BlackBerry has recently announced that they will no longer make their own hardware, however, there were already rumours of another Android powered phone, including a physical keyboard, in the works.
It seems this device is very much real, and according to BlackBerry CEO John Chen it will be coming soon. There are no specifics about the device but if they continue with the trend of the keyboard devices being higher tier, BlackBerry could very well go out with an Android flavour bang.
With BlackBerry moving to a ‘licensing’ model where other OEMs will be able to brand their devices as BlackBerry, the question remains if those devices will maintain BlackBerry’s focus on security. Perhaps BlackBerry could adopt an Android One model where they provide the safe and secure software and OEMs make, market and sell the devices.
It’s unclear if this model will really work for them, with the Android ecosystem struggling to find profitability and BlackBerry’s popularity waning, it seems unlikely there would be too many OEMs wanting to make great phones under the BlackBerry brand.
It would be a shame if BlackBerry got the Polaroid or Kodak treatment and ended up in the brand bargain bin. Sometimes it’s better to burn out than to fade away.
What’s an even bigger shame is the lack of journalism in you’re “article” (like must bloggers). It’s simply you jumping on your high horse to throw yet another punch at a company that’s doing everything it can to show that it has not given up on producing phones that are much better than what has become “popular”. Good for you!…Does it feel nice to be yet another naysayer, a bully, in a world of pile-on mentality? I sure hope so! Congrats on your display of closed-minded “reporting”. There may likely be a position waiting for you on your climb to… Read more »
Does it feel nice to write a comment that in no way related to the actual article? Must be hard to sit behind a keyboard and talk trash about someone else’s work.
I would up vote that if I had an account.
Well said.
Hey Paul, Sorry you feel that way, the truth is Blackberry has conceded defeat, this is their last 1st party device under their announced corporate strategy, as the article says. Was BlackBerry “better”? Well what’s better? Is better a product that a small group of self important people feel is the best? Or is it platform/s and product/s that sell in large volumes? Perhaps it’s both, perhaps it’s neither. Sure, perhaps BlackBerry, who failed to innovate, embrace touch, or develop anything resembling a vibrant app ecosystem was better. This wouldn’t be the first time a superior technology was not the… Read more »