BlackBerry Refuses to Die, Launches New $549 Device

Megalith

Megalith

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BlackBerry is back to remind everyone that they’re still alive with another Android device, the KeyOne, which comes with a hardware keyboard. If you liked the company’s last effort, the BB Priv, this will be right up your alley. The device was unveiled just hours ago at Mobile World Congress, but the whining has already begun: it offers mid-range hardware, such as the Snapdragon 625, yet costs $549.

…the real story is clearly the physical keyboard that sits below the screen. Like the one seen on BlackBerry’s last hurrah as an independent hardware manufacturer, 2015’s expensive and temperamental Priv, it’s touch-sensitive and does a ton of neat tricks. You can use it to scroll without touching the screen; you can assign each key a shortcut, like “I for Instagram” app speed-dial; you can just start typing to start searching Google. There’s also a fingerprint sensor on the space bar.
 
Still got my Z10 here and I'll never give it up even if BB10 OS dies (of course it will at some point). While I even considered buying this next device over a Priv at one point, the name is silly (they just can't seem to figure that out for some reason, so is Priv for that matter), and the specs do not justify a device at the price they're asking. It's a $299 smartphone, like it or not, and even that's stretching it to the limits of something believable. The choice of the Snapdragon 625 should ensure some pretty damned nice battery life is one uses competing devices like the Moto G4 Play edition as a comparison, however.

So, as usual I end up having to ask a company:

BlackBerry, what the fuck are you doing? :D
 
It actually looks pretty good. I may give it a try. I like how it isn't some massive phone and seems to be easy to use with one hand. Seems well made, and I like how the keyboard is touch sensitive for scrolling..

Actually seems like a really well made device, and i'm fine with the price as well.
 
So they haven't learned their lesson yet obviously. I mean this is great for the 10 people on the planet still stuck using a physical keyboard.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
So they haven't learned their lesson yet obviously. I mean this is great for the 10 people on the planet still stuck using a physical keyboard.
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lol stop talking nonsense.

Most of the lawyers at my firm prefer phones with physical keyboards for the huge amount of email flow they deal with and for taking notes in court.

Your limited consumer level thinking does not apply to a lot of businesses.
 
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I love my priv (never found it to be temperamental myself) but this isnt of any interest to priv owners. It's a downgrade to the priv. This would be interesting for people who liked the priv but not it's price. But at 549$ it's a non starter. I don't understand why blackberry keeps putting out such expensive devices.
 
azuza001 said:
I love my priv (never found it to be temperamental myself) but this isnt of any interest to priv owners. It's a downgrade to the priv. This would be interesting for people who liked the priv but not it's price. But at 549$ it's a non starter. I don't understand why blackberry keeps putting out such expensive devices.
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I agree the prices is too high.

$399 would have been alot better.
 
Makaveli@BETA said:
lol stop talking nonsense.

Most of the lawyers at my firm prefer phones with physical keyboards for the huge amount of email flow they deal with and for taking notes in court.

Your limited consumer level thinking does not apply to a lot of businesses.
Click to expand...

Except I was a crackberry user for years..Then this new technology came out called "Swipe Style" keyboards. I deal with huge amounts of email and note taking and physical keyboards are vastly slower for those exact things. Sorry bub, I have far more experience in a business environment with all types of phones than you apparently do. Perhaps try introducing all your IT illiterate lawyers to something that can allow them to type vastly faster.
 
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Dekoth-E- said:
Perhaps try introducing all your IT illiterate lawyers to something that can allow them to type vastly faster.
Click to expand...

I don't think you have any IT experience in a law firm with statements like this. You claim you have far more experience yet you know nothing about me....

I think were done here.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Except I was a crackberry user for years..Then this new technology came out called "Swipe Style" keyboards. I deal with huge amounts of email and note taking and physical keyboards are vastly slower for those exact things. Sorry bub, I have far more experience in a business environment with all types of phones than you apparently do. Perhaps try introducing all your IT illiterate lawyers to something that can allow them to type vastly faster.
Click to expand...

its all about what ppl are comfortable with. I personally HATE touch screen keyboards. I cannot stand them hence why i still am using my Q10. I am curious where you are coming from when you say a touchscreen allows them to type vastly faster though.
 
I'm guessing Swipe would not handle all the technical words and lawyer speak very well for one thing...
 
Blackberry isn't going anywhere as a company, they've done the smart thing and bought out Good which has made significant inroads into the enterprise mobility market. That being said they really don't need to make phones anymore.
 
I used to love Blackberry, mainly because I preferred an actual keyboard. But now that swipe typing doesn't suck nearly as much it used to, I couldn't imagine going back.
 
Why? They should just go down gracefully and let the phone wars wage on between Apple and Samsung.
 
Looks like they finally got it right. My wife died inside when she couldn't get a physical keyboard on a decent smartphone.
 
hummm...BlackBerry as a company will still be alive for a long time, but not the cell phone market, their QNX system is use is alot of cars especially their hypervisor for cyber security and system safety..
 
Makaveli@BETA said:
I don't think you have any IT experience in a law firm with statements like this. You claim you have far more experience yet you know nothing about me....

I think were done here.
Click to expand...

When it comes to emails and document creation a law firm is no different than any other business. I don't have to know a thing about you to understand how those processes work. It is all the same it is just a difference in volume and I've worked in businesses where people handle 5 emails a day and places where people handle 500. Once upon a time qwerty keyboards were indeed faster, and I used them. Once the swype technology came out and especially when combined with learning keyboards that can save custom words, that became a thing of the past.

hesho said:
its all about what ppl are comfortable with. I personally HATE touch screen keyboards. I cannot stand them hence why i still am using my Q10. I am curious where you are coming from when you say a touchscreen allows them to type vastly faster though.
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I hate touch standard touch screen keyboards as well. See my above comment on the specific type I'm talking about. I can type fast on qwerty and I can type far faster on a swype. I to this day can't type worth crap on a standard style. So yea I agree a regular touch screen is hot garbage for typing.
 
Makaveli@BETA said:
lol stop talking nonsense.

Most of the lawyers at my firm prefer phones with physical keyboards for the huge amount of email flow they deal with and for taking notes in court.

Your limited consumer level thinking does not apply to a lot of businesses.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure a teenage girl has more information flow on her phone than any lawyer, ask which input style they prefer.
 
Taldren said:
Looks like they finally got it right. My wife died inside when she couldn't get a physical keyboard on a decent smartphone.
Click to expand...

I had the absolute opposite experience. Work once forced a blackberry curve on me, and I thought it was the absolute worst thing I'd ever typed on. Typing the number 7 was almost impossible, because you had to hit the tiny "alt" key and the Z key right next to it at the same time. There is no human alive with fingers tiny enough to make that work easily.

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All that being said, this new device appears to be running Android.

If they are good about bloat (the lack of it) and offer fast security updates like Nexus/Pixel devices, I'd totally consider it.
 
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nysmo said:
I'm pretty sure a teenage girl has more information flow on her phone than any lawyer, ask which input style they prefer.
Click to expand...

Show me a teenage girl with an inbox with 90k emails.

And that is just one folder not the entire mailbox.
 
scojer said:
Why? They should just go down gracefully and let the phone wars wage on between Apple and Samsung.
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With thinking like that we will never see anything new. I'm all for the extra competition I would not own one but that's just me then again I have never owned a samsung and i hate iPhones..
 
JohnnyGatt said:
With thinking like that we will never see anything new. I'm all for the extra competition I would not own one but that's just me then again I have never owned a samsung and i hate iPhones..
Click to expand...


I've been a Nexus/Pixel or bust guy for a while.

If other phones start offering frequent security updates I might consider them too though.
 
allenpan said:
hummm...BlackBerry as a company will still be alive for a long time, but not the cell phone market, their QNX system is use is alot of cars especially their hypervisor for cyber security and system safety..
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised if at some point they change their name to reflex the QNX side.

I wish they had done more to try to bring qnx to the phones earlier. It really is a nice system.
 
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