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The Blackberry Q10 follows the Z10 as a device powered by the BlackBerry 10 operating system. The Q10, however, returns to a more typical BlackBerry design and layout than the Z10 did, including a physical QWERTY keyboard, BBM, and excellent encryption features. For those who are already fans of the BlackBerry line, it comes as a welcome return to form, but does it stand up against today's more popular smartphones?

Designwise, the Q10 most resembles a more understated version of the BlackBerry Bold 9900. It looks glamorous but not flashy. At a size of 4.71" x 2.63" x 0.41" and a weight of 4.90 oz, it's on the smaller end of smartphones and fits perfectly and comfortable in the hand. Its finishing even feels good - just holding it, you can tell that it's a sturdy, top-notch phone.

The Q10 is a touch-and-type phone. There is no trackpad like there is on older BlackBerry phones. Instead, users navigate the touchscreen for everything except for typing. The screen and its display is good, with a resolution of 720 x 720 pixels, with rich colors and sharp details. It suffers a little bit in direct sunlight, but indoors or in shady areas, the display looks great.

In a time when smartphones have become less about taking calls and more about adding games, music, and videos the Q10 is first and foremost a phone. Calling and texting is what this phone does best. The call quality is excellent, and the keyboard is wonderful to use, especially for those who prefer to type on a physical keyboard, not a touchscreen. The BlackBerry 10 operating system's auto-correct and word prediction features are included here. Texting has never been easier.

The 8-megapixel camera may not be the device's primary focal point, but it's still pretty good. The colors look good and, with good lighting conditions, the images are extremely clear. This is also true of videos shot with the Q10. It may not satisfy an avid photographer, but for most, this one won't disappoint. The camera's new Time Shift mode is also a helpful feature that will help you get the most perfect group photo. Take several pictures in a row, then click on any person's face to find their best photo from the set. You can copy everyone's best facial expression onto the final picture, creating a group photo where no one can complain they look back.

With the Apple app store and Google Play both boasting hundreds of thousands of great apps, the BlackBerry app market falls a little further behind. There aren't quite as many great plug-ins for your favorite websites and services. If many available apps are very important to you, you may be impatient with the BlackBerry market, but their options are growing dramatically every day and it may just be a matter of time before they're easily competing with the other two.

The BlackBerry Q10 is an excellent phone for anyone who uses their phone primarily for work or communication. It's also, hands down, the best smartphone with a physical keyboard. The new phone may be simpler than the glitzy models some expect from their smartphones, but that simplicity makes it easy to use. It's definitely worth the purchase.

• Create two profiles, one for work and one for play, with BlackBerry Balance
• Use BlackBerry Hub to peek into messages, texts, and updates from any app without closing anything
• Screen Share allows you to easily peruse photos or business documents over the phone with your colleagues
• Innovative Time Shift mode on the camera lets you advance portions of your photos in time
• 4G LTE ready for lightning fast browsing speeds and crystal clear calls
• 3.1" touch display with QWERTY keyboard for more natural typing
• Store your favorite apps, songs, and videos on the phone with 16 GB internal storage

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