Whether it’s on business trips or at huge trade shows, the BlackBerry Passport is the tool you want with you wherever you go. That’s what this well-known tech journalist discovered.
Anyone following our review roundups on INSIDE BlackBerry (read them all HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE) should be familiar with PhoneDog’s Cam Bunton, who has gone above and beyond in his coverage of the BlackBerry Passport –check out his 13 video playlist HERE, which includes his 30-day BlackBerry Passport ‘challenge’.
With all of that quality time with the BlackBerry Passport under his belt, it should come as no surprise that Bunton took it with him to Mobile World Congress earlier this month, detailed in a blog post and video (check the end for the video).
He writes, “With every trip abroad for PhoneDog comes the battle to decide what I’m going to take with me . . . I have to admit, I went out with the aim of just using two of my phones on a daily basis. But that didn’t happen.”
I spoke with Bunton over the phone, and he told me what happened: the network coverage was ironically not so great for him at MWC, and it rendered his iPhone 6 useless on the show floor.
The iPhone 6 “didn’t want to play nice with the networks in Barcelona for some reason, so I switched my main SIM into the BlackBerry Passport.”
How did the BlackBerry Passport fare?
“It was awesome,” he writes. Besides the strong wireless reception, Bunton praised the Passport’s other robust productivity features. “For replying to emails and setting up meetings on the move, I loved having the keyboard and the insane battery life.” (There’s also the landline-like call clarity, too.)
Meanwhile, Bunton had actually brought two cases for his iPhone 6 sporting extra battery power – “I couldn’t risk my device dying halfway through a day” – that he ended up not needing (see the chart at the bottom of this blog to compare smartphone runtimes).
Bunton’s problems connecting over Wi-Fi with his iPhone is common enough (with iOS 8) that it’s gotten a nickname, “WiFried.” The issue still hasn’t been fixed as of iOS 8.2, apparently, either, as these Google search results readily show:
BlackBerry devices have a history of faring well at demanding events like MWC – the BlackBerry Z30 won the gold last year in Wired’s “CES Smartphone Thunderdome” challenge, where journalists attending the show were forbidden from using anything but their phones to document and capture the event.
Last year’s winner, Tim Moynihan took the top prize to become a “smartphone blogging machine.”
“I took a lot of ribbing for using a BlackBerry,” he wrote. “It’s not as fancy as the other phones in the contest, apparently. But you know what? Doesn’t matter. It’s still a phone that can be used to cover a large electronics tradeshow. That’s pretty amazing.”
Reliable Devices, No Matter the Challenge
For anyone enduring a grueling challenge where they need the very best in reliable mobile productivity, you just can’t go wrong with a BlackBerry smartphone.
Check out Bunton’s wrap-up video below, and for bonus points, see if you can spot the BlackBerry Classic on his desk next to the monitor.
For those outside the North American market, you can get your BlackBerry Passport directly from us at our global shopping portal HERE.
(Check with your local carrier for device compatibility.)
Remember – the BlackBerry Passport has a battery capacity that exceeds all rivals in milliamp hours – no need for a charging case:*
Runtime
BlackBerry Passport
30 hours
Samsung Galaxy S5
23 hours
iPhone 6
21 hours
iPhone 6 Plus
25 hours
(*Based on third-party lab testing sponsored by BlackBerry, under 4G and 3G wireless conditions, using a mixed-usage profile. Results will vary by carrier and network conditions.)
About Matt Young
Matt Young is a writer and editor with experience in tech, music, news and entertainment. A current Performance Evangelist for Radware, Matt has previous experience with BlackBerry, and Avaya. He has a degree in Journalism from San Jose State University. Follow Matt on Twitter @techunraveler.
(Check out those customer testimonials, then read about the University Professor, Consulting Group President, Tech Journalist, Software Manager, Chief Medical Information Officer, Product Engineer, Clinical Research Organization President, Insurance Salesperson, Program Coordinator/ Screenwriter and Nonprofit Founder – all satisfied owners of the BlackBerry Passport. Then vote for who you think had the quote that best reflects what you love about the BlackBerry Passport!)
