EDITOR BRANDON KOSTINUK THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 07, 2013 5 Students tough on new BlackBerry 10 Despite a slew of new features, the BB10 receives mixed responses at Langara BRANDON KOSTINUK photo A retailer at The Source shows-off the new BlackBerry Z10. The phone was unveiled by Black- Berry at the end of January and has seen remarkable sales said Source salesman Rohit Gupta. By HAILEY MCDONALD e BlackBerry 10 was recently launched, and despite its upgrad- ed platform, students remain on the fence about the new smart- phone. BlackBerry was a mobile favourite for many years prior to the rise in pop- ularity of competing cellphones. From 2008 onward, the company formerly known as RIM steadily declined, even having to lay off 2,000 workers in 2011. Sarah Langford, who is in the social- services worker program at Langara, used to own a BlackBerry device. “The only thing I liked about [Black- Berry] was the hard keys,” Langford said. “IT found I could type faster, but I won't go back.” Conversely, arts and sciences stu- dent John Wong said he’s always want- ed a BlackBerry and does plan to buy the new model. He owns an iPhone 3GS8, but thinks the multitasking abilities of the Black- Berry are more in tune with his mobile needs. “On the iPhone, I can’t listen to You- Tube while playing a game or reading something on another tab,” said Wong. “Thate that.” However, Wong has little faith that the BlackBerry will ever make a full re- covery in the North American smart- phone market because of the familiari- ty that consumers now have with Samsung and Apple. According to a Nielsen report, young adults lead the growth in the smart- phone market with 74 per cent of 25 to 34 year-olds owning some device. Some salespeople think the BB10 could help the company make a come- back. “The BlackBerry may once again be a frontrunner,” said WirelessWave salesman Angus Leung. Leung said BlackBerry has updated its newest device, making it faster and more efficient. It may even rank above other smartphones on the market. Rohit Gupta, a salesman at Black- Berry retailer The Source, said he’s al- ready sold many BB10s and boasted that its internal processor is “amaz- ing,” explaining that the user can have multiple applications open at once without the phone lagging. “T own a Samsung Galaxy Note and between it, the iPhone 5 and the Black- Berry, the BlackBerry 10 has the fastest LTE [Long-Term Evolution],” Gupta said. The Z10 version of BB10 features a touchscreen keyboard that learns its user’s typing preferences and there- fore can predict words, which is meant to increase the efficiency and speed messages can be created and sent. BlackBerry will also be releasing an alternate version, the Q10, which has the traditional hard keys. The BB10’s main competitors are the Galaxy SIII and Apple’s iPhone 5. Rumours are already swirling online that both companies are releasing up- graded models this year, which may once again push BlackBerry behind in consumer confidence. Without contract, the BB10 retails for $649.99, while the iPhone 5 (82GB) is priced at $699.99. Greenthumb gurus, time to get gardening = KATJA DE BOCK photo Student Valerie Tian enjoys a snack in Langara’s commmunity garden. The planting season is upon us with spring just around the corner By DEANNA CHENG ith the earth warming up and Wi: sun occasionally peeking from behind the clouds, spring sneaks its way into our lives. It is the perfect time to plant some green leafy vegetables, says biology instructor Ma- rio Moniz de Sa. Moniz de Sa helps run the Langara community garden. He said gardening is visually appealing and educational. “The more food you can grow local- ly,” he said, “the more nutritious it’s go- ing to be, the more we’re going to be informed about food issues and the less greenhouse gases are going to be pro- duced.” No herbicides and insecticides are allowed in the community garden, Moniz de Sa said, so people who garden know what goes into their food. A planting guide by West Coast Seeds said the best vegetables to plant outdoors in late February and early March are kale, arugula, garlic, peas, radishes and fava beans. Spinach can be seeded in the garden but needs to be covered with fabric to protect the seedlings from insects. People who lack outdoor space, can start potted plants inside and grow herbs like fennel and parsley. “Some herbs are finicky than others and what to grow depends on what one want to do with the garden,” said Moniz de Sa. “Plants have personali- ties.” Community gardens are ideal for college students, said Moniz de Sa, be- cause the students can ask for help and share knowledge. (Students have] gotten to an age where they’re not just starting a gar- den but they don’t own any land. This is an opportunity for them, for very cheaply, to get a little plot of land to grow stuff for a year.” They also develop a deeper apprecia- tion for farmers and the obstacles they face when producing food. I tips Hin early spring, approx. two weeks prior to the last average frost date, it's safe to plant lettuce, beets, car- rots, radishes, dill, cilantro, cabbage, broccoli, celery, kale and potatoes outdoors. HAs soon as the ground can be worked, onions, peas and spinach can be added to a garden. ME After the last aver- age frost date, it is safe to plant beans. The PlayStation 4 is coming, but student response to the Sony console is lukewarm The next-gen console is focused on interactivity, but that isn’t enough to persuade some buyers By PATRICK COLVIN sumer shelves in time for the 2013 holiday season. But not all gamers are excited over the improved social media integration that is central to the next-gen console. “[Gaming] is sort of the last frontier of technology that is separate from [so- cial media], and now it won’t be,” said Anne Hughes, a Langara student and avid gamer. “For me it doesn’t matter, I don’t want to share that stuff.” Press 4 is expected to hit con- Another Langara student and gamer Joseph Chan disagres, “Multiplayer games are much more enjoyable for me,” he said. “T like the feeling of co-operation in a team mission and the security of hav- ing another player watch my back.” Chan further explained, “Although graphics and visuals were considered extremely important several years ago, it is now considered a given quality of the product. “The expectations of consumers are growing and a unique style of game- play is needed as an incentive for gam- ers.” Some of the unique abilities of the new PS4 include an ability to watch what friends are playing in real time with an option to “jump in” and help see they are in trouble. The new con- troller also has a “share” button that makes uploading your gameplay foot- age onto platforms like Facebook as simple as pressing a button. These developments appeal to gam- ers like Chan, but Hughes said, “When I sit down and game I choose not to go and hang out with other people... I would rather do something for me.” While these two students enjoy dif- ferent aspects of gaming, both agreed they will not be purchasing the PS4, which has a price-tag of $430 for the regular version and $530 for the premi- um version. Hughes will wait for the second gen- eration version to come out, like she did with the PS3. Chan said, “Honestly speaking, I doubt I will buy the PS4, as my academic schedule won’t allow me the free time to play it.” PATRICK COLVIN photo Student Anne Hughes doesn’t plan to buy the new PS4.