BlackBerry Z10 Update: BlackBerry Rolls Out Fix For Battery Life And Camera Issues

The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone isn't even available in the United States yet, but it's already receiving a big software update containing more than 60 tweaks to battery performance, handling of third-party apps and the camera.

"Today we issued a software update for BlackBerry 10 smartphones that's focused on your feedback," said BlackBerry on its blog. "We've improved performance for 3rd party applications, so developers can build apps that run fast and smooth for you."

The update also addresses calendars and call logs. "Among the top improvements and features are fixes for Gmail calendars on BlackBerry 10. You'll also find improvements in the BlackBerry Hub for logging calls log and how conversations are handled. We've also made general improvements to importing contacts from online sources."

The camera should operate better when lighting conditions are poor. Video playback in the web browser has also been improved.

And battery life should be longer, though BlackBerry doesn't specify by how much. "The software team has included a number of battery life optimizations with over 60 battery saving improvements since launch to keep you moving. These combined improvements are designed so that you see improvements in battery life and heavy users especially should see a longer average usage per charge cycle."

BlackBerry is rolling out the update now, which should hit all BlackBerry 10 devices -- the Z10 and the qwerty keyboard Q10 -- soon. For those who don't want to wait for the automatic push notification, check for updates in Software Updates under Settings.

It's a 150 MB update, and it looks like it might count against data caps, so use wi-fi to download it.

For Americans, this update isn't of particular note, as it's very likely that BlackBerry will incorporate the update into the Z10 once it hits the United States in a few weeks. Of course, if it doesn't, you know what to expect, and installing the update will likely be the first thing you need to do.