Alternatives to Jolla?
 

So I am currently an N9 user. It looks like the jolla phone will not be coming to the states any time in the near future so sadly i must move on....:(

so what are so good alternatives...currently I am looking at the

Blackberry Z30. The only smartphones I ever owned was the n900 and N9. So the new blackberry would feel in theory more natural due to the swipe interface.

Sony Xperia Z1S: I like this phone, waterproof & durable. However not a fan of android.

Another consideration; I plan on buying google glass later this year so more than likely I would have to get an android device.

How I use my current phone:
I have grown out of my hacking phase. So I pretty much use my N9 for music, texting, light web surfing, ebook reading, email and calendar notifications.

FYI: I do not fond of big phones. The sony xperia z1s is almost too big. (5 inch screen) Specs don't really concern me either.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

The Neo900 is the one you're looking for...!

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I think the Z10 or Z30 are very good follow ups for the N9 if, like you mentioned can leave the hacking/tweaking behind because of the closed OS.

I specifically bought the Z10 as a time filler till Jolla came out (still don't have the Jolla, and most likely won't buy it, as I want to wait and see what sailfish does on other phones).

BB10 has many features that are already familiar on the N9.
The multitasking is way more power efficient than on the N9.
The Hub is similar to the N9 feed screen, but has a better overview and sorting ability than the feedscreen ( no RSS though).
Do mis the LPS screen though, but Jolla doesn't have this either.

You should try the z30 in the shops.

Edit: just read that you want/need android for Google glass. Perhaps keep a watch out on how Sailfish porting progresses to android phones then, would be a better choice?

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

... aaand we are back to hacking again ;)

but this might indeed be a good choice.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

And that's 'cos hacking never really goes out of fashion :D:D

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

what network r u on in the states? jolla not sending their phone to the us shouldn't hold you back from getting one ;D

you should, however, check the frequencies your provider uses ... maybe you're lucky and european handsets work fine...

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

i already checked since i am on t-mobile i would only get 2g.
Glass is expected to come out this year. Maybe I should hold off and see if the glass app will come to blackberry.

Z30 is not availble in the states but I can try out the z10 in stores. I can get a new one from amazon for about $250.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

Then again BB10 offers android support and direct APK file installation. You can even install apps from the play store through the BB10 Snap application

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

What do you get when you take most of Jolla's specs, then add some curves, an FM radio and stereo speakers? The new HTC Desire 601! No wonder it gets 5-star ratings from customers.

Android of course is nothing compared to Sailfish OS, so as a consolation Virgin offers two Desires for the price of one Jolla...

If Jolla didn't exist, HTC One or its successor would be on the top of my personal list. Only HTC One (since Sense 5.5 update) can match Jolla's advanced alarm clock that works even when the phone is powered off.


I'd expect Jolla to announce a US-compatible device this year. They already said hardware upgrades are planned and I can't see any other feature that would sell more phones. Obviously small things like a reseller and FCC approval are needed.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

some pal want to swap his jolla for my z10le , does it worth it ?

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I don't think so. I'd keep the Z10, Blackberry devices are well built.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

may I ask for a compensation then ...

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

i'm in the same situation. i have to replace my beloved n9. i rly like sailfish os, but the hardware...dat bezel >.<, average screen (at best), no amoled and some other things.

i already owned some android phones in the past but it feels so outdated compared to harmattan. whether i want or not, i will go with android. xperia z1c (z1s in some regions) is rly nice but i prefer moto x. it has an amazing hd amoled screen and with its 4.7" its even smaller than jolla. it feels so well in your hands and somehow i managed to use it with one hand (usually my maximum screensize is 4.3"). it has active screen...its simillar to the low power screen of n9. also it comes with vanilla android. only downside is, that only 16GB version is available in my country.

long story short: i will wait till motorolla shows moto x+1

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I am commenting here on behalf of myself and NOT on behalf of Jolla.

I can't really contribute much here but my opinion is: If you cannot get a Jolla phone then try to get an Android phone that is supported by Cyanogenmod and hope Sailfish OS will run on your phone at some point :)

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I am interested in swapping my month old BB Z10 for a Jolla. Please pm me if you're friend is interested ;)

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

when jolla will publish sailfish hardware adaptation development kit ,will the maemo users be able to 'load' maemo on top of libhybris? how about that for a alternative? i like jolla's multitasking , but I love maemo's one , maemo+full debian+android in chroot on a quad with 2gb ram or more , in a perfect world?

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I hope I can bump up this old thread, but I am in the same situation more or less.

I need to get a new phone to complement my N900 and I too cannot purchase Jolla from my country.

I was also looking at BB Z10 or Z30. The Z30 has the advantage of larger screen but lower PPi whereas the Z10 has the smaller screen, smaller (but replaceable) battery but higher PPI.

The Z10 I can also get for around 190 dollars in a brand newish condition. I personally cannot tolerate android as a platform, and windows phone is too simplistic for someone like me who is spoiled by the crazy multitasking induced ADD by the N900.

So would you recommend a Z10 for a N900 user? Please do let me know about the pros and cons of getting that. Remember that I can get one for around 190 USD, maybe even slightly cheaper.

Is it perfectly capable for emails/general browsing/android apps? Is there any way I can manage the browsing experience like I did on the N900 with microb browser for complex websites and opera for general browsing?

Much thanks in advance.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

If you dont care about openness of system (this mean using gnu/linux utilities and scripting as root) this is a good choice I dont know anyone who complained about bb10 here ...

Anyway for my hacker/developer point of view I prefer jolla over b10 but I must admit that for a user pov I would prefer to use bb10 on a daily base ...

harmattan has both it just lacks android apps support that upper both provide

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I can recommend Z10 very much. I am using it since 2 months and am loving it. PIM is top notch. The Hub is awesome. You can see all the communication, incoming emails messages etc. in one place. I never need to go to the email app or to Whatsapp app or messaging app. It is perfect for for emails/general browsing.

You can also install Android apps directly on it from the Amazon app store or Play store.
It never lags and is extremely smooth. And multitasking works very well. Is just like N9.
I think Z10 is very good size, Z30 is a bit too big for me. But I also got Z10 for very good price, got €100 cash back from Blackberry ;)

And I think the keyboard works very well. I have never been a big fan of touch keyboards. That's why I kept going back to N900. But BB10 keyboard works very well for me, really like the swipe-up-to-accept function.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I left my Z10 for a Nexus 5. Can't say it was a trade up; but it didn't hurt to do so.

And I actually liked the Z10. It's a solid phone, the swipe UI is done quite well in most places, but it's an almost natural progression from Harmattan to BB10. Jolla, I've no point of reference as of yet, so feel free to take my words with a grain of salt.

(+11)

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

I don't know how long you can wait, or what your budget constraints are, but this pre-review for the forthcoming BB Passport, is very positive (granted it's done by a fanboy). The keyboard sounds like it's groundbreaking:
http://crackberry.com/exclusive-pre-...medium=twitter

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

Thanks for the really helpful answers, feedback and advice guys. I'm glad that N900/N9 users find this phone reasonable to use. This type of feedback was very important to me.

Besides that, I have been keeping an eye out on the BB Passport but I know for a fact it will be a very expensive phone and of late, I've been so spoilt by the legendary N900, that I will only pay hard cash for any phone that comes close the greatness of that beast. To my knowledge, no such phone exists in the world at the moment. Although Jolla with HWKB might get there soon.

In the meantime, I need a phone with a solid browser, and compatibility with modern API's for email and to some extent stuff like Viber/whatsapp to keep in touch with family and friends and for coordinating with people.

A couple of things that I would really love some feedback on:

1. What is the book reading experience like on the z10? I'm crazy enough to have read the first 2 and half of book 3 of the Game of Thrones series on my N900 so I do a lot of reading. I used FB reader which is fantastic. What options do I have on BB?

2. About android apps, I care a GREAT deal about Zite, which I used extensively on my HP Touchpad running WebOS. I would love if someone could check for me how Zite (android) version works on BBM. (i dont think that have a native app.

3. Lastly, is there any way to get San Andreas android version working on BB Z10? I think the Z30 has slightly better GPU. So wanted to ask if someone has tried it out. Although this last one is not as important as the first 2 points are.

Thanks again in advance for being so helpful guys. I really appreciate the help I get on this amazing forum and from this awesome community.

Re: Alternatives to Jolla?
 

Z10 has a very solid and fast browser with flash support.
I also use Whatsapp on it. Works seamlessly, is integrated in the hub.
There is an app for Viber, I have no experience with it.
And of course emails works very well, Outlook and gmail atleast.

There is FBreader available BB app store. I used it to read several books. No issues there.

Android apps work. Tried few of them. I don't use many apps. But I prefer Native apps, they look better. Never used Zite