What’s a geek gotta do to get a cheap BlackBerry Q10?

I really want a BlackBerry Q10. But I don’t want to pay $200 for it.

I have a Torch 9810 and love it, except for one part: the camera. It’s not good. Every image I take is filled with grainy-ness that I can’t correct or clear. Seriously, check out this picture of some badass salsa verde:

Looks decent, right? Look at all the background noise. Then look at how the same noise is front and center is a well-lit shot. It’s obscured because of the salsa’s yummy tomatillos, but like Waldo, you can’t unsee it once you’ve seen it.

The BlackBerry Q10 doesn’t have that problem. It has a decent 8 megapixel camera with high dynamic range. It’s pics will never top what the Galaxy S3 can take, but at least it will have quality.

I stick with BlackBerry for the keyboard, built-in PDA functionality, keyboard, ease of texting and emailing, keyboard, keyboard, high degree of customization and keyboard. That’s why I covet the Q10 so much yet remain non-plussed by the Z10. But finding a working demo in Joplin is tough. I had to go to the AT&T store to test one. Best Buy can’t tell if they are getting any.

Because I’m a cheapskate, I don’t usually pay more than $50 for a phone. I’m OK with signing service contracts, and I don’t mind waiting for good tech — I don’t have to have the latest hotness right now. But my desire to take pictures that won’t get me laughed off or scorned off the Internet is pretty strong.