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A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

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Re: A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

#2
No actual device announced, just a licensing agreement for the Blackberry brand to a Foxconn subsidiary "to deliver a new 5G BlackBerry Android smartphone with physical keyboard, in the first half of 2021 in North America and Europe".

Bad title, the original is "OnwardMobility Announces Agreements with BlackBerry and Foxconn Subsidiary FIH Mobile to Bring BlackBerry 5G Smartphones to Market" which I might summarize as "Foxconn Subsidiary Licenses Blackberry Brand".

Re: A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

#4
Is there a name for the formula that blackberry and others follow?

1) successful consumer business

2) lose in the market so pivot to b2b

3) slow long decline

4) sell brand / assets to somebody else

5) new money results in a “hey we are going back to our roots” and launch products they originally were known for

6) finally go out of business for real, or sell remaining IP to a troll

Re: A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

#6
post #4

Is there a name for the formula that blackberry and others follow? 1) successful consumer business 2) lose in the market so pivot to b2b 3) slow long decline 4) sell brand / assets to somebody else 5) new money results in a “hey we are going back to our roots” and launch products they originally were known for 6) finally go out of business for real, or sell remaining IP to a troll

I don't know if there is a such a term or concept but I would put these companies or products in the same category:

Motorola, IBM Thinkpad, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Fujitsu computers

Re: A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

#7

As someone currently with a Key1 and have stubbornly held onto physical keyboards, I am hopeful this pans out. But other phone with physical keyboards have been promised and never come to fruition

> But other phone with physical keyboards have been promised and never come to fruition

And others have; I'm typing this comment on a Gemini (Planet Computers).

Re: A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

#8

As someone currently with a Key1 and have stubbornly held onto physical keyboards, I am hopeful this pans out. But other phone with physical keyboards have been promised and never come to fruition

I have a Unihertz Titan and it feels like a better Blackberry than Blackberry ever was. (I only ever used Blackberries since BB10 and later.)

Re: A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

#9
post #4

Is there a name for the formula that blackberry and others follow? 1) successful consumer business 2) lose in the market so pivot to b2b 3) slow long decline 4) sell brand / assets to somebody else 5) new money results in a “hey we are going back to our roots” and launch products they originally were known for 6) finally go out of business for real, or sell remaining IP to a troll

I don't know if there is a such a term or concept but I would put these companies or products in the same category: Motorola, IBM Thinkpad, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Fujitsu computers

Lenovo has done a decent job with ThinkPad. I'm running an X1 Carbon and love it.

Re: A new company promises a 5G keyboarded BlackBerry in 2021

#10
What percentage of the market for phones come with physical keyboards? I know some cling to the idea but I think the technology has progressed far enough to mostly eclipse it in every practical way, certain holdouts not withstanding, and the market reflects that.
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