A New BlackBerry Phone?!

[Rico4you]

A new BlackBerry with a decent querty keyboard would be fantastic news. Of course it won't outsell an i phone but it would have a sustainable market, especially for people who need to type at speed without observing the key board. This is still impossible on a touch screen but entirely possible on a phone with a full physical keyboard. Combining both is still the superior option and has a significant market providing the background technology/camera/design etc is competitive.

THIS ^

 

[o4liberty]

I believe the bold was the best selling blackberry to date. So I hope a bold like device is manufacturered with up to date specs and excellent camera and they will have a winner.

 

[the_boon]

I believe the bold was the best selling blackberry to date. So I hope a bold like device is manufacturered with up to date specs and excellent camera and they will have a winner.

The CEO of OnwardMobility insisted that this device will not be some kind of "companion" secondary messaging phone that people carry around along with their slab, rather it would be the only phone you'd carry, so to me that rules out a 3" Bold screen.

However instead of TCL's boxy KEY design, they can basically take the Classic's design with its more friendly curves, and stretch it up a bit to accomodate a bezel-less 4.7" - 5" OLED screen.

 

[the_boon]

Here's a fan render from @BriniaSona on CB.

It needs a bigger chin for typing comfort and to be a bit shorter, but it reminds me of the Bold with that raised back design. If they placed the battery in the middle it could be huge.

 

[Bryon Rothaar]

I feel price is what could make them successful brand recognition and even $700 or $800 price when competition is well over a 1000 and rising I always had an updated phone but the cost has gotten to high and I'm stuck rocking g a note 8... I'm sure they will come in at a flagship rate but I strongly feel if they are serious about reviving the brand they need to be aggressive on price. I know that would catch my attention and I dont think I'm the only one.

 

[the_boon]

A short interview with Peter Franklin, CEO of OnwardMobility:

https://www.mobileworldlive.com/fea...ee/blackberry-licensee-looks-beyond-nostalgia

 

[Sigewif]

There is no advantage for most people, in fact it's a disadvantage.

To use my earlier apology, they are a disadvantage in the same way as left handed tools are a disadvantage to right handed people. I am left handed. Try this if you are right handed: pick up some scissors made for lefties and you will experience what lefties experience with right handed tools. I feel the same way using a slab to type on as I do using tools for right handed people. There is a perscentage of us that does and this is the prospective customer base Onward Mobility needs to tap into. They should also endeavour to tap into the very young who don't have a memory of how things went with BlackBerry in the past. There is a coolness factor and daring to be different that is a quality some of us have. I want to see a great device with a top grade camera and a keyboard that makes me smile when I use it because it is so fun to type on.

 

[the_boon]

They should also endeavour to tap into the very young who don't have a memory of how things went with BlackBerry in the past.

This is a good point.

The thing with the really younger crowd is that they've never even been exposed to BlackBerry in the first place.
The whole stigma of "BlackBerry is outdated and for old people" wouldn't really apply to them, because they didn't grow up using them or seeing them in the wild.
Upon discovering it, their first thought could be:

"Cool, a phone with buttons! Never seen that before"

instead of

"These guys again? Why won't they just die already, no one wants them anymore".

Point is, being open minded about a different form factor has NOTHING to do with age/generation.

 

[anon(50597)]

To use my earlier apology, they are a disadvantage in the same way as left handed tools are a disadvantage to right handed people. I am left handed. Try this if you are right handed: pick up some scissors made for lefties and you will experience what lefties experience with right handed tools. I feel the same way using a slab to type on as I do using tools for right handed people. There is a perscentage of us that does and this is the prospective customer base Onward Mobility needs to tap into. They should also endeavour to tap into the very young who don't have a memory of how things went with BlackBerry in the past. There is a coolness factor and daring to be different that is a quality some of us have. I want to see a great device with a top grade camera and a keyboard that makes me smile when I use it because it is so fun to type on.

While I believe your personal experience, I doubt there is any quality data that shows this and would entice a manufacturer to take a chance on such a device.

 

[gebco]

My daughter is in her early 20s. She uses a KeyOne and she gets regular good natured ribbing from her friends. Of course this is only one person's experience.

This is a good point.

The thing with the really younger crowd is that they've never even been exposed to BlackBerry in the first place.
The whole stigma of "BlackBerry is outdated and for old people" wouldn't really apply to them, because they didn't grow up using them or seeing them in the wild.
Upon discovering it, their first thought could be:

"Cool, a phone with buttons! Never seen that before"

instead of

"These guys again? Why won't they just die already, no one wants them anymore".

Point is, being open minded about a different form factor has NOTHING to do with age/generation.

 

[Morty2264]

This is a good point.

The thing with the really younger crowd is that they've never even been exposed to BlackBerry in the first place.
The whole stigma of "BlackBerry is outdated and for old people" wouldn't really apply to them, because they didn't grow up using them or seeing them in the wild.
Upon discovering it, their first thought could be:

"Cool, a phone with buttons! Never seen that before"

instead of

"These guys again? Why won't they just die already, no one wants them anymore".

Point is, being open minded about a different form factor has NOTHING to do with age/generation.

You have a point. My brother uses iPhones now but loved BB for their business use and security. He loved the keyboard and would bang out emails in a flash. Now, can he do the same work on an iPhone? Yes. But he did prefer the physical keyboard.

 

[the_boon]

You have a point. My brother uses iPhones now but loved BB for their business use and security. He loved the keyboard and would bang out emails in a flash. Now, can he do the same work on an iPhone? Yes. But he did prefer the physical keyboard.

Yep, and there's a lot of people who choose to dual carry a BB along with their iPhone/Samsung/etc, because they actually understand that each excels in different areas for different types of use cases.

Example: You're at your office desk, with a BB and your Samsung in front of you.

An e-mail comes in.

Which one would you be more inclined to pick up to reply to that e-mail?

 

[Morty2264]

Yep, and there's a lot of people who choose to dual carry a BB along with their iPhone/Samsung/etc, because they actually understand that each excels in different areas for different types of use cases.

Example: You're at your office desk, with a BB and your Samsung in front of you.

An e-mail comes in.

Which one would you be more inclined to pick up to reply to that e-mail?

Me? Probably my BlackBerry. But it would have to be a decent-sized form factor. Can't believe I'm saying this, but my Bold would probably be too small for me now. But I know I type more accurately on a physical keyboard.

 

[Mike Dee]

Yep, and there's a lot of people who choose to dual carry a BB along with their iPhone/Samsung/etc, because they actually understand that each excels in different areas for different types of use cases.

Example: You're at your office desk, with a BB and your Samsung in front of you.

An e-mail comes in.

Which one would you be more inclined to pick up to reply to that e-mail?

I would pick up the Samsung. I'm not the world's fastest typer and I actually prefer swiping. My daughter who is a fast typer, types just as fast on an iPhone as she does a Blackberry.

 

[the_boon]

I would pick up the Samsung. I'm not the world's fastest typer and I actually prefer swiping. My daughter who is a fast typer, types just as fast on an iPhone as she does a Blackberry.

Speed depends on the user and their proficiency with the device that's in their hands. That's why I don't ever bring up "speed" as an argument for the PKB. Also, if autocorrect screws up, you're left wasting more time going back and fixing typos.

I would challenge fast glass typist on my BB KEY2 (or LE even better), but I would most likely lose by a wide margin on a BB Passport or UniHertz Titan.

Accuracy and the confidence of the tactility are the main draws of the PKB.
Those are why my sim card remains in this 2018 device with a mediocre LCD, no IP rating, no wireless charging, and the outdated Android 8.

 

[the_boon]

Can't believe I'm saying this, but my Bold would probably be too small for me now.

This makes sense, as the Bold 9900's screen is a measly 2.8 inches (not even 3!!). That doesn't fly in 2020. And since the CEO of OnwardMobility specifically mentioned that this is meant to be someone's one and only device they're carrying around, it's safe to say that it won't be a "Bold 2021 edition".

 

[Mike Dee]

Speed depends on the user and their proficiency with the device that's in their hands. That's why I don't ever bring up "speed" as an argument for the PKB. Also, if autocorrect screws up, you're left wasting more time going back and fixing typos.

I would challenge fast glass typist on my BB KEY2 (or LE even better), but I would most likely lose by a wide margin on a BB Passport or UniHertz Titan.

Accuracy and the confidence of the tactility are the main draws of the PKB.
Those are why my sim card remains in this 2018 device with a mediocre LCD, no IP rating, no wireless charging, and the outdated Android 8.

Well....it's not like a lot of us never had a physical keyboard. I had my doubts about glass slabs when the iphone came out and I avoided it. Then the Droid X came out and I switched to glass and have never looked back. I don't believe physical keyboards will make a comeback. It may remain a niche product for some but that's about it.

 

[the_boon]

I don't believe physical keyboards will make a comeback. It may remain a niche product for some but that's about it.

If by "comeback" you mean regain significant market share like 10 years ago, definitely not. I don't either. It would be completely delusional to believe so.

I just want it to remain at "niche" status instead of "completely extinct". That's literally all I ask for.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Yep, and there's a lot of people who choose to dual carry a BB along with their iPhone/Samsung/etc, because they actually understand that each excels in different areas for different types of use cases.

Example: You're at your office desk, with a BB and your Samsung in front of you.

An e-mail comes in.

Which one would you be more inclined to pick up to reply to that e-mail?

Neither. If I got an email when I was at my desk, I'd use a computer (desktop or laptop).

 

[the_boon]

I'd use a computer (desktop or laptop).

Which very much has a physical keyboard. y'know, real keys you can feel...that added tactility no glass can provide...