Skip to main content

Of Course BlackBerry’s Upcoming Android Phone Is Awkward

Image
By

Meet the FrankenBlackBerry. Is it an Android phone? Is it a BlackBerry? No, it’s the new BlackBerry Android phone! If you ever wondered what would happen if you slapped a BlackBerry keyboard onto an average Android phone, look no further. BlackBerry has this device for you.
Notorious leaker Evan Blass shared a rendering of the new device on Twitter. It’s everything you’ve ever dreamed, and probably even a bit more. As you can see on the picture, it runs stock Android. BlackBerry opted for a more traditional 16:9 display instead of its tiny square-ish displays as well.
But the downside is that this thing looks incredibly tall. Of course BlackBerry had to tilt the rendering angle a bit so that it doesn’t appear as tall as it seems. But I can’t help but see a gigantic TV remote control.
So what’s BlackBerry’s solution to make this device fit in your pocket? A slider! It’s 2005 all over again. Sliders are great. Except that they break, make phones less durable, add weight and thickness and are inconvenient. And given the tall form factor, it will probably be very uncomfortable to type on this thing as the display will feel heavy.
The keyboard looks very flat as well. You might not get the good old BlackBerry feeling when you type on this device. We will have to try it to know for sure.
BlackBerry is throwing everything against the wall to stay relevant — square phablets, classic BlackBerry phones, modern 16:9 BlackBerry phones… Nothing seems to appeal to customers.
Android is a much needed improvement as developers have abandoned BlackBerry’s operating system years ago. But BlackBerry can’t just become yet another Android OEM — all of them are already suffering from too much competition. That’s why adding a keyboard makes sense, in some way. I’m just not sure about the execution. But this FrankenBlackBerry might be too little, too late anyway.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

eGym raises $45M Series C for cloud-connected gym equipment and fitness software

By
eGym , the Munich-based startup that offers cloud-connected gym equipment and supporting cloud software and app for the fitness training floor, has closed $45 million in Series C funding. The round was led by new investor HPE Growth Capital, while existing investors, including Highland Europe, also participated. The problem that eGym is looking to solve is that, whilst gyms have moved from a bodybuilder market to a mass market in the last 20 years, the technology in gyms lags behind. That’s despite the fact that better use of technology can help to reduce customer churn, the biggest pain-point of both gym operator and gym users. Comprising of an app for both gym user and trainer, combined with the company’s connected strength machines, the eGym Cloud makes it possible for gym members to receive better fitness instruction and an evolving and personalised fitness plan based on data collected as they workout. And by providing a better workout feedback loop, gym goers can get an i...
2 comments
Read more

Building a smarter home

By
The Jetsons  presented a highly entertaining vision of what  homes  of the future would  look like . The animated television show anticipated a world where humans would be able to do everything with just the push of a button. In many ways, the show turned out to be prophetic; today we have printable food, video chats, smartwatches and robots that help with housework — and flying cars may even be on the way. The challenge for companies is to integrate digital technologies in meaningful ways that enhance people’s  homes  and improve their lives. Many of the innovations to emerge over the past few years have been geared toward this kind of “push-button living.” Thanks to the rise of smartphones and the proliferation of cheap sensors, it is possible to make just about any household appliance “smart” and “connected.” By 2019,  companies are expected to ship 1.9 billion connected home devices, bringing in about $490 billion in revenue. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Airbnb will open its Cuba listings to users outside the United States

By
Airbnb  will now let travelers from outside the U.S. to book properties in Cuba after receiving authorization from the U.S. government,  reports the Associated Press . Previously, only Americans were allowed to reserve the site’s  Cuban listings . They will open to international users on April 2. Airbnb launched its  Cuban operations in April 2014 , four months after the Obama administration revealed that it will begin to  restore diplomatic relations with the Communist country . The historic policy change means that  travel and trade sanctions will be lifted , which is expected to boost tourism to Cuba dramatically because Americans no longer need licenses to visit. In fact, President Obama is  currently on an official visit to Cuba , the first president since Calvin Coolidge to do so. According to the AP, Cuba is currently Airbnb’s fastest-growing market, with about 4,000 homes added since it opened listings. Other travel businesses...
Post a Comment
Read more

Careless USB removal causes multiple deaths

By
EIGHTEEN workers have died after a USB stick was removed from a computer without adequate precautions. The offices of Hereford-based Envision Photography were completely destroyed in the ensuing blast. Survivor Norman Steele said: “My colleague Helen had put some files on the stick to work on at home, and she yanked it out of the computer before anyone could scream ‘no’. “I kicked her aside as a jet of white-hot flame belched out of the USB port and set fire to the desk opposite. “Grabbing her, I dived through the window just before all the PCs in the network exploded with purple electricity that fried everyone in the building. “I sprinted to my car, knowing that the printers were already becoming merciless hunter-killer drones, shouting for Helen to follow. “But when I looked round I saw her frozen, something glowing in her hand, the awareness dawning of her fate. She was still holding the USB. “She detonated in a flash of ultraviolet light that turned eve...
Post a Comment
Read more

Oculus’ New $99 Samsung Gear VR Makes Serious Virtual Reality Affordable

By
At half the price of its last mobile VR headset, the new $99  Oculus-made  Samsung Gear VR is cheap enough to unlock virtual reality for the mainstream. Revealed today at the Oculus Connect conference, it works with the whole 2015 line of Samsung Smartphones including the Note 5, S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+. It will ship in November in time for Black Friday. Compared to the $199 previous Gear VRs that only worked with fewer phones, this headset will be a lot more accessible. The new Gear VR is 22% lighter, making it more comfortable to wear. The trackpad on the temple of the headset also now has a tactile directional pad on it so your finger will know where it’s touching. The previous Gear VRs had a smooth trackpad and sometimes it was to tough to know if you were touching it or just the unsensitive shell of the headset when you couldn’t see for yourself. There’s also a new Gear VR Gamepad which all the Oculus Connect conference attendees will get for free. It features an...
Post a Comment
Read more