GO FLAMES GO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Typical dumb take.
The Following User Says Thank You to TorqueDog For This Useful Post:
Honest question, this whole NFC feature and those who really like it. Where in Calgary and how often have you used it? I've haven't seen it anywhere, and wondering if I am missing the signs (ie: like pay pass)
EDIT: Oh I see the Android Beam is NFC tech. I thought it was only for commerce. Still do you find that you use it all that much (Bump Phones)?
This further underscores my belief that they are throwing excessive amounts of horsepower at things - their browser is webkit based and should perform very similarly to Android and iOS devices processor cycle for processor cycle.
I have zero confidence that the Blackberry engineers have done anything to the Webkit codebase to make the software faster, otherwise one of Google or Apple would have done the same, since they are the two most experienced Webkit development houses currently active.. It's doing this with higher clocked hardware.
My prediction is battery life will be among the worst of the smartphones currently shipping, and we will read article after article extolling the fallen virtue of the BB 8730 and it's nearly week-at-a-time battery life.
Note that the test is mainly a test of HTML5 compatbility rather than of speed. Also the Blackberry 10 device in the videos is a Blackberry Dev Alpha B which has the same type of processor as the Galaxy Nexus and Playbook 2 as well as the iphone 4s (with much lower clock though). The actual Blackberry 10 products should launch with dual-core Qualcomm Krait processors which currently power all Windows 8 phones and many Android phones which should boost speeds and reduce power consumption.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to cal_guy For This Useful Post:
BlackBerry 10 browser test outpaces iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8
