BlackBerry Z10 Receives First OTA Update

By Cynthia Herbert :: 9:33 AM

BlackBerry has pushed out its first OTA update for the Blackberry Z10, and with it come improvements for battery life, multimedia and third-party application performance, and enterprise functionality for calendars and contacts.

Available as a 150MB download, the new firmware is being made available due to consumer feedback and response after the first month of Z10 usage.

BlackBerry claims that is has made over 50 optimizations across the firmware to address complaints about battery life. Many users have noted, quite loudly online, that their new Z10 has been failing to make it through a full day on one charge. The company says that, “heavy users especially should see a longer average usage per charge cycle,” but no specific numbers or ranges of what to expect were given.

Besides improved battery performance, the company also addressed  low-light performance from the Z10’s camera, another point of frustration with users who thought the handset’s snapshots came out too dark. In addition to camera tweaks, BlackBerry also refined the browser’s video playback capabilities.

To receive the new update, Z10 users should see a pop up as a notification sometime in the next week or so, or can force the update manually by going to “Check for Updates” in the settings, under “Software Updates.” BlackBerry recommends updating over WiFi rather than a mobile data connection.