[rsrocha]

I found a video on youtube where Walt Mossberg interviews Chen and he says how the Priv works, how blackberry is working with google, well you can figure out the whole scene by his words.

Search Replay of John Chen's interview from Code/Mobi - BlackBerryHack.com – Il volto segreto degli smartphone BlackBerry - Hai uno smartphone BlackBerry? Scopri tutte le ultime novit�

Posted via CB10

[FalkirkEagle]

I found a video on youtube where Walt Mossberg interviews Chen and he says how the Priv works, how blackberry is working with google, well you can figure out the whole scene by his words.

Search Replay of John Chen's interview from Code/Mobi - BlackBerryHack.com � Il volto segreto degli smartphone BlackBerry - Hai uno smartphone BlackBerry? Scopri tutte le ultime novit�

Posted via CB10

I haven't seen the video yet, but I think you're right, the writing is on the wall. Personally, I think the Priv is BlackBerry's last ditch effort to save the hardware division. It looks like BlackBerry have had to bring Google on board in an effort to make their handsets more attractive to consumers.

That said, I don't think Priv is going to be the saviour BlackBerry are looking for.

At $899 retail for an unlocked device, and probably $350 ~ 400 through a carrier, I think a lot of consumers are going to scratch their heads and say, "Why should I drop that kind of money when I can get a Nexus 5, 5X or 6P for less? So what if it's more secure?" In other words, I don't think many consumers are going to see the value proposition behind paying a premium for a secure Android phone. Business people might, and they will be in a position to pay the premium price demanded for the phone.

I currently own a Passport and love it, but I am dismayed with the announcement of the Priv because it's a harbinger of where BlackBerry are headed - and the final destination will see the company exiting the handset market. What this ultimately means is that while BB10 devices like the Z10, et al. will continue to be supported, that support is likely going to be not much more than an inch deep. Simply because of the relatively poor market penetration of the BB10 devices and the fact that the company has rather drastically downsized in the last couple of years, meaning that they won't have many employees who can support legacy devices.

As a result, I am now casting about for alternatives with the idea that I may want to sell or trade my Passport in the next six months to a year from now. The move to the Priv is disappointing, as I had been hoping that the Passport was going to be the device that would allow the company to make a turnaround. If the hardware division survives, I can see it designing and marketing Android-only phones that are made by somebody else - probably LG, who already make phones for Google.