BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
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Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#2I've got a Priv, and i am happy with it. Being a resident of SW Ontario, i knew this was coming for years. It's still sad though.
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#3I have to admit that I've never used a BB, but isn't their brand identity around the keypads on their phones?
Or do they have an amazing piece of software that I'm missing out on?
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#4That's a shame, I figure we need a few players trying to be different. The phone space has become so homogenised.
I had half an eye open for the next model in the Classic range, to switch from Android.
As my usage has changed the last few years, having a proper keyboard again is more appealing, along with less desire for a passive consumption tablet.
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#5I have to admit that I've never used a BB, but isn't their brand identity around the keypads on their phones? Or do they have an amazing piece of software that I'm missing out on?
BBM was their killer app for a while, but WhatsApp and the like have overtaken it. In addition they had their enterprise mail server that lots of businesses used.
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#6It can give something good like Google's Nexus, or something very poor depending on the manufacturer chosen
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#7Just kill it in entirety already and move on to new things. Neither Android nor Apple is going to die in the forseeable future, so a BlackBerry operating system doesn't stand a chance.
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#8For what it's worth, the BlackBerry Priv is hands-down my favorite Android phone I've ever owned. It's a great product that deserved more success than it received.
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#9I've been never more productive with my smartphones than with a Blackberry. The BB's keyboards are still unmatched. While I can type as fast with my iPhone 7 where cursor control is thanks to 3D touch great a BB Classic is still better—reasons why:
- You can rest your fingers on the keyboard like on a real keyboard without pressing the keys (you can't do that on a touch screen)
- After a short time you start to touch type; although it's possible with an iPhone too, it's not that convenient and most keep looking on their keyboards
- Cursor control with the BB mini trackpad above the keyboard (Classic and other models), is just terrific and often needed
- Best is that all good apps including the launcher support keyboard short-cuts and you will heavily use them since the keyboard is always present (Classic and other models)
- To give you a comparison: using a BB with a keyboard feels like using Vim vs a GUI-based editor; you use Vim only with Vim's key binding fast and reliable, no need to open sliding menus, touch buttons, etc.; it's very satisfying and I really miss those times
The path BB went the recent months—putting Android on BB devices + some extra security stuff (the so called DTEK)—was a good decision. But they brought the super expensive Priv device with a slider keyboard which is for a BB rather mediocre and not like the ones from the Classic, Bold, etc. Few weeks ago, they brought us a non keyboard Alcatel-OEM phone which does not differ from any other Android except this DTEK software which you can just download on any phone (why???).
What they just need to do is to put Android on the Blackberry Classic or some phone with a similar form factor. That's it. Before they don't do this final step, they can't claim that hardware is not profitable. I don't get why the CEO didn't do this as the first thing when he started his Android strategy.
Re: BlackBerry confirms it will end in-house hardware development
#10I have to admit that I've never used a BB, but isn't their brand identity around the keypads on their phones? Or do they have an amazing piece of software that I'm missing out on?
IIRC their big money maker is the Blackberry Enterprise Server, or BES. I'm not up to date on the feature's so don't quote me on it. It used to partition my phone so i had a Work/Personal work space (so that work could wipe my work related info) They pivoted to a multiplatform system back when things started to look grim for Blackberry, and that's probably whats kept them afloat.
It's massively overpriced for what it is, but people still seem to be buying it.