Why is there so much dislike for the Blackberry Priv?

[bitek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I never have and never will criticize a device because of the company that makes it. I was a BlackBerry user at one time.

If BlackBerry made a device with similar specs and a similar price as the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Moto X Pure Edition, LG V10, etc., which did not have a physical keyboard, then I would consider it.

I am wondering why would you consider it if all phones are essentially the same apple clones. Android industry really started by ripping off Apple left and right. Blackberry is the only company in years that brings something fresh in years.

I would love to see passport with Android.

By the way blackberry physical keyboard is not straight physical keyboard. I get suggestions which I can swipe in. Blackberry stuff are innovative and unique.

I would not be surprised google collaborative with innovative blackberry on next google phone

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I am wondering why would you consider it if all phones are essentially the same ? This makes no sense. By following others blackberry would always be behind. I rather choose gatsy, innovative and risk taker company.

They don't have to be the same. BlackBerry could add some differentiation with software or even a different hardware design (without physical keyboard) that has a unique look and feel.

 

[bitek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

They don't have to be the same. BlackBerry could add some differentiation with software or even a different hardware design (without physical keyboard) that has a unique look and feel.

There been several articles about blackberry physical keyboard and they all say it does not take long to start typing accurately and faster on blackberry keyboard.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

There been several articles about blackberry physical keyboard and they all say it does not take long to start typing accurately and faster on blackberry keyboard.

It just adds extra weight and bulk to a device for a person who has no desire to use it. It also adds to the expense of the device, when money could have been spent on some other hardware feature that is more desirable to persons such as me.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I am wondering why would you consider it if all phones are essentially the same apple clones. Android industry really started by ripping off Apple left and right. Blackberry is the only company in years that brings something fresh in years.

I would love to see passport with Android.

By the way blackberry physical keyboard is not straight physical keyboard. I get suggestions which I can swipe in. Blackberry stuff are innovative and unique.

I would not be surprised google collaborative with innovative blackberry on next google phone

Not sure why you think Android phones other than the Priv are just Apple clones. Most don't look anything like an iPhone and there are many features (wireless charging, removable battery, back buttons, curved/flexible screen, second screen, double tap to wake/sleep,etc.) from recent Android phones that have not been available on any iPhone.

 

[berklon]

The only thing substantial the Priv offers over the other Android device is the physical keyboard. And those people who want a physical keyboard are in the extreme minority.

For everyone else, there's no point in paying more for the Priv when you can get a much better phone for cheaper elsewhere (ie. Nexus 6P).
It's a decent enough phone, but it's very niche. Blackberry screwed up in yet another attempt to become relevant. They took too long to release an Android phone, and when they did - they catered to a very niche market (physical keyboard lovers).

 

[maclancer]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

They don't have to be the same. BlackBerry could add some differentiation with software or even a different hardware design (without physical keyboard) that has a unique look and feel.

Blackberry could make a Z30 but with 2016 specifications with pure Android and a better price. It will sell much better than the Priv.

 

[bitek]

The only thing substantial the Priv offers over the other Android device is the physical keyboard. And those people who want a physical keyboard are in the extreme minority.

For everyone else, there's no point in paying more for the Priv when you can get a much better phone for cheaper elsewhere (ie. Nexus 6P).
It's a decent enough phone, but it's very niche. Blackberry screwed up in yet another attempt to become relevant. They took too long to release an Android phone, and when they did - they catered to a very niche market (physical keyboard lovers).

Nexus is not cheaper.
Also it is not just the keyboard

Added features over competing phones

Physical keyboard
Proprietary virtual keyboard (I used on bb10 and it is really good actually)
Proprietary blackberry hub
Added software and hardware security
Curved screen for added productivity
Sd card slot for added storage
Massive size battery
Beautiful high dpi screen
Industry leading superb call quality
Capacitor keyboard that can be used as trackpad

Also has
Fast charging
Wireless charging not available on all phones

Priv is the only android phone that has not been rooted. I believe this is important for obvious security reasons.



So there is much more there than you think so blackberry is justified to charge extra over competition imo.

Posted via BlackBerry priv

 

[bitek]

Blackberry could make a Z30 but with 2016 specifications with pure Android and a better price. It will sell much better than the Priv.

1. You do not know how well priv sells
2. This would be another touch screen phone from the sea of other keyboard android phones
3. Blackberry would be another oem like lg or Samsung assuming follower position from the getgo. Oems that take no risks have 0 chance of leading the market.

Posted via BlackBerry priv

 

[maclancer]

Blackberry would be another oem like lg or Samsung assuming follower position from the getgo. Oems that take no risks have 0 chance of leading the market.

Posted via the Android Central App

Hahaha... BlackBerry is irrelevant... with less than 1% of market share does not make any difference if they became just like LG or Samsung. In fact they could make much more money if they became another Android hardware maker.

 

[GoGetemB]

I am an owner of the PRIV through T-mo and honestly I can say it is a great device.

I have tried a wide spectrum of devices from the many of the Galaxy Note and S series, to Moto X and Turbo devices, and even LG.
The Priv is a solid phone.

- I have great battery life (Note: to have good battery life you have to be savvy enough to set up your phone to meet your needs and use tools/apps to sustain great battery management in Android -- large battery doesn't always equate to great battery life)
- A good display
- A descent camera
- Love the slide out keyboard
- Blackberry doesn't overly bloat the device and has a great UI that mimics stock plus with a few goodies baked in that even stock Android is missing
- Blackberry has successfully implemented the edge screen better than the samsung
- Great build quality
--------

There are drawbacks
- poor front facing camera
- not having 6.0.1 (mainly in regards to doze and memory management)
- heating of the phone due to the 808 chip

Android and manufacturers could make the perfect phone but really Blackberry is the only manufacturer next to Moto/Lenovo & Pure Edition phones that aren't relying on gimmicks or tricks to bait customers.
- Most regular android users don't even use all the features that manufacturers sell you on...

 

[vtpmt81]

I think that BlackBerry is just fighting an uphill battle. If you are buying a phone on contract - then you are mostly likely going to buy an iPhone or Samsung device. If you are buying off contract - then you are going to get a bang for the buck device like the Moto G, Nexus 6, or a flagship device from 2014 or 2015.

BlackBerry's reputation is hurt after the Storm/Storm 2 fiasco, the milking of BBOS (which didn't allow for the creation of large apps due to limitations), etc. BlackBerry made a living on selling Curves and Pearls in the late 2000s and these phones just couldn't compete with iPhone 3gs/4 and the 2010/11 Android flagships when people were ready to upgrade. People still think of BlackBerry and think of it resetting after any app download, taking minutes to boot after battery pulls, etc.

BlackBerry doesn't have the clout to charge $700 for a flagship phone.

 

[Aquila]

Nexus is not cheaper.
Also it is not just the keyboard

Added features over competing phones

Physical keyboard
Proprietary virtual keyboard (I used on bb10 and it is really good actually)
Proprietary blackberry hub
Added software and hardware security
Curved screen for added productivity
Sd card slot for added storage
Massive size battery
Beautiful high dpi screen
Industry leading superb call quality
Capacitor keyboard that can be used as trackpad

Also has
Fast charging
Wireless charging not available on all phones

Priv is the only android phone that has not been rooted. I believe this is important for obvious security reasons.



So there is much more there than you think so blackberry is justified to charge extra over competition imo.

Posted via BlackBerry priv

The Priv starts out at 140% of the Nexus for the same storage options. How do you get to the Nexus being more expensive? The highest priced Nexus is $50 cheaper than the Priv.

The Priv has lower quality build and lesser build materials, a less accurate screen, worse battery life, worse software, lacks a fingerprint scanner and has thus far been a complete failure in terms of keeping up to date on software. Adding a bunch of "proprietary" bloat to the software means that the software is getting in the way of the OS. The SD card slot and physical keyboard are both detractions for me (and many users), but as others have said - it is obvious that some people want those things and good for them. It's awesome that this option exists for those people, but you and they need to realize that this is not what most users want.

But the biggest nail in the Priv's coffin - it can't be used on all networks. The fact that I couldn't pop a SIM in and use it if I wanted to means it is a non-starter. All of the better phones that are cheaper that I mentioned earlier in the thread work on all major networks without having to buy a special version.

As I said earlier, commanding an enormous price tag ought to mean the release of a PHENOMENAL device - and this one is just weak or barely passable in all of the most important areas. I won't go so far as to call the keyboard a gimmick, but it definitely is the selling point and for many it just isn't an appealing one. But even if it were an appealing feature, it doesn't seem to overcome all the shortcomings of the overall package and it certainly can't overcome the shortcomings in a way that justifies a price tag that's between 1.4 to 2.0 times the going rate of better devices. They had an idea, they ran with it - it didn't turn out horrible but it definitely didn't turn out well. 2016 is a good opportunity for them to learn from the missteps and bring out a better device.

 

[Aquila]

This thread makes me sad because I want OEM's to do things differently and stretch the limits - but I'm stuck arguing against an OEM that tried to do that simply because they sucked at putting those ideas into a device. So I guess I want OEM's to think differently AND execute well on new imagined ideas. It's somewhat difficult to want Blackberry and others to come up with new things and do well when the unspoken truth is that you can't put a mediocre effort into it. HTC learned that the hard way, Moto was the opposite story a few years ago when they broke open the spec race paradigm.

 

[rahulpah]

because of its cost

 

[berklon]

Nexus is not cheaper.

I'm on the Telus site right now... the Nexus 6p is $220 on contract and the Priv is $410. Sounds like the Nexus is cheaper to me.

Also it is not just the keyboard

Added features over competing phones

Let's see then...

Proprietary virtual keyboard (I used on bb10 and it is really good actually)

Used it - it's decent... but not really a reason to buy.

Proprietary blackberry hub

Tried it - not a big deal. And BB will probably be offering it to non-BB devices soon anyway.

Added software and hardware security

Consumers don't care about this stuff.

Curved screen for added productivity

Exists in other phones

Sd card slot for added storage

Exists in other phones

Massive size battery

Once again, plenty of phones have this.

Beautiful high dpi screen

Like many other phones available.

Industry leading superb call quality

Good is good enough. Most people text most of the times. Not a selling point.

Capacitor keyboard that can be used as trackpad

Innovative, but it's not needed if you don't have a physical keyboard - so it's not a selling point.

Fast charging

Like other phones.

Priv is the only android phone that has not been rooted. I believe this is important for obvious security reasons.

Once again, security doesn't mean much to most people. Good is good enough.

So there is much more there than you think so blackberry is justified to charge extra over competition imo.

After all you posted, it still just comes down to the physical keyboard being the deciding factor. If you don't need a physical keyboard, you can get all these other features elsewhere - except for a few minor things which most people see little value in.

It's great the Priv has everything you need, but to the very vast majority of people - the Priv is an Android device with a physical keyboard at a higher price. That's it. If any of those things you mentioned mattered - the Priv would be selling well.

 

[bitek]

The Priv has lower quality build - not true

and lesser build material's - yes plastic

a less accurate screen - what do you even mean by that

worse battery life - software fix

worse software - software fix (I guess no one should be buying any other phones but nexus then since google phones get os updates first ?)

lacks a fingerprint scanner - security feature. Proven to be easy to hack and not secure.

Adding a bunch of "proprietary" bloat to the software means that the software is getting in the way of the OS. - you are literally the only person on the planet calling it bloatwere. There is not a single tech site using this word in reference to priv. In fact that ALL agree that blackberry left android pretty much untouched


The SD card slot and physical keyboard are both detractions for me (and many users) - how is sd card a distraction ?. You either put card in or you do not.

Posted via BlackBerry priv

 

[bitek]

I'm on the Telus site right now... the Nexus 6p is $220 on contract and the Priv is $410. Sounds like the Nexus is cheaper to me.

Also it is not just the keyboard

Added features over competing phones



Used it - not a reason to buy.



Tried it - not a big deal. And BB will probably be offering it to non-BB devices soon anyway.



Consumers don't care about this stuff.



Exists in other phones



Exists in other phones



Once again, plenty of phones have this.



Like many other phones available.



Good is good enough. Most people text most of the times. Not a selling point.



Innovative, it's not needed if you don't have a physical keyboard - so it's not a selling point.



Like other phones.



Once again, security doesn't mean much to most people. Good is good enough.



After all you posted, it still just comes down to the physical keyboard being the deciding factor. If you don't need a physical keyboard, you can get all these other features elsewhere - except for a few minor things which most people see little value in.

It's great the Priv has everything you need, but to the very vast majority of people - the Priv is an Android device with a physical keyboard at a higher price. That's it. If any of those things you mentioned mattered - the Priv would be selling well.

1. I was referring to nexus in particular
2. People do care about security
3. You actually do not know how priv sells as official priv sales numbers are not released
4. We were discussing price off contract (funny thing is blackberry raised price off contract. I would suspect problem with meeting production demand why else would blackberry increase the price)
5. Curved screen is on more expensive Samsung phones
6. People do care about call quality because they use phone to ..... Talk to other people....
7. Blackberry virtual keyboard is really good. Having tried all best on android I do feel blackberry one is really there at the top.
8. Blackberry hub is good for people who appreciate efficiency. Again you cannot get it on other phones.

I specifically bought priv for hub,virtual/physical keyboard,sd card and privacy and it looks. I think blackberry looks professional.

Posted via BlackBerry priv

 

[bitek]

This thread makes me sad because I want OEM's to do things differently and stretch the limits - but I'm stuck arguing against an OEM that tried to do that simply because they sucked at putting those ideas into a device. So I guess I want OEM's to think differently AND execute well on new imagined ideas. It's somewhat difficult to want Blackberry and others to come up with new things and do well when the unspoken truth is that you can't put a mediocre effort into it. HTC learned that the hard way, Moto was the opposite story a few years ago when they broke open the spec race paradigm.

My point exactly. Blackberry is one of very few oems taking risks. As to HTC. HTC has no clue how to make phones. Htc just rides on lower price making iPhone rip offs. Htc is Apple wannabe.
Oems compete on price. Blackberry competes on features.

Posted via BlackBerry priv

 

[Almeuit]

Adding a bunch of "proprietary" bloat to the software means that the software is getting in the way of the OS. - you are literally the only person on the planet calling it bloatwere. There is not a single tech site using this word in reference to priv. In fact that ALL agree that blackberry left android pretty much untouched


Posted via BlackBerry priv

Wouldn't this mean the BlackBerry is going more down the Apple road than Android? Apple is all about proprietary software so.. Why would I want to go with a company who is going to lock features to only their stuff? I like Android / Google services since they usually work on other platforms. If i want to go to Apple or something I could have a very similar experience and not get a "Nope you aren't using us so no thanks" from Google.

Honestly a lot of your points were keyboard and that's it.. The screen, storage, etc. Are all available via other Android devices. Every single one? No.. But you make it sound like the Priv is the only one with these options and that isn't true.