BlackBerry’s square-shaped Passport is now available, and the reviews are in. It is an unusual smartphone with a strange shape that has broken new ground. This will be a polarizing device that users will either love or hate. But in either case the device puts BlackBerry firmly back into competition in the digital phone/PDA market.

Taking a page from Android and iOS, BlackBerry New design is trying to improve the everyday basics of phone calls, reading and editing. First impressions are of a solid, substantial, well-made device that is strangely both larger and smaller than it appears. Because the square shape is so different, new users are going to need time to get used to the design.

BlackBerry is also aiming to reclaim its business and on-the-go conference call legacy. Practical to a wider market, the Passport cleverly adjusts the call volume based on ambient background noise – you get a boost in a noisy street without having to fiddle with the volume buttons.

The display is strikingly good for reading with a 453 dpi 4.5-inch screen. The passport shows 66 characters per line, double what is typically available for Android or iOS. Other basics have also been covered. Passport carries a sealed 3450mAh battery with up to a 30-hour battery life. This supports the 2.2Ghz Quad Core processor (with 3GB of RAM) and an improved Paratek antenna that is capable in areas with poor reception. It also has a 13MP with optical image stabilizing software and is capable of supporting Facetime.

Out of the box, BB10 offers the most PDA-like suite on the market. Instead of Android, there’s the latest BlackBerry OS, BB 10.3, with a new flatter look and hundreds of small improvements. It’s also bundled with Amazon’s app store for Android apps. The only thing lacking is that the Passport doesn’t support Android widgets. However, with the installation of third-party Android apps, you’ll be able to make adjustments. Passport’s compatibility is good enough.

While BlackBerry is aware that most users operate it as a second phone, the Passport is designed to get BlackBerry noticed again. It’s quite a complementary device to a primary phone while fully capable as a stand-alone device. Time will tell if this will bring the company back into its smartphone heyday.