Gadgets: The BlackBerry Q10 is not so smart

A much-anticipated device, the BlackBerry Q10 is now available in Hong Kong. The Q10 has been hailed as BlackBerry's comeback smartphone. But in this case, the customer should beware of false prophets.

The Q10 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and has 16GB of storage, a 3.1-inch touch screen (720 x 720 resolution, 330ppi), an eight megapixel rear camera, and is 4G LTE ready. Last but not least, the Qwerty keyboard is back.

The device also comes with apps such as Facebook, Documents to Go, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare and YouTube.

The initial feel of the device is good. It is solid and sits nicely in the palm of the hand, but the plastic casing makes it feel a little less like a premium device compared to the new HTC One, which has an aluminium body. The screen's display is vibrant and images look sharp.

Setting up the new device is quite easy, and a brief tutorial informs users how to use the new BB10 OS.

Every navigational screen command is done by touch. Those looking for the "Home" or "Back" button are going to be disappointed, as these buttons, which are standard on other BB smartphones, have been removed to enable a larger touch screen. The "Back" command is now the simple gesture of sliding the finger from the bottom edge of the screen upwards.