We'll start with the typing experience. The Leap's virtual keyboard is fast and accurate, and has a great text suggestion function that superimposes recommendations right onto the keyboard -- just swipe on a word to slide it in, saving precious screen space. But Android and more recently, iOS, let you choose -- from a decidedly wide variety -- whatever keyboard is right for you, which is arguably more important for most users. Then there's BlackBerry Hub, which puts all of your mail, texts and messages in one readily accessible place. It could certainly help you keep an eye on everything that's incoming, but individual apps still excel when it comes time to actually respond to anyone. Doubly so if you're using a platform that isn't supported, like Google Hangouts.

You can fire up the BlackBerry Assistant by holding the button on the side, and it'll answer questions, set reminders and do all kinds of helpful things, But we've had Google Now and iOS's Siri and Windows Phone's Cortana for some time now, And those iphone case 7 amazon platforms are poised to take things quite a bit further: Google Now will soon offer much greater contextual awareness, Siri is about ready to control some of your home appliances and Cortana is bringing her witty banter to just about every device you own..

There are quite a few features you'll only find on BlackBerry devices, and while they don't disappoint, they're largely limited to companies that are enmeshed in the BlackBerry ecosystem. Consider BlackBerry Balance, available to companies connected to BES10. Balance lets you create distinct work and personal workspaces on the device, so you can keep your work files and messages distinct from your personal life, without needing to juggle multiple devices. And then there's BlackBerry Blend, which serves as a sort of command center for BlackBerry users. It's an app that will give you nearly full control over your BlackBerry from another device -- you'll be able to check on and compose emails or messages, keep tabs on your appointments and access files and your corporate network without navigating VPNs and the like. The Blend app is available for PCs, Macs and iOS and Android devices and is designed to keep your data secure, potentially turning your phone into a pocket workstation when you're on the go.

The Leap is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm 8960 paired with 2GB of RAM, You'll also find 16GB of storage space, bolstered by support for up to 128GB microSD cards, iphone case 7 amazon This loadout is identical to that of the BlackBerry Classic , and the performance is right in line with that keyboard-equipped device, Swiping through menus and firing up the native apps is effortless, and I never felt like the phone's hardware got in the way, The first great smartphone of 2015, Beautiful and bold..with complications..

The new no-compromise MacBook. A stellar on-ear headphone. Crave-worthy curves for a premium price. The Good The BlackBerry Leap smartphone is a plain workhorse with BlackBerry's productivity and security pedigree. The Bad The Amazon app store is missing many popular apps found on Google Play, or Apple's iOS app store. The Bottom Line The BlackBerry Leap ditches a physical keyboard to lure folks looking for a modern smartphone experience, but a lack of apps and a lackluster camera keep this device behind the competition.