In 2008, Stan Rector set out to start his own business, and he now owns Infinity Gardens, an independent landscaping company with 15 employees based out of Northwest Calgary in Alberta, Canada. PRIV has proven invaluable in helping Stan run his business, keeping him in touch with both employees and clients no matter where he is.
Connectivity is only part of the equation for Stan, however. He’s anything but a hands-off boss – when his organization is contracted to plant a lawn, build a home or repair a damaged storefront, he’s working side-by-side with his employees. He couldn’t simply settle for a phone that keeps him in touch with people; he also needs one that can survive his workplace.
“Since I work in construction, I tend to be pretty rough with my phone,” says Stan. “I’ve lost count of the number of screens I’ve broken, and the number of phones I’ve had that just stopped working. That hasn’t happened with PRIV, though. I’ve had it since it came out, and I haven’t even noticed a single scratch on the screen yet.”
I had the opportunity to sit down and hear Stan’s thoughts on BlackBerry’s first Secure Android smartphone. Here’s what he had to say.
Stan’s not the only professional who finds PRIV indispensable. Check out some other satisfied PRIV customers, including this teenaged tech CEO, this international sales executive, this TV host, this Irish tech blogger and entrepreneur, these brotherly fashion executives, this best-selling author and pastor, this TV chef, this sports editor, this aerospace engineer, this manager at a major Dominican insurance firm, this entrepreneurial lawyer and this consulting firm CEO.
Nick: Have you been a BlackBerry user for long?
Stan: I was a BlackBerry fan for a while, yeah, but I eventually ended up switching over to Samsung. They just served my needs a lot better at the time. It was mainly a durability thing, but I also didn’t like some of the core apps on BlackBerry compared to what was offered on Android – Google Maps, for example, works a lot better for me than BlackBerry’s GPS did.
Nick: What was it about PRIV that drew you back to BlackBerry?
Stan: Mostly, it was the keyboard. I have to write a lot of emails during the day, so I really wanted a phone with a keyboard. And I’m still a BlackBerry fan, too. I’ll always use one of their devices over an alternative if it works for me.
So I was super pumped to see that BlackBerry came out with an Android device, and that it had a physical keyboard on it. There are a lot of times where I’ll be at a job site working during the day, and I’ll need to send some emails out to customers and clients. It’s handy to have that phone on me and not have to go to the office and type it out on my computer.
I mostly use my phone for writing emails, surfing the web and occasionally keeping track of the stock market. I need something that’s really quick and easy to type with. I get that on PRIV – it’s a wicked phone, for sure.
Nick: Keyboard aside, what other features of PRIV do you like?
Stan: The Hub is really handy, because it shows me all my text messages, phone calls and emails in one spot. I also like knowing that my phone’s secure and what my apps are doing with my information, so I use DTEK quite a bit, as well. It gives me peace of mind.
Overall, I really like the fact that BlackBerry went to Android. There are a lot more apps to get, and the apps are a lot better on the Android OS, too. The speakers seem really good as well; I play music on my phone sometimes.
I also really love the overall look of the phone. They did a really good job with that.
Nick: What apps do you generally use?
Stan: Google Maps, Gmail and the Hub, for sure. Aside from that, I don’t really use a lot of specific apps, aside from games – though I do use a landscaping [industry] app we pay for monthly, and it works great on my PRIV.
Nick: How have your employees and clients reacted to your phone?
Stan: Everyone’s really curious about it. Most people I talk to had no idea BlackBerry was coming out with an Android phone. They thought BlackBerry was finished. When they see the phone, they’re really surprised, and super impressed with how it looks.
A couple of my buddies are looking into making a purchase in a little bit. I think people are slowly finding out that it’s actually a really good device. It’s going to take a bit more time for people to know it’s out there, though; my phone company hasn’t even pushed it that hard yet.
It’ll get there, though.
Nick: Overall, how would you rate PRIV?
Stan: I’d give it a 10/10. I have no serious complaints. Every device has its problems, of course. PRIV’s battery wasn’t great at first, but with some software updates, it’s improved a lot. With time, I’m sure PRIV will get even better.
Want to learn more about the PRIV? See how it’s become the device of choice for these eight popular lifestyle bloggers. You could also read about its power as an enterprise productivity tool, tune in to business development expert Jim Opfer’s take on the device, or see what users have to say about the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow update on PRIV.
PRIV as well as Passport are both on sale at ShopBlackBerry, while carriers such as Telus in Canada have recently dropped their prices. For other carriers/countries, check out our availability blog.