Video: BlackBerry Q10 review: the best keyboard phone Ask any BlackBerry user why they like their phone, and the answer's almost always the same: it's the keyboard. Even Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, says it's the physical keys that draw him to the Canadian brand. And no device has mattered more to any phone company than the BlackBerry Q10. It's the first from the manufacturer formerly known as RIM to use both the new version of its software, BB10, first seen on the Z10, and also to feature a physical keyboard. That means there are two huge advantages: its small screen drains the battery a little less and means it lasts longer; and the keyboard makes typing the BlackBerry way possible again. Both of these are hugely important to the target market of business people, and both are serious successes. So now there are all the advantages of a modern operating system, from easy web browsing, a growing library of apps and the famed BlackBerry email system. Plus there are the new ideas of the BlackBerry Hub, where all your emails and messages live in one place, and BlackBerry Balance, which easily separates Work and Personal life, even changing the screen colour to differentiate the two. But there are also all the advantages of a BlackBerry keyboard, now augmented by 'Instant Actions' - start typing TW and you're straight into a tweet, press a key and you can easily go straight to the top or bottom of your inbox. The removal of the Bold's trackpad means the keyboard feels to me like the best BlackBerry has ever made, and it also makes room for a larger screen. Is any of this a revolution for smartphones? No - but it's the first time that BlackBerry aficionados can have the operating system they love and the keyboard they crave. Nokia recently teased that it would get back into the keyboard game with its Windows Phones, but it's hard to deny that this is an area where BlackBerry's advantage is huge. Added to that, the Q10 now uses a clever cursor that offers a circle around it and lets you tap on one side or the other to move the cursor a single place left or right. It's not a radical new idea, but it's effective attention to detail that gets the most out of a touchscreen as well as the keyboard. The same is true for the improvement of context-aware menus: this means different functions are available in different applications, and copy and paste is almost always more accessible. The 1.5Ghz processor is ample for all these improvements, the 16GB storage is likely to be plenty for most users and 4G, currently available only on EE, is a huge boon too. And on the same theme, as a device the Q10 is remarkably solid: a slightly rubberised back makes it feel genuinely premium, while the small size makes it attractive. The screen, at 3.1"is small, but it's not so small as to feel crammed and unlike a full touchscreen it's never taken up with a keyboard. So the useable area is often effectively greater. Predictive text suggestions take up a line on the bottom that users simply tap to choose a word. Is the camera on the Q10 the best on the market? No, that's probably the S4. Is the range of apps sufficient to rival Apple, Google or even Microsoft? But is that why users will hanker after a Q10? So if a great keyboard is your main requirement, as it is for many users of all ages, the Q10 is the device you should buy. It's the best of its kind on the market - BlackBerry remains king of the keyboard. Let's hope apps will come later. Manufacturer's specifications 3.1-inch, 720×720, 330 PPI display 2GB RAM 16GB storage, expandable via microSD (supports up to 32GB cards) Dual core 1.5GHz processor 8 megapixel, 1080p rear camera; 2 megapixel, 720p front camera microHDMI out WiFi/4G