Blackberry jumping on the Android wagon

Jelle1880

Seems they are going to release a Blackberry phone running Android Lollipop, but with a physical keyboard.

I can see this mostly being tailored at business people.

http://www.xda-developers.com/blackberry-venice-hardware-keyboard-done-right-at-the-perfect-time/

Expandable memory, Blackberry hardware and functionality for the keyboard (that scrolling, nnnggghhh), Lollipop with apparently an upgrade to Marshmallow, a front facing (massive) speaker, bottom headphone jack,...

It definitely looks interesting.

Sonics2k

After working for O2 for years and working on electronic repairs too, I wouldn't touch a BlackBerry phone with a 10ft clown pole.

Tom Dunne

Looks like my old Nokia N900.

And we all remember how much of a turkey that was.....

Jelle1880

Sonics2k wrote: »

After working for O2 for years and working on electronic repairs too, I wouldn't touch a BlackBerry phone with a 10ft clown pole.

Their latest phones obviously didn't sell well, but they have a reputation for excellent hardware, it was the software that turned a lot of people away.

CantGetNoSleep

Jelle1880 wrote: »

Their latest phones obviously didn't sell well, but they have a reputation for excellent hardware, it was the software that turned a lot of people away.

It's also their infrastructure and security - this used to be their selling point for businesses, but over the last 5 years my company and thousands of others have changed their IT policy from you can have any phone you want once it is a BlackBerry to you can bring your own device, just not a BlackBerry. Too much hassle and cost to manage them from an IT perspective

Jelle1880

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

It's also their infrastructure and security - this used to be their selling point for businesses, but over the last 5 years my company and thousands of others have changed their IT policy from you can have any phone you want once it is a BlackBerry to you can bring your own device, just not a BlackBerry. Too much hassle and cost to manage them from an IT perspective

Is it because Blackberry is too strict and the IT department don't really feel like doing too much , or because their security is flawed ?
Because next to their hardware security is another one of their best things (or at least it used to be, I haven't followed up on them in ages).

CantGetNoSleep

Jelle1880 wrote: »

Is it because Blackberry is too strict and the IT department don't really feel like doing too much , or because their security is flawed ?
Because next to their hardware security is another one of their best things (or at least it used to be, I haven't followed up on them in ages).

It still is although others have caught up to an extent. It is the hassle and monthly costs of using BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Many operators also charge extra for this, you cannot just use any data bundle.

Jelle1880

They've released some more pictures.

http://blogs.blackberry.com/2015/09/priv-by-blackberry-first-official-images-2/?linkId=17428680



Still interested in this, although I'm curious to see what the battery and camera will be like.

Jelle1880

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/3o0khy/i_got_a_chance_to_play_with_the_priv_my/

Seems like it feels solid, is very thin (thinner than the Note 5), the camera is a bit slow. The fact it's so thin makes me worry about the battery life though.

Squeeonline

A nokia running android would be far more attractive.

Though I haven't used a Nokia since the first wifi capable phones came out. I had an E51 (I think, maybe e52) ~2009-2011. Was a great phone for the time, before the time of cheap android phones.

Jelle1880

http://ca.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberry-priv/pre-register.html

5.4” dual-curved screen (Like the Samsung S6 Edge ?)
3410 mAh battery
Front facing speaker

http://bgr.com/2015/10/12/blackberry-priv-photos-pricing-information/

Spec wise, the BlackBerry Priv will likely sport a 5.4-inch quad HD display, an 18 megapixel camera, 3 3GB of RAM, a hexa-core 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 processor, and 32GB of storage. For those who need a bit more space, not to worry, the device comes equipped with a microSD slot. The front-facing camera, meanwhile, features a 5 megapixel sensor.
derStandard adds that the Priv will run Android 5.1 and has a rather impressive display. On the negative side of things, the publication writes that the material on the back has a very rubbery feel and is “far from premium.”


phoneArena over the weekend published a report indicating that BlackBerry’s upcoming Android-based flagship will be sold in China for 3999 Yuan, the equivalent to about $630. While it remains to be seen how the device will be priced in the U.S., note that the average selling price on all BlackBerry smartphones last quarter checked in at just $240. In other words, it’s a safe bet that BlackBerry is not only positioning the Priv as a premium device, but will be pricing it accordingly.
As for when the Priv might show up in stores, well, that remains open to speculation. The latest rumblings from the rumor mill have suggested that a full product introduction is slated for November ahead of an anticipated launch window sometime during Q1 of 2016.

Their CEO however has apparently said that if this doesn't sell good they will get out of the smartphone business, so it's a huge risk to buy a device that may not even be supported relatively fast after release.

edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaL8QhdWuKU