Passport：“走形”的黑莓手机

    “我为什么要在乎它？”

    这是我第一次打开黑莓最新智能手机Passport的包装盒时的自言自语。

    我为什么要在乎Passport古怪的4.5寸正方形屏幕？我为什么要在乎它“名副其实”的尺寸和外形（它的大小和形状都和一本护照差不多）？我为什么要在乎这部手机上预置了亚马逊的应用商店？

    好吧，请原谅一下我的怀疑主义情绪。要说Passport手机值得喜爱的地方还是很多的。它是新CEO程守宗去年11月上任以来黑莓发布的首款产品。为了将这家风雨飘摇的公司扭亏为赢，程守宗表示，他希望让黑莓重新扎住它在企业界的“根”，提供主要面向企业界的设备与服务。

    一本长得像护照的手机真的适合商务旅行吗？当然。为什么不呢？

    Passport奇异的外形无疑为黑莓拉来了一些人气。黑莓将Passport定位为面向商务人士的终极生产力工具。如果你觉得这种定位口号耳熟的话，那是因为它之前也这样干过：近几年来，每次有重大的产品发布，黑莓都会推出以商务为主题的宣传语。这家公司给人的感觉就像在说：“请原谅我们推出了粉色的黑莓Pearl Flip手机”，或“这个手机不能玩《飞扬的小鸟》(Flappy Bird)。”

    实际上，Passport的正方形屏幕的确可以显示更多信息，而不必像传统比例的手机一样需要横放屏幕。我认为这款屏幕的质量也毫不逊色于苹果的iPhone和市面上的大多数高端安卓设备。

    你知道吗？Passport的屏幕虽然是正方形的，但我却开始喜欢这种比例了。在测试中，我越来越喜欢它更宽广的视角，同时它也没有数字键盘的阻挡——不过如果黑莓牺牲一定的屏幕空间，换成经典尺寸的黑莓式键盘，我想我也会欣然接受。

    我也开始欣赏起黑莓在10.3系统中推出的BlackBerry Blend功能。你可不要顾名思义，以为它是一种饮料。它是黑莓最新推出的一项服务，可以让你通过台式电脑等设备访问你的手机中的内容与信息，哪怕你把手机忘在家里、车里或办公室的桌子里都不成问题。虽然初次连接有点小麻烦，但后来我就频繁地通过苹果的Mac台式电脑和iPad连接Passport手机了。

    至于键盘：它与其它黑莓设备的实体键盘区别不大。Passport的键盘只有三排（而经典的黑莓键盘则有四排）。最底下的一排被空格键分开。一般位于空格键两侧的Shift和符号键则以数字形式存在于屏幕上。

    “Why should I care?”

    That’s the phrase I uttered to myself when I first unboxed BlackBerry’s latest smartphone, the Passport.

    Why should I care about the device’s odd 4.5-inch square screen? Why should I care that the device is the same size and shape as its namesake? Why should I care that Amazon’s App Store is preinstalled on the Passport?

    Okay, okay, forgive my skepticism. There’s a lot to love about the Passport. It’s the first product launch under BlackBerry CEO John Chen, who took over the struggling company last November. In an effort to turn it around, Chen said he wanted to return to the Canadian company’s roots by providing devices and services that appeal to large companies, a.k.a. the enterprise.

    A travel document-shaped phone fit for business travel? Sure. Why not?

    BlackBerry BBRY -1.77% positions its oddly shaped device—which certainly succeeds at drawing attention to the company—as the ultimate productivity tool for those who want to get work done. If the marketing sounds familiar, it is: In recent years, BlackBerry has let out a business-focused battle cry with every major product release. It’s as if the company is saying, “Please, forgive us for the pink BlackBerry Pearl Flip.” Or perhaps, “Here is a phone that won’t run Flappy Bird.”

    In truth, the Passport’s screen lends itself to displaying more information without forcing you to rotate the device, as you will often do with a phone of more conventional proportions. I found the screen quality to be on par with, if not slightly better than, Apple’s iPhone and most high-end Android devices on the market.

    And you know what? The Passport may be a square, but I came to appreciate its dimensions. In testing, I grew to respect its wider view, unobstructed by a digital keyboard—though I would gladly forfeit screen space to make room for a more classically sized BlackBerry keyboard. (More on that in a moment.)

    I also came to appreciate a feature called BlackBerry Blend, new in version 10.3 of the company’s mobile operating system. No, it’s not some smoothie—it’s a service that allows you to access the content and messages on your phone from your desktop computer, even if you’ve left it at home (or in the car, or in your office desk drawer). After a few initial connection hiccups, I found myself frequently connecting to the Passport from my Apple Mac desktop computer and Apple iPad.

    As for that keyboard: It’s much different than the physical keyboards found on other BlackBerry devices. The Passport’s keyboard is limited to three rows (the classic BlackBerry arrangement is four). The bottom row is split by a spacebar. The shift and symbol keys, normally found flanking the space bar, now reside on the screen in digital form.