[Carrtman]

The thing is the classic should have been the new Bold meaning the new flagship but from all I've read is not.

The trackpad doesn't light up on fine... But not having a removable battery is just a no no go.

[redlightblinking]

The article has multiple flaws:

"....there is no longer any utility to be gained from the buttons that the toolbelt adds to the phone. Let’s address them one at a time.

First up is the send/call key. Even on BBOS this key did very little, and was only used for answering or starting phone calls. Five years ago when I got my first BlackBerry there was little use for this key, and given that next to nobody makes phone calls these days, this key is even more useless.....

Right off the bat the author is applying his bias about how many people he thinks make phone calls, which is clearly wrong as I can attest from my business. Young people don't because young people don't want to talk to anyone (and their frustration at getting hired and getting ahead in life reflects that...but I digress).
The call key does one very critical thing: it gets you to the call screen instantly. You don't need to wake the screen, or take off your gloves, or get out of an app you might be in....you just hit that key. If you want to dial the last number....you hit that key twice. For those of us that need to do things quickly this is important.


'Having a physical menu key allows the screen to remain clear of any navigation, and makes it quick and easy for the menu to be accessed at any time. For most apps I expect this key to be equivalent to hitting the ‘more’ button on the action menu. However as both Cascades and Android based apps have had to exist for a few years now without any guarantee of a physical menu button, most apps will already be showing a virtual menu button on the screen anyhow"

Of course the buttons will be redundant because you're adding it to a phone OS that started without them. But, again, a physical menu button is about speed and ease of use when one-handed.

"The back button is in a similar situation of the menu key in that it was a solid idea, but given the current state of app development has become redundant to an on-screen back button that is now unlikely to go away. Given that BlackBerry 10 didn’t replicate the iOS/Android mistake of placing these controls on the top of the screen, they can be easily accessed without the hardware buttons"

"Easily" is of course a relative term. And, again, all of these buttons will have a previous touch based counterpart. They are for speed. Beyond that, the back button lets you barely move your thumb, to quickly go back....and to get back to the home screen. You can keep your grasp on the phone without changing your grip to do a thumb swipe....very important as you are walking quickly though (where ever).

"The final key is the end button which is used for ending phone calls and exiting to the homescreen. My guess is that BlackBerry will just map this to be equivalent to the swipe-up gesture, not adding any new functionality."

Now the author is admitting he's guessing. The end button is also critical in that you don't need to search around your phone to end the call if the phone app got minimized. And, you have instant access to home screen with barely any movement.

"The trackpad will be great at text selection, but anyone expecting to use the pad for app navigation is going to be disappointed. BlackBerry will probably support the trackpad well on the homescreen and in the hub, but there will be next to no support when it comes to third party apps."

Soo....I can't use the trackpad for selecting large buttons on my banking app? Stop the presses. I think it's obvious that people use the trackpad for editing text...which they will primarily do on native (email, text) apps.

"The trackpad was then often supported on the Torch 9800 and Bold 9900 series because the work had been done already. On BlackBerry 10 that is not the case. With every phone supporting a touch screen, adding support for navigation via the track-pad is not required and many developers (including myself) will have no interest in adding this. "

Now the critical part: The 9900 is still in high circulation and was so beloved that people clung to it as disappointment on BB10 forced them to. The Classic's main audience is the 9900 user. THUS....it would make sense that they might have to cater to people who liked both functions....regardless of the level of interest that developers like this one has.

"The most anticipated feature of the BlackBerry Classic, will be one that the users will mostly not have the opportunity to use."

Except for nearly all of the things they used it for before and they still want today. Minor detail he forgot.

[kbz1960]

Yet that pesky "home button" on other devices has been ridiculed to death on here. By all but belt lovers?

[anon(19759)]

Agree with redlight - this statement alone by the author discredits his entire article:

Even on BBOS this key did very little, and was only used for answering or starting phone calls. Five years ago when I got my first BlackBerry there was little use for this key, and given that next to nobody makes phone calls these days, this key is even more useless.

I use 3000+ minutes per month and between all five devices on our share, we usually hit 5k or more. I use my phone for work, in sales, and there's no method of communication better than picking up the phone and talking to someone. It's how work gets done. Probably average at least 8-10 hours per week on conference calls. This guy is not reputable.

Another article of his - BBOS USERS DON'T APPEAR EAGER TO UPDATE - his entire methodology is based on number of downloads through BBworld for ONE GAME. Pixelated. He can't be serious........ As a matter of fact, most of his big sweeping generalizations about trends, stats, etc. are all taken from the data for a single app download. Mostly based on Pixelated. Pixelated is an Ebscer game!!!!!!!!! *****. Do we really want to put any faith in a developer analyzing market trends?

I need the SEND and END keys. I want to hang up a call with one click. Right now if I'm on a conference call via speakerphone, I now have to swipe up to wake, potentially minimize an app I was in after starting the call, hit the phone icon, then tap end. How is that just as good as hitting END?

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Yet that pesky "home button" on other devices has been ridiculed to death on here. By all but belt lovers?

A real button give someone a place to start....

But I don't think buttons are the reason business haven't been buying BlackBerry devices....

[mr24mrg]

It's hitting a niche most users won't understand. I think it's a good transitional device for BBOS7 users but it will also have some productivity gains for others already familiar with BB10. If you have doubts, wait until the forums fill up with user reviews, then decide. You don't always have to be an early adapter.

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[sentimentGX4]

It's hitting a niche most users won't understand.

The Classic hits a niche many BBRY watchers are skeptical actually exists.

The 'loyal BB OS7 users are waiting for this' mentality happened first with the Z10. Blackberry users are waiting for a new device with a modern OS. That didn't happen.

Then the Q10, a modern phone with a keyboard, was supposed to satisfy the horde of keyboard lovers of which made up a large portion of the population. That didn't help. Now Blackberry is grasping at straws and saying 'It's the toolbelt! That must be it!'

While I don't think the Classic will hurt BBRY's bottom line, the brand/device loyalty many hope for simply isn't there. No one knows what the last BB OS7 holdouts are waiting for; but, it's probably not a BB10 device with a toolbelt.

[dale-c]

Except the preorders for the classic have already sold out.
In my opinion there is nothing missing from the Classic and it will be a great device for those of us that still call a lot on our phones.


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[K man13]

Think classic will be the perfect blackberry.

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[kevets]

Did you ever think that text selection and browser navigation/control is more important to folks eyeing the Classic than what apps support it?

[anon6040766]

OP here, don't shoot the messenger people! I was simply sharing the article and how it may or may not sway me in my decision to purchase. After time to think...I'm all in. The ToolBelt can't hurt, I don't think. I use my device for pretty much for communication purposes only, and of course social media and CrackBerry. I believe the ToolBelt may makes those areas more efficient and I definitely like what I believe to be a 20% bump in battery.

[TgeekB]

Just got an email that my Classic will be shipping soon!

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[dale-c]

It's hitting a niche most users won't understand. I think it's a good transitional device for BBOS7 users but it will also have some productivity gains for others already familiar with BB10. If you have doubts, wait until the forums fill up with user reviews, then decide. You don't always have to be an early adapter.

Posted via CB10

Totally agree here.
Sure, it's great for those set in their ways with BBOS but after almost two years with my z10, I love bb10 but miss the things the classic will add.


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[slagman5]

Just got an email that my Classic will be shipping soon!

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Hey man, not trying to start an argument or trying to be a smart-***, but I remember when you said you didn't like the Q10 because the screen is tiny and your vision isn't perfect so you prefer a bigger screen to be easier to read. Are you sure you're not setting yourself up for disappointment? The Classic's screen isn't THAT much bigger than the Q10's. Serious question, not trying to be sarcastic or anything...

[chalx]

Classic is aimed at small group of people like me. Basically, this group of people from time to time, on busy days, needs convenience of dumbphone. When I have crisis at work, I don't want to find myself in situation that virtual answer key doesn't want to respond, I don't have time to swipe up to close damn phone app and accidentally trigger some contact from list and to explain that I made call by mistake. I need and option to easily close open windows, I need an option to simply enter contact name and press once call button to initiate call. In my line of work, convenience of doing this few tasks with ease are worth of all compromises that I'll have to make regarding possible future app compatibility.
Only thing that bothers me is price.

[anon(870071)]

First off I am a classic BlackBerry user and have come to this device over a long course of BlackBerry usage!

9700, torch,bold, Q10,Z30 and now currently PAssport!

I will definately skip on the classic as I am use to the power and functionality of os10 and the use of gestures just makes more sense. It took a few days but after that I was totally comfortable with the flick tap and swipe motions now to navigate and I do not see the need for a tool belt area on the device! It just seems redundant to me combined with os10. Now that I'm using the passport, I really can't see the classic as my daily device. The screen size is so amazing on the passport combined with the power and efficiency of the tap flick and swipe gestures.

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[dale-c]

Classic is aimed at small group of people like me. Basically, this group of people from time to time, on busy days, needs convenience of dumbphone. When I have crisis at work, I don't want to find myself in situation that virtual answer key doesn't want to respond, I don't have time to swipe up to close damn phone app and accidentally trigger some contact from list and to explain that I made call by mistake. I need and option to easily close open windows, I need an option to simply enter contact name and press once call button to initiate call. In my line of work, convenience of doing this few tasks with ease are worth of all compromises that I'll have to make regarding possible future app compatibility.
Only thing that bothers me is price.

This looks like something I would have written.

I am sure all apps I need will run. But I have a Dell tablet too so anything that I can't do on the classic will work in the tablet.

Crazy that so many don't even call much anymore. Now those that rely heavily on actual calls are a "niche" market.


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[dale-c]

First off I am a classic user and have come to this device over a long course of BlackBerry usage!

9700, torch,bold, Q10,Z30 and now currently PAssport!

I will definately skip on the classic as I am use to the power and functionality of os10. It took a few days but I am totally comfortable with thr flick tap and swipe motions now to navigate and I do not see the need for a tool belt area on the device! It just seems redundant to me combined with os10. Now that I'm using the passport, I really can't see the classic as my daily device. The screen size is so amazingon the passport combined with the power.

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I have been using the z10 since T-Mobile first got it. I am very comfortable with the OS and really like it. However, the Classic should only enhance that.

I don't intend to use the toolbelt for navigation of the UI, just for calls, text selection and browsing when I need to click tiny links.

If I didn't call much or select text much, I think my z10 would still be great.



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[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

The thing is I'm not sure that the "niche" where BlackBerry now lives... really needs a modern smartphone.

Email yes, maybe some limited browsing.... but more of the regulated business are more concerned with security and having a device completely locked down. And as they are business, they sure aren't interested in their employees installation personal apps or games - even if it in a separate container. For this "niche" BBOS might actually be a better product due to the same reasons that consumers fled away from it.

But who knows, maybe the combination of fixing BES so that they don't need to complicated servers to manage BBOS and BB10 and adding a few buttons is all it will take. Then again, I think the issue of the future of BlackBerry has always been a chief concern among many CFO's. Chen's biggest mistake was saying he might get rid of hardware.... even if he taught it, he should have never said it.

[anon(5818411)]

shouldn't the back button work as well with android apps?

[Alain_A]

shouldn't the back button work as well with android apps?

According to one story some where it has been said that the dev do no have to write for the belt so no guarantee

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[waterfrontmgmt]

Hard to believe some people just don't get it. I can't wait for the announcement and hoping VZN has it! The trackpad is night and day on some key areas for a large number of keyboard users.

[collinc93]

no one knows but then it could be a BB10 device with a toolbelt....should have added that too

[BigAl_BB9900]

I've been waiting for The BlackBerry Classic since first mention. I've purchased each BlackBerry 10 device at launch and have been eager to add The Classic to my collection. Then I came across this article The BlackBerry Classic is both a distraction and a step backwards | Ebscer News and it definitely has me thinking. The author is a BlackBerry Developer and makes a really strong case for the redundancy of the ToolBelt. Give it a read if you'd like but I think a strong case is made that all you're really getting is a TrackPad to make selecting type easier. The Android apps won't support it other than to close the app with he end button and BlackBerry 10 Developers have been developing without the ToolBelt in mind for 3 years now and are not required to start now. Meh, I'll probably buy it anyway...even if it ends up being a slightly bigger Q10 with bump up in battery. Love my Q10 and why not add to the collection?

I do quite a lot of work with corporate lawyers, the majority of whom are in their 40's & 50's and are in senior positions within their firms (eg most are partners) - for people who are so intelligent, and usually very detail-orientated, a lot of them are quite technically illiterate and/or technophobic.

Most of these lawyers have admired my Q10 over the last year and a bit, but nearly all of them have been put off from getting a Q10 because of two things: 1) new method of controlling a BlackBerry (eg Gestures) and 2) no Toolbelt. Therefore these lawyers are still using their 99xx's (and in some cases 97xx's).

My belief is that a new BlackBerry that has a Toolbelt will be the reason to make them upgrade to OS10 (especially if the phone has a bigger screen to make reading documents easier).

Potential issues with Android Apps? I don't believe that many of them will ever want to install third-party apps, and I don't expect that many of them will be allowed to either (eg their devices will be very tightly locked down by their firms).

A couple of the more technically advanced lawyers have Passports, which are generally admired for their enhanced document reading ability, but are also dismissed by many as being 'too techy'. Some of them are also aware of the Z30, but they are all dismissive of it, as it does not have a real keyboard.

My belief is that the Classic will be the driver to get these (senior, influential within their firms) lawyers to upgrade to a new BlackBerry (eg the Classic), and as they are senior people, their decisions will mean that their whole firms will upgrade to the Classic too.

Just my two pennorth.... I look forward to March/April 2015 to see if my prediction comes true.

[TgeekB]

Hey man, not trying to start an argument or trying to be a smart-***, but I remember when you said you didn't like the Q10 because the screen is tiny and your vision isn't perfect so you prefer a bigger screen to be easier to read. Are you sure you're not setting yourself up for disappointment? The Classic's screen isn't THAT much bigger than the Q10's. Serious question, not trying to be sarcastic or anything...

Not a problem. I'm hoping the increase in screen size is enough to make a difference plus the toolbelt will make it easier to select text. The Passport intrigues me but may be too big for everyday use. You know how it is, always looking for the "perfect" device.
Enjoy your new Classic!

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