[crackberry_geek]

Don't worry, phones will be available on "February 30." So, those on waiting for AT&T or Verizon, get ready to use your upgrade. ;0)

All joking aside, it is a sad situation for BlackBerry. I think they should just sell to Samsung now that they are still worth something. That is a better chance for survival since we have seen it cannot do it on its own. Oh, well.

Posted via CB10

Sadly... that's not much of an option now either due to the investigations of stock manipulation over the last disputed rumors.

Chen... you've now pretty much blown it on every single front...

Posted via CB10

[fero23]

Check your year

[Mr4aces]

Both the carriers (AT&T and Verizon) and BlackBerry itself dropped the ball big time here. Apple and Samsung create buzz around new products and get them in front of people in retail stores very shortly afterwards. Doesn't that at least partially contribute to their success? Granted, they're focused on consumers consuming a product in a consumer market (right, Chen?), but what about the people who happen to be both consumers and business users? I count myself as one of those people, and I'm trying to go back to BB, especially now that the keyboard phone has been modernized to include app compatibility, exceptional security, toolbelt familiarity and productivity in a good looking phone. I was either going to get the Classic from Amazon or the passport from AT&T (on contract), but before I shelled out hundreds of dollars for a phone, I want to get a feel for both of them side by side and IN PERSON! Additionally, Kevin O'Leary - a prominent figure in the financial world, one of BB's traditionally largest user markets - gave a very positive review on the morning of the release, Dec 17th, and as someone in the same industry, this was a huge confidence boost.
But here we are on Feb 11th, nearly TWO MONTHS after the classic release and FIVE MONTHS after the passport release, and I still can't go to a retailer and hold either of these devices before I buy them. I have to be honest here folks, I was holding out because I'm a BB loyalist and was excited to get back to the keyboard device, but this is really not a good sign for the two phones that are supposed to put BB back on the map. I'm going to use and rely on this new phone all day, every day, how do I put my trust in a company that can't even bring its phones to market in a timely manner?
I'll continue to hold out a little longer but sooner or later I'm going to have to update my outdated iPhone as I had planned to at year end. And as much as I want to come back, I'm starting to put some serious thought into whether the transition to this company is the right move long-term....

Normally I would have been in your same shoes and might have given up by now. When RIM/ML announced there would be a new qwerty phone I was ready to jump from my 9900. But without a tool belt I passed.

I had not been on Crackberry since the Q10/Z10 launch. I jumped back when I bought an unlocked 99 last April. I never knew RIM/ML was in trouble or the status of the new devices. I guess I was to busy and the 99 work fine for text and emails. Bam I find out all the things that happened and found out they were going to revive the 99 with an updated version.

Since then I bought a Z10 and wasn't at all impressed with BB10 and pulling the battery was getting old on the 99.

I was on the fence on the Classic as it did not have the ergonomic kb, removable battery..... but all the pre launch hype caused impulse buying. I am happy to say although there are some things that I have to work around (BB7 vs BB10) there is way more good than bad. The latest updated OS is great. If you would have asked me about the OS last November I would say NAY.

I'm on ATT also, I will never wait for a new product to come available at ATT. It just takes to long. By the time ATT has it on contract they are at least 6 months old and there is something better in the horizon. Read my post #41 where I'm paying $25/mo or $600 for a Z10.

Beg, borrow or steal on to try one out. Better yet buy one of each on Amazon. They have a 30 day return policy if you don't like them return one or both. In December they offered a 6 months interest free if you opened an account. It cost a little more up front but are you really saving anything and you are also tied into ATT for 2 more years with NO leverage on your monthly bill.

Just my opinion. Good luck.

Posted via CB10

[t.c.3]

You say I should "beg borrow or steal to try one out," and if this was an urgent concern, sure I would go out of my way to find one in order to try it out. But on some level, its a damned cell phone, not a car, not a house, not a major decision in my life. By the same token, if I wanted to try out a new iPhone or Galaxy I can choose any one of 15 stores within 10 minutes of where I live to do so (literally, I just googled it). The point is, why the compromise? How has BlackBerry not done a better job of getting to the consumer?

To hellomoto's point above, from the sounds of it, this is almost exclusively a US problem and it's at least partially dude to of our terrible carriers. But I can get my hands on an iPhone or Galaxy in BestBuy, RadioShack, Walmart,Target or even Costco, within weeks of the phone's release, in addition to the carrier store where it's also available. So clearly the blame isn't completely on our carriers since Apple and Samsung are utilizing other distribution channels to get in front of consumers. (Note: Yes, some of the distribution to BestBuy and the like is probably through carriers, and I don't really know to what extent, but there are unlocked devices available at some of these stores as well, so it can't be all carrier-driven). What's worse, I can get an unlocked Torch (2010 vintage) in my local Staples, but not an unlocked Passport or Classic? I can't even see a display unit if they didn't want to worry about inventory and made me order it?

I'm not concerned with being locked into AT&T because I'll probably order unlocked anyway. And don't get me wrong, I love Amazon Prime and understand that I could order and try the devices from them with easy returns, but again, why the compromise? I don't want to have to tie up over $1,000 for a few weeks just to figure out if I want to pull the trigger on one phone or another, plus have to deal with sim swapping, unboxing and setup,etc. Sure I can do it, but its a big hassle. All I want to do is walk into a store and play with a Classic for 20 minutes, then compare it to the Passport, then compare both to a Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6, do my research here and on other sites, and then make a decision. Apple and Samsung (and HTC and all of the others) are good with that, and they're confident enough in their devices and marketing to allow me to take that approach. I really just can't figure out why it's so difficult for BlackBerry.

BlackBerry is simply perpetuating their image of "old and outdated" with these slow releases and limited availability. My concern isn't with whether or not I can find ways around BlackBerry's problems, its the problems themselves that worry me. And with so many positives, these drawbacks are absolutely infuriating...

Normally I would have been in your same shoes and might have given up by now. When RIM/ML announced there would be a new qwerty phone I was ready to jump from my 9900. But without a tool belt I passed.

I had not been on Crackberry since the Q10/Z10 launch. I jumped back when I bought an unlocked 99 last April. I never knew RIM/ML was in trouble or the status of the new devices. I guess I was to busy and the 99 work fine for text and emails. Bam I find out all the things that happened and found out they were going to revive the 99 with an updated version.

Since then I bought a Z10 and wasn't at all impressed with BB10 and pulling the battery was getting old on the 99.

I was on the fence on the Classic as it did not have the ergonomic kb, removable battery..... but all the pre launch hype caused impulse buying. I am happy to say although there are some things that I have to work around (BB7 vs BB10) there is way more good than bad. The latest updated OS is great. If you would have asked me about the OS last November I would say NAY.

I'm on ATT also, I will never wait for a new product to come available at ATT. It just takes to long. By the time ATT has it on contract they are at least 6 months old and there is something better in the horizon. Read my post #41 where I'm paying $25/mo or $600 for a Z10.

Beg, borrow or steal on to try one out. Better yet buy one of each on Amazon. They have a 30 day return policy if you don't like them return one or both. In December they offered a 6 months interest free if you opened an account. It cost a little more up front but are you really saving anything and you are also tied into ATT for 2 more years with NO leverage on your monthly bill.

Just my opinion. Good luck.

Posted via CB10

[crackberry_geek]

^^^^^

This guy is absolutely right.

It is blatantly arrogant of BlackBerry to expect buyers to have to jump through all these infuriating hoops just to touch and a feel a product before committing to it.

Posted via CB10

[jlsr]

Totally agree!!

Posted via CB10

[Lefty724]

I was a BB loyalist as well. I bough the Classic and Passport from Amazon and preferred the Passport.

Once I saw the rounded corner Passport, I had to have one! I was able to sell my Classic and return the Passport in hopes that the rounded corner version would be out by the time my square one was returned? Wrong. Still nothing.

I have since crossed back over to the dark side and am using a iPhone 6 now. Not as fun but everything just works on this platform....

I hope one day I'll be back to BB, but only time will tell. See ya.

[Mr4aces]

I "think" the problem started 3 years ago with broken promises and bad product. It would be a hard sell to put a brand that has had a history that RIM/ML had.

It was only the skills and reputation of John Chen and his staff that opened the door. I'm sure there were compromises given. One of them was the round corners. Tooling and distribution is usually 3 months plus, add another month for FCC and customer approval. So anything under 3 months is almost a miracle in the manufacturing business.

I'm sure BlackBerry would not let the Classic launched until after the Passport, because of its unique design. They want the PP in the consumers hand before the Classic. It's not about what people think the problem is. I'm sure the ATT's Classic with wireless charge could be out in less than a 2 months. It's about the overall picture.

That being said the only reason it can be done sooner is because the same parts and basic design.

People that say the product should be on the shelves now have NO idea what it takes to tool up and put a new product out the door nor have they ever been in the executive role.

Of course this is my opinion and I'm on the outside looking in.

But the subject of this thread is about trying the phone out and ATT's delays.

Posted via CB10

[WES51]

Nobody said it was easy, but while others can and do, Blackberry can't.


Blackberry really seem to have lost it.

[pandabear444]

Looks like Verizon might get it on Feb 26! That's cool. Maybe ATT van have it by early fall.

[makie]

It's not hard to get these phones in my country and you can also get them in other carriers in the US, so it's actually your carrier who's being a ********!

Like carriers hold up updates from every other os (except iphone). They make the manufacturer look like a liar for not updating the OS on the promised time time etc.

Btw. Blackberry can't just sell when and where ever they want to. They cannot force a shop to buy their products and make them sell it to the people. A lot of company's lost faith in BlackBerry, because they lost so much market share over the past years.
Your carriers and other shops just refuse to sell BlackBerry, because they are afraid of their money. They do not know the word "service" they only think about their money.



Posted via CB10

[Mr4aces]

@makie

Lost faith is putting it mildly. They got screwed from the incomplete BB10, high returns and lack of support from RIM/ML (not BlackBerry).

Posted via CB10

[makie]

@makie

Lost faith is putting it mildly. They got screwed from the incomplete BB10, high returns and lack of support from RIM/ML (not BlackBerry).

Posted via CB10

No, I do not think people lost faith in BlackBerry duo to the lack of support.

There is no company who gives awesome support and trust me, I've been on all the (well) known brands last year.

If support didn't work for you, but did for someone on the other side of the world that doesn't mean it lacks support. It's just the way it is with every of these mobile company's. Apple, samsung, htc, windows etc also screw you over from time to time.

Posted via CB10

[Mr4aces]

No, I do not think people lost faith in BlackBerry duo to the lack of support.

There is no company who gives awesome support and trust me, I've been on all the (well) known brands last year.

If support didn't work for you, but did for someone on the other side of the world that doesn't mean it lacks support. It's just the way it is with every of these mobile company's. Apple, samsung, htc, windows etc also screw you over from time to time.

Posted via CB10

Are you telling me that RIM/ML provided a complete OS when BB10 was launched? Not talking about since John Chen took over. Are you saying all the people with double typing Q10's were able to exchange their phones after 30 days?

Face it BB10.1 was a flop it only in the last year with 10.2 and 10.3 it is even close to OS7. Yeah you could browse and play a "few" games, but coping iPhone was not the right move.

Posted via CB10

[makie]

Are you telling me that RIM/ML provided a complete OS when BB10 was launched? Not talking about since John Chen took over. Are you saying all the people with double typing Q10's were able to exchange their phones after 30 days?

Face it BB10.1 was a flop it only in the last year with 10.2 and 10.3 it is even close to OS7. Yeah you could browse and play a "few" games, but coping iPhone was not the right move.

Posted via CB10

Do you think apple gave new phones for the ones being bend? Noo, those big company's don't do these kind of things.

Even ios 8.0 sucked big time after launch and so did lollipop and those OS'S are here for many years. BB10 was a totally new OS and came when ios and android already had a massive user base. There are just 2 massive OS'S (android and ios) and nothing will change that in a few years, not even samsung.

Posted via CB10

[slagman5]

Are you telling me that RIM/ML provided a complete OS when BB10 was launched? Not talking about since John Chen took over. Are you saying all the people with double typing Q10's were able to exchange their phones after 30 days?

Face it BB10.1 was a flop it only in the last year with 10.2 and 10.3 it is even close to OS7. Yeah you could browse and play a "few" games, but coping iPhone was not the right move.

Posted via CB10

BB10 wasn't any less of a complete OS than Android was the first few years after it came out...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

[Mr4aces]

No, I do not think people lost faith in BlackBerry duo to the lack of support.

There is no company who gives awesome support and trust me, I've been on all the (well) known brands last year.

If support didn't work for you, but did for someone on the other side of the world that doesn't mean it lacks support. It's just the way it is with every of these mobile company's. Apple, samsung, htc, windows etc also screw you over from time to time.

Posted via CB10

I'm referring to the carriers and retail stores like Best Buy

Sit yourself in the meeting room of ATT and hash over the money they lost and the extra service/labor it took to take care of the RIM account 2-3 years ago. Would you you bring back BlackBerry?

[pandabear444]

Android as a OS is still far from complete as far as I'm concerned. With the leak of a Verizon release date I was hopping we'd see the ATT date by now. They should at this point atleast give a ballpark if even a month pinpointed.

[dlrogers81]

The wait is getting a little ridiculous at this point. I don't see what the hold up is. I already got my Classic back in December on Amazon, thankfully..but I feel the more time that passes, the more others are going to give up waiting and go for something else...especially if they are still holding onto their OS 7 devices.

[WES51]

I feel the more time that passes, the more others are going to give up waiting and go for something else...especially if they are still holding onto their OS 7 devices.

I support your statement by sharing my plans:

Since January I have 2x upgrades. My carrier offers a new rate structure and by upgrading to a new plan I could save as much as $50 per month.

So I don't want to wait much longer and I soon plan to upgrade/buy 2x iPhones now
and then sell them on eBay and continue to use my 9900.

Over time, when Classic is going to be seriously discounted (and matures to OS7 ease of use), I'll buy it.

Is this good for Blackberry? Probably not.

[pandabear444]

Anyone talk to somebody who's given them any knowledge on when this is dropping. Im really worried with all the time they put into a custom design for the Passport atleast, that by the time people will have moved on. Come on now.

[pandabear444]

Well... Now we know!