BlackBerry has released its first software update for the Z10 smartphone, and confirmed the popular Whatsapp IM service will launch on the device in March.
The Canadian firm claimed in a blog post that its 10.0.10.85 update provides five core improvements:
Battery Life
This was an issue we highlighted in our review of the Z10 smartphone. Our device was losing 25 30 per cent of its charge overnight. Although BlackBerry did not respond to our concerns, it appears it did acknowledge there was some sort of problem, and has taken steps to fix it.
BlackBerry claims engineers have worked on 60 battery saving improvements, which should help the device last longer even with heavy use.
Phone, Calendar, and Contacts
BlackBerry has fixed any issues users may have been having with their Gmail calendars. The firm has also improved the way BlackBerry Hub logs calls and has made it easier to import contacts from online sources.
Camera
BlackBerry claims to have optimised the camera so that it will take better pictures in low-light situations. The improvement will also be seen when users take pictures without using the flash.
Browser and Media
The firm claims the software update boosts the way in which browser playback is handled from the web.
BlackBerry is working in conjunction with carriers to push the update out "as soon as possible". Users will get a notification about new updates, but it is possible to manually check for its availability.
To do this go to Settings> Software Updates> Check for Updates> then follow the steps. The download is 150MB in size, so a Wi-Fi connection is recommended.
