Blogger Sarah Ruhlman tries out the PRIV's camera. (Credit: SarahScoop)
Top family and lifestyle bloggers are extremely busy. Most of them spend most of their time keeping up with careers, families and activities, and their blogs are places to share something about their hobbies or knowledge and – if they're really successful – make a little extra money on the side.
Publishing a successful blog takes a lot of time and work. Bloggers are constantly on the move, chasing down stories, capturing creative photos and videos, writing and publishing blog posts, and connecting with their contacts, and a smartphone is essential to make it all happen.
We thought, who better to put the Android-powered PRIV through its paces than busy bloggers who need the best tools to support their productivity? PRIV is packed with features – like the 18 megapixel camera, physical keyboard, 5.4-inch, 540 ppi display, 22.5-hour battery life and communications and calendar features – to help busy people make the most of their time.
So we partnered with AT&T to provide free PRIVs to some popular bloggers and asked them to try them out for a few weeks and give us their honest feedback. Read on for some of the things they had to say.
"I have to say the PRIV is not like any BlackBerry you have seen before. I can't get over how easy it is to use in every aspect of my life. From photos to social media to even just calling my mom to say hi. It is so easy to use and has all of the features I need in a phone. … The PRIV offers a privacy factor like no other. BlackBerry is passionate about raising the bar for security and privacy. You are able to monitor and control application access to your microphone, camera, location and personal information. I think that is really important when it comes to a cell phone. These little things become so much a part of our life, but you always want to be able to keep your private life private and with BlackBerry you can." (Sarah Ruhlman, television personality and lifestyle blogger, Sarah Scoop)
One of Hello Splendid blogger Jillian Warner's important things in life. (Credit: Hello Splendid)
"When I reflect back upon the different phones I have had over the years I always come back to my Blackberry circa 2006 as one of my favorite devices. … I was able to fire off emails so quickly and easily with the keyboard. A decade later I've obviously come to love a touch screen but have always missed that keyboard. In fact, I usually don't send emails requiring a response of more than a sentence or two from my phone because it still just never felt as easy as using a keyboard. What I love most about the Blackberry PRIV is that it allows me to switch back and forth between a touch screen keyboard and hidden qwerty keyboard for longer communications. That gives me the ability to have a faster response time and also to get back to the other important things in life." (Jillian Warner, social media influencer and lifestyle blogger, Hello Splendid)
"The highly-anticipated phone marries the security of BlackBerry with the power of Android. … I used to be nervous about handling so many important, private details on my phone, but the PRIV has the well-known security of BlackBerry with the DTEK app which lets me check device security status and manage what information is shared with selected apps. I'm an Android nerd through-and-through, so the fact that I can also control Smart Home items and connect with Android Wear devices is absolutely essential." (Chelsea Day, social media agency owner and adventurous-family lifestyle blogger, Someday I'll Learn)
"The PRIV feels like it was made to get stuff done. It has a slide out keyboard for faster typing (if you're used to that – I'm not yet) and the calendar is a lot more intuitive than other devices I've used. It's a cleaner view of all my events in one place, and I just find it more pleasant to use than the standard Android calendar. Security and privacy are things I'm always concerned about, especially when traveling and connecting to sketchy wifi networks. [On the] BlackBerry PRIV is an app called DTEK which puts all my privacy settings in one place, so I can monitor risks, see which apps are using my data, and suggests things I can do to make my device more secure. Most other devices I've used make that information hard to find and I appreciate BlackBerry bringing that information front and center." (Kevin Adams, developer and project manager at tech startup and food and travel writer, Ever in Transit)
Visit Mother Thyme's blog for this yummy cookie recipe. (Credit: Mother Thyme)
"The Blackberry Hub is literally a hub where you can manage everything from emails, text messages, check social media, calendar, you name it, quickly and easily all in one place, or hub. If you like organization this feature is awesome so you don't miss a beat. Basically with a simple swipe you can check everything all in one feed. You don't need to hop from app to app checking emails, social media notifications, etc… For me it's a lifesaver. … Along with the Blackberry Hub is the incredible Blackberry calendar which continues to keep your daily, weekly calendar organized. You can even peek at your calendar agenda with a simple swipe in Blackberry Hub." (Jennifer, food and home blogger, Mother Thyme)
[Translated from Spanish] "For me, technology is a great friend and ally. Having a smartphone is essential because it allows me to take family and work photos, organize my agenda, communicate with my children and my husband, send emails when I'm waiting for my children and keep contact information for friends and clients handy. Something I loved about the Blackberry PRIV I got to assess is that it even allows me to quickly write articles for my blog. I wrote much of this post while waiting for my daughter at gymnastics class! It has more than 22 hours of battery life, something that impressed me, and the camera is 18 megapixels, which is great for my blog and Instagram." (Jeanette Kaplun, journalist and Latina lifestyle blogger, Hispana Global)
"The BlackBerry PRIV boasts a colossal 22.5 hours of battery life, it's equipped with an Android ecosystem with access to over 1 million apps and with BlackBerry Hub I can manage all my emails, texts, BBM messages, phone calls, social media, calendars and more in one place ... From sharing personal moments with family on Facebook to snapping photos of my favorite style accessories on Instagram, my BlackBerry PRIV helps me navigate through life on and offline. You may think the BlackBerry PRIV is simply a business smartphone, but with an 18MP Fast Focus camera, 4K video and live filters, it's an unlimited smartphone for all the social sharing you want ... One of my favorite features is the SmartSlide BlackBerry keyboard, not only is it a familiar keyboard that BlackBerry users know and love, but it takes the user experience further with a responsive touch that helps me scroll web pages, flick to type and more." (Christen, fashion, technology and entertainment blogger, Divas and Dorks)
Gorgeous in Grey blogger Ty Alexander appreciates the Hub's unified mailbox. (Credit: Gorgeous in Grey)
"I swear by my calendar. If it's not in the calendar it's not getting done. Also, if you find yourself wasting the majority of your time managing your inbox or in meetings, it may be time for some restructuring. This is where my PRIV by BlackBerry saves my life. Besides not having to frequently charge my phone (it's got like, 20 plus hours of life in this baby) it's also equipped with the Blackberry Hub, a unified inbox for consolidating all of my messages into a single app. Praise him! So in addition to putting events on the calendar, I schedule time for me to dig deep into my inbox and conquer it with the end goal being 'ZERO unread messages.'" (Ty Alexander, style and beauty editor and blogger, Gorgeous in Grey)
"The first thing I noticed about this smartphone is that it is super sleek … it automatically relays a feeling of luxury, yet serious business. It feels sturdy, too. I don't feel nervous about not having a case for it. I love the curved edges and the way the screen wraps around the sides (5.4″). I knew this would be a phone I could easily carry around with me throughout my crazy days. The first thing I did with my PRIV was utilize the BlackBerry Hub feature. There is a little white bar on the right side and you simply slide your finger to the left and it opens up all my conversations (email, meetings, messaging, social media) into one place where I can see what came in, and respond to each of them without going to that specific platform. Major time saver. The second thing I did was dive into task feature within the Hub. This, by far, is my favorite: A to-do list organizer! I filled in everything – from calendar dates to chores, deadlines, and so on. For all the roles that I juggle, I'd say the BlackBerry PRIV definitely has me covered." (Kathy Cano-Murillo, artist, craft designer and novelist, Crafty Chica)
If these bloggers' reviews have you ready to write your own PRIV story, here's where you can buy one for yourself. You can also check out the PRIV's official product page or our how-to demo videos.
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