Right, I have a new phone.

It’s a Blackberry. I’ve never owned a Blackberry before.

As is wont, here’s the first impressions.

It’s a bloody big thing. Previous phone was an S5, this doesn’t look that much bigger, but feels epically bigger. The software is rather nice. Blackberry have done some light touches over a pretty vanilla Google experience. Not as heavy handed as HTC or Samsung, this is welcome. The keyboard takes some work, but is nice. Slide, click, slide. Very positive feel and - LOOK KEYS! For quick things, the on screen is quicker. Sitting on a IRC session? Keyboard. Construction feels nice. Carbon fibre back, little bits of metal here and there. Some heft to it. This is not a light phone. But I can probably beat you to death with it, and then answer some e-mails. Blackberry Hub is missing bits. Native GMail functions would be useful. I use “Archive” a lot, Archive requires the GMail app. There’s a Marshmallow update around the corner, apparently with updates. I await. Accessories are shocking. Bought a first party “hard case”. It’s two lumps of poorly moulded plastic that make the phone harder to hold, and according to forum posts, scratch the phone. Considering the construction quality of the device, this is a poor show. Screen protectors have been a nightmare on the curved screen - the standard “stick and peel” just doesn’t seem to work. I’ve ordered a batch of spray and stick ones to see if they fare any better. Third party accessory support is limited. I can find two, just two, named brand aftermarket cases. Compare that to the Galaxy S series where manufactuerers are tripping over themselves. And one of those is near impossible to source direct in the UK. So far, I’m liking the device. When I’ve paired it with a case that works, and a screen protector that works, I think I’ll like it even more.