Blackberry

[ookpik]

(not to be confused with PDA.)

Most other societies have no problem being affectionate in public. People hold hands, friends embrace, greet each other with kisses, you name it. Here it is so rare we even have a term for it!

Did I say there was anything wrong with it? Sometimes when she's been particularly helpful to me I even do a PDA to my PDA.

I don't own a Priv (I use a Q10 now). I've never experienced any non-RIM smart phone operating system, but I'm told by people that use Android that I should want a Priv. Maybe in a few years.

Many of the criticisms about Android's [lack of] security have been warranted. But starting with Marshmallow (v6.0) and Google's new policy of rolling out regular bug fixes, there's a diminishing need for a special "secure" smartphone like Priv. For most users a Nexus branded device will do just fine at half the price of a Priv.

So even though I'm a BlackBerry shareholder and I'd like to see them prosper, I remain skeptical that they'll still be selling any handsets "in a few years."

[KevinL]

I know of some long-term android users attracted to the Priv for its keyboard. For some reason only Blackberry has kept a physical keyboard as a phone option and many users are jumping at the chance to have one on a modern Android phone.

[MidTowner]

I remain skeptical that they'll still be selling any handsets "in a few years."

I've heard people arguing this for a few years now!

I like Blackberry, and won't be using a touch screen while I have a choice. I don't know about the Android OS, so that's not a draw for me specifically. I expect Blackberry will sell me my next device in 2017 or 2018.

[notmyfriends]

(not to be confused with PDA.)

Most other societies have no problem being affectionate in public. People hold hands, friends embrace, greet each other with kisses, you name it. Here it is so rare we even have a term for it!

The use of the word most here is quite generous.

[BuildingScout]

Most other societies have no problem being affectionate in public. People hold hands, friends embrace, greet each other with kisses, you name it. Here it is so rare we even have a term for it!

The use of the word most here is quite generous.

Not to stray too far off topic, but the amount of physical contact has been measured across many countries and cultures and Anglo societies (UK, USA, Canada, Australia) bring up the rear together with a few others radically religious countries, which I like to believe we are not.

[Osiris]

Just switched from a Q10 to a Priv. Took a bit to get used to - they tried their best to keep the hub, but it's not as well integrated as in BB10, which is to be expected.

Gorgeous phone, though. Competes well with the S6 Edge and the like. Who knows if that will be enough to keep them in the hardware business.

[ookpik]

I know of some long-term android users attracted to the Priv for its keyboard. For some reason only Blackberry has kept a physical keyboard as a phone option and many users are jumping at the chance to have one on a modern Android phone.

I can see that attraction for existing BB users who have been using a physical keyboard and prefer it. But how about new users who have grown up on touchscreens, i.e. the hundreds of millions of Apple and Android users? They've never encountered a keyboard on a smartphone. They can now type faster and more accurately on a touchscreen than they could on a keyboard. They're not going to be interested in a keyboard-based smartphone in the first place, let alone devote significant time to retrain their fingers how to outperform a touchscreen. 

And what about new generations of kids who've grown up on tablets and smartphones. They may well have developed little or no keyboarding skills as they grow up. Why would a keyboard on a smartphone be of any interest to them?

Moreover the number of BB users is diminishing. How many new customers has BB attracted in recent years? OTOH the touchscreen crowd has been growing rapidly and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. What's BB's hardware value proposition to these new generations of smartphone users?

By all means, if BB can fill a hardware niche market for existing customers then by all means let them do so. But I just don't see this as viable in the long run.

[tomh009]

(not to be confused with PDA.)

Most other societies have no problem being affectionate in public. People hold hands, friends embrace, greet each other with kisses, you name it. Here it is so rare we even have a term for it!

It's even more rare in Japan ...

[plam]

I can see that attraction for existing BB users who have been using a physical keyboard and prefer it. But how about new users who have grown up on touchscreens, i.e. the hundreds of millions of Apple and Android users? They've never encountered a keyboard on a smartphone. They can now type faster and more accurately on a touchscreen than they could on a keyboard. They're not going to be interested in a keyboard-based smartphone in the first place, let alone devote significant time to retrain their fingers how to outperform a touchscreen. 

And what about new generations of kids who've grown up on tablets and smartphones. They may well have developed little or no keyboarding skills as they grow up. Why would a keyboard on a smartphone be of any interest to them?

Ya gotta learn to keyboard in today's society. Kids still have to write essays. Keyboard typing speed is more transferable to physical keyboards than swyping. Plus I'm sure that average speeds on physical keyboards are higher than average speeds on swype for similar populations.

On the other hand, it may not matter. People sometimes prefer things that are objectively worse in some ways because they are better in some other ways.

[ookpik]

On the other hand, it may not matter. People sometimes prefer things that are objectively worse in some ways because they are better in some other ways.

And sometimes the company with the objectively superior technology loses out to competitors with better marketing, e.g. Sony Beta vs everyone else with VHS.

[tomh009]

On the other hand, it may not matter. People sometimes prefer things that are objectively worse in some ways because they are better in some other ways.

And sometimes the company with the objectively superior technology loses out to competitors with better marketing, e.g. Sony Beta vs everyone else with VHS.

I agree that good marketing often trumps good technology.

But for Betamax, like IBM's Micro Channel (as used in the PS/2) vs ISA Bus, it was really a question of a dominant player trying to push a proprietary standard (Betamax, Micro Channel) and not being able to compete with a relatively open industry standard (VHS, ISA) embraced by a majority of the industry. Many more examples abound in the technology industry.

[urbanprotocol]

More job cuts at Blackberry..
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6265...-200-jobs/

[Drake]

I'd love to have a Priv, but I don't use mobile phones.  (Yikes!, I hear them say.)

I envy you.

[rangersfan]

BlackBerry is buying a cyber security company for $1.4 billion dollars.

https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-new...on-1124525

[Pheidippides]

BlackBerry unveils secure smart-city service
"The Waterloo, Ont.-based technology company announced Monday that it has built a new service to provide infrastructure for vehicles and traffic lights to exchange information securely."