BlackBerry Phones Aren't Dead Yet (gizmodo.com) 50
After TCL announced plans to stop producing BlackBerry phones later this year, it seemed like the once-popular BlackBerry brand would finally be coming to an end. "But now, a new company has pledged to take up the BlackBerry mantle with promises of releasing a new phone featuring a good 'ol physical keyboard sometime next year," reports Gizmodo. From the report: In a press release today, Austin, Texas-based OnwardMobility announced that it had reached an agreement with both BlackBerry and FIH Mobile Limited (a subsidiary of Foxconn) to create a new 5G BlackBerry Android phone with a physical keyboard. The device is slated to be available in both Europe and North America sometime in the first half of 2021. That said, this new BlackBerry phone will have slightly different ambitions than the previous BlackBerry handsets produced by TCL, as OnwardMobility is planning to target its BlackBerry phone at businesses and enterprise professionals who want something that delivers both a tactile typing experience and an emphasis on privacy and security.
When it comes to producing a new BlackBerry phone, OnwardMobility CEO Peter Franklin said, "Enterprise professionals are eager for secure 5G devices that enable productivity, without sacrificing the user experience. BlackBerry smartphones are known for protecting communications, privacy, and data." BlackBerry CEO John Chen also issued similar sentiments, saying that "BlackBerry is thrilled OnwardMobility will deliver a BlackBerry 5G smartphone device with physical keyboard leveraging our high standards of trust and security synonymous with our brand. We are excited that customers will experience the enterprise and government level security and mobile productivity the new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will offer."
When it comes to producing a new BlackBerry phone, OnwardMobility CEO Peter Franklin said, "Enterprise professionals are eager for secure 5G devices that enable productivity, without sacrificing the user experience. BlackBerry smartphones are known for protecting communications, privacy, and data." BlackBerry CEO John Chen also issued similar sentiments, saying that "BlackBerry is thrilled OnwardMobility will deliver a BlackBerry 5G smartphone device with physical keyboard leveraging our high standards of trust and security synonymous with our brand. We are excited that customers will experience the enterprise and government level security and mobile productivity the new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will offer."
Please hurry. (Score:4, Funny)
Most of the paint has worn off my blackberry keyboard and I can barely text anymore.
Re: (Score:2)
You don't know where the buttons are by now?
Blackberry/Palm/Symbian/Windows Mobile/WebOS (Score:2)
Really? (Score:3)
and an emphasis on privacy and security
But I thought you said it would be an Android phone.
Re: (Score:2)
and an emphasis on privacy and security
But I thought you said it would be an Android phone.
It could be an Android phone that doesn't run the Google spyware.
Re: (Score:2)
Is that legal?
Re:Really? (Score:4, Interesting)
Of course it is legal, that is what AOSP is for and it is what alternative distributions like LineageOS use. I have a host of Android devices of different plumage around the house and outside, none of them run Google-proprietary software. I do not have a Google account even though I've been using Android for close to 10 years now.
Re: Really? (Score:1)
Pedantry: You're running an aftermarket AOSP ROM.
'Android' mandates Chrome, the Play store and a whole bunch of useless Google apps. That's the deal that every 'Android' licensee must follow.
Mine died (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
So it's now like any contemporary smartphone.
Maybe without the Facebook app you can't get rid of.
Re: (Score:2)
As long as the device can be rooted, the Facebook app is doomed. Only is it can not be rooted and the Facebook app can not be disabled do they stand a chance but... if a device has an unremovable Facebook app and nobody buys it, does it still please SuckerB?
Sure sounds like they are dead (Score:3)
Enterprise professionals are eager for secure 5G devices that enable productivity, without sacrificing the user experience
Are they, though? One significantly detrimental "user experience" is having to carry 2 phones. I remember when they introduced BYOD at the megacorp I used to work for... all the corporate Blackberries disappeared into the trash bins almost overnight. And security on private devices enrolled in BYOD has gotten good enough for most cases; except maybe the top brass. This thing just sounds like an Android phone with the once-proud Blackberry label pasted on.
Re: (Score:3)
This thing just sounds like an Android phone with the once-proud Blackberry label pasted on.
And a physical keyboard.
Re:Sure sounds like they are dead (Score:4, Informative)
Which would be enough of a feature for me to WANT this.
I can't be the only one who thinks typing on a touchscreen is bullshit.
Re:Sure sounds like they are dead (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm willing to give up on a lot of other features for a good physical keyboard.
Re: (Score:2)
And as you mention, mobile security has come a long way since Blackberry was relevant, which is now quite some time ago. My wife's company changed from Blackberry to iPhone when iPhone 5 was current.
Status of QNX? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
AFAIK they do a bunch of car infotainment consoles too these days.
Re: (Score:3)
QNX is still getting updates, the latest major revision apparently dates from 2017 but it got a minor update this year. It looks like you can even download it for noncommercial use, though I'm not sure why you'd want to unless you were actively developing something embedded and realtime. (QNX still has better reliability than rtlinux AFAIK)
So is Slashdot (Score:2)
Slashdot is just barely hanging on. It's the same 50-300 of us every day.
Re: (Score:2)
Let's merge AmigaBlackberrySlashdot and be done with it.
Vinyl Records (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Old tech is just old, not obsolete.
Some would say it's proven technology. The fact it's still here also prove it's good enough and reliable.
Re: (Score:2)
Old tech is just old, not obsolete.
Some would say it's proven technology. The fact it's still here also prove it's good enough and reliable.
I'm pretty sure Blackberry has proven that people aren't interested anymore.
Re: (Score:2)
There's a difference between good/reliable and popular. Otherwise, Macs would have 99% marketshare on the desktop, Linux would have 99% marketshare on servers and Windows would only be used for gaming.
Re: (Score:1)
Yes. That difference is "which one is more profitable?"
(and to have a better Desktop share, Macs would have to be good at actually playing the games people want to play).
Re: (Score:2)
There's a difference between good/reliable and popular. Otherwise, Macs would have 99% marketshare on the desktop, Linux would have 99% marketshare on servers and Windows would only be used for gaming.
Macs are not more reliable than Windows. Apple has really let itself go since iFans will continue to buy their products no matter what they do, but the truth is that MacOS has never been particularly stable in any sense. Back when I was using it at work, and had literally nothing on the machine I didn't need to do my job, OSX would frequently beachball unrecoverably, or sometimes just reboot unexpectedly. These days it's even worse, with defective updates, and ANOTHER architecture change coming up.
Linux doe
Re: (Score:2)
Manual transmissions! VIM! Sneezing to cover up farts instead of farts to cover up sneezes!
A decade late and millions short... (Score:2)
Sorry, but Blackberry is dead.
They spent too long trying to lock in their ecosystem.
It made them inflexible.
They're the Mac of the smartphones.
They had a very good top to bottom solution.
Others, eventually, became "good enough".
At this point, they may as well tell everyone they're building a Commodore 64-based smartphone...
Bring out your dead (Score:3)
Bring out your dead.... Bring out your dead.... bring out your dead.
Here's one!
I'm not dead yet.
Yes you are now be quite
He says he's not not dead.
He will be soon
I'm feeling much better.. I'd like to go for a walk
Re: (Score:2)
Just go on the cart, there's some room next to Amiga.
Awesome! (Score:2)
We aten't dead (Score:2)
Just borrowing
Blackberry is part of history (Score:1)
Blackberry is a 20 year old meme that has died enough times nobody takes it seriously.
There hasn't been a phone with a mechanical QWERTY keyboard in ages, and the reason for that is a lack of market demand.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/... [makeuseof.com]
The only reason Blackberry "survived" as long as it did is US DoD contracts. Once they publicly admitted data is stored in Canada "and other countries" that revenue quickly dried up, and I do mean quickly.
This "new" venture is nothing more than an Android phone with a chi
professional features (Score:3)
It would be cool if they'd also make a model with replaceable battery. Super mega bonus points if they also make a rugged model that is certified to be carried in ATEX zones.
BZZZZ-BZZZZ (Score:2)
Oh how I miss my Blackberry 950! I'm sorry! Come back! Sure, I locked it up at night in a closet so I couldn't hear the bzzzz-bzzzz of sleepless colleagues. Sure, I hated it when it ruined dinner with an urgent message from my boss which had to be answered. Sure, I hated having to wear it on the weekend! I was wrong! You had a keyboard! Come back! Who needs work life balance when you have a keyboard? What I want is to spend more time using my phone outside of the office for work! Thank you! Come back!
Old people = Big buttons (Score:2)
They're getting better (Score:2)
Maybe they'll go for a walk.
Blackberry does NOT care about security (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
After 5 years of trying the Aussie police cracked this blackberry encryption. Pretty good privacy I would say.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/... [schneier.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Sold.... maybe. (Score:3)
I'd buy it in a hot heartbeat, so long as they don't make the same mistake as their predecessor: I MUST be able to root the phone. The last Blackberries had all sorts of enhancements to make that quite impossible. No thanks.
Security (Score:2)
BlackBerry smartphones are known for protecting communications, privacy, and data.
Wasn't that more a function of the infrastructure supporting these phones? Is OnwardMobility planning on reproducing this back end? Because if not, all you get is an Android with a keyboard.
the secret plan to guarantee success! (Score:2)
shh.
don't tell anyone.
Remember how much of iOS or its predecessors were spun off of Darwin and maybe a touch of macOs?
The blackberry is going to use an *AmigaOS* variant!
Yes, that's right: it may never actually *ship*, but will have decades of sycophantic slashdot coverage!
Blackberry phones arent dead yet (Score:2)
...they're just pining for the fjords!