A BlackBerry Q10 Review

While physically it’s a beautiful phone, and the OS is greatly improved since my old Bold…

BlackBerry’s security is why you buy.

Of the 3 big ones (Android / BB / iPhone) BlackBerry does end-user security best.

3 small examples:

1 – find most of the features I’m talking about in there
2 – the security section of the help file has 32! items, huge
3 – more feedback and control over

I didn’t realize I missed having more control over my phone, until I did (currently on iPhone).

Security aside, the Q10 made me miss having a BlackBerry. Remember the BBM days? (I’ve had a cel phone for 15 years, see my history here).

Saturday night Skyping.

It was nice to type on a physical keyboard again.

BB Q10

(aside: best part of getting a new phone is this)

Modified my GoPro for filming.

It worked well as my car stereo.

Before I hooked it into my home WiFi, I took the opportunity to change my router password.

(here’s how to do that)

Lastly, the OS.  I had an epiphany about the OS when writing about cars a couple weeks ago… click here to read about BlackBerry’s QNX OS, which is poised to become the go-to-OS for all auto infotainment systems… this is HUGE, this is what could bring BlackBerry back to its former glory.

I feel excited for you BlackBerry; I think this Q10 is terrific,
and good luck with your comeback! #GoCanadaGo

PS – fellow car-nerds: it’s a 2013 Infiniti M37xS, here’s the blog post about it

PPS – Thanks to TELUS for this opportunity

 

Went Armoured Car Shopping

It’s a Conquest ‘Evade’.

Built on a Ford F550 Super Duty chassis, choose the diesel engine for the extra 140 lb-fit of torque.

400 square feet of cabin space finished with luxury finishings; night-vision cameras front and rear; humidors, Xbox, TV, fridge, a black box, a gas attack defence, name it get it.

The base model is $579,000 USD. But I bet after the extras, it’d come closer to $800K.

It’s a moving vault.

And these photos aren’t accurately showing how ENORMOUS it is, like 100″ high, 13,00o-ish lbs enormous.

The 238 L fuel tank seems small to me, spring for the upgrade.

Built by Canadian company Conquest, they’ve exported every one of their vehicles, not one has been sold to a Canadian. Lots ship to China and the Middle East.

The vehicles are handmade in their shop north of Toronto, but it’s bad form to post those photos.

The company had kept a low profile, until recently. A few weeks ago, they set-up a test-drive event downtown Toronto and invited the press. I’m the only journalist to have visited the the shop though, ha. Read Peter Cheny’s article, he took it to Kensington Market nice.

Here’s the specs for the model one lower, the ‘Knight’; couldn’t find details on this one.

Note the GVWR :O

It has electrically-charged glass, sometimes called Smart Glass – by electrically-charging the glass, the opacity can be controlled.

How I’d attack the vehicle:

To see one drive by, I’d assume there must be something very valuable inside, to be so heavily protected; therefore it might make a good target.

What about the iPad that’s running the TV via Bluetooth, how about hopping onto the vehicle’s network that way?  Maybe the vehicle is its own Hotspot?  Is there any WiFi bleeding out?  Those externally mounted cameras are probably providing a live feed to the occupants laptop or phone…

It’s highly unlikely the passenger would be without a cell phone, so it’d be worth it to capture their traffic … sitting two cars behind with a laptop and antennae, grab some email passwords; hold data for ransom; grab sensitive photos then blackmail; dealers choice.

The defence would be a Faraday cage; one that could be turned on/off. Could make a nice addition to this vehicle.

But think about it eh, how different life would be, if you had to move around in something this secure, to stay safe.

Fun to think about, wouldn’t want to live it.

 

How to Backup a Trailer in 5 Steps

Follow these 5 steps to backup a trailer.

  1. crank the steering wheel all the way
  2. find a towing buddy and agree on hand signals
  3. reverse with wheel cranked
  4. slowly un-wind the wheel as trailer straightens out
  5. follow the trailer back

Read it online here:

Favourite line:

The most important part to remember is – don’t do the math on the weight being towed, instead it’s the GVWR – gross vehicle weight rating.

Made a video to go along with this week’s column. 

Thanks to my driving buddy that day, Jeremy Sinek, for helping me film! We also won the fuel economy challenge, helped by that I didn’t drive.

Here we are with a Tyranasaurs Rex.

Where the video came from.

***

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

This is My Car Stereo

The radio’s been locked for years since a battery failure, and the screen broke so I can’t see to enter the codes.

I have the codes because I blogged them, see:

Security is relative.

For a while I played, “get the code before it kicks me out after 2 failed attempts”, but it got old. So I just listened to silence, then in February found that egg in the States. It’s  ‘As Seen on TV’, love that stuff.

The car is a ’99 Jetta.

The song is composer Philip Glass, titled La Belle & la Bête, played by Angele Dubeau & La Pieta.