[Whippinghand]

Now that Blackberry has stopped producing phones, what are the best alternatives out there that you are considering or will be once your current phone is kaputt.

[conite]

Now that Blackberry has stopped producing phones, what are the best alternatives out there that you are considering or will be once your current phone is kaputt.

There are currently no secure pkb devices left on the market.

There are 3 Kickstarter pkb phones out there - one being from China (Unihertz Titan Pocket), and 2 other smartphone / mini laptops (Cosmo Communicator and F(x)tec PRO).

Apart from those, it looks like a slab is in your future. Pixel, iPhone, Samsung, Nokia, Asus, and Sony are the remaining non-Chinese brands.

[JECE]

The side slider F(x)tec PRO¹ X is about to be released.

I pre-ordered in August:
https://fxtec.com/pro1x


Keep an eye here for their October update that will hopefully bring good news:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/p...l#/updates/all

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[the_boon]

The side slider F(x)tec PRO¹ X is about to be released.

I pre-ordered in August:
https://fxtec.com/pro1x


Keep an eye here for their October update that will hopefully bring good news:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/p...l#/updates/all

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When is that thing actually going to be readily available?

[JECE]

When is that thing actually going to be readily available?

Check the updates that I linked to above and judge for yourself. :-)

We'll know more any day now when the October Update gets posted.

Honestly, though, I would suggest pre-ordering. I think that the Pro1 was never readily available and only shipped to those who had pre-ordered.

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[the_boon]

Check the updates that I linked to above and judge for yourself. :-)

We'll know more any day now when the October Update gets posted.

Honestly, though, I would suggest pre-ordering. I think that the Pro1 was never readily available and only shipped to those who had pre-ordered.

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Actually, from what I heard, there are people who pre-ordered it and never got the thing. F(x) Tec may have taken in more orders than they had devices.

Once that pre-order button turns into order, I may not resist trying that thing.

Though it may be a bit cumbersome to have to slide the keyboard out and rotate it sideways when you want to use the keyboard lol. At least with the Priv it was just the slide.

Oh well, if the typing and shortcut experience delivers, I think it would be worth it as we'd have a 6" display and a full keyboard that doesn't get in the way of it.

[JECE]

Actually, from what I heard, there are people who pre-ordered it and never got the thing. F(x) Tec may have taken in more orders than they had devices.

Once that pre-order button turns into order, I may not resist trying that thing.

Though it may be a bit cumbersome to have to slide the keyboard out and rotate it sideways when you want to use the keyboard lol. At least with the Priv it was just the slide.

Oh well, if the typing and shortcut experience delivers, I think it would be worth it as we'd have a 6" display and a full keyboard that doesn't get in the way of it.

I came to BlackBerry from the Droid 2 and Droid 4, so I'm not concerned about turning the phone on its side. That's the best part because it allows for a much wider keyboard with decently sized keys! And from the videos of the device, I'm expecting a very satisfying and rapid 'snap' every time I whip out the keyboard. :-)

I hope that the pre-order button turns into an order button this time, but since that apparently never happened last time, I didn't want to leave it up to chance! I want that phone, ha ha.

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[Trouveur]

Beware with FXTec, many buyers from the Moto Mod and from the first Pro 1, never receive anything.

And the last campaign already saw specs downgrades and many reports.

Astroslide is also late, but at least Planet Computers successfully delivered the Gemini PDA and the Cosmo Communicator.

[sorgo]

I have the original pro1 and it has some downsides compared to key2, but it's a decent replacement.
I flashed lineageos which gets proper timely security updates (weekly releases) and you can opt out not to use google at all. Root is also optional.

People did indeed receive the devices, but it was a huge struggle since corona hit and the whole supply chain still did not recover fully.
Pro1-x is a modified device with downgraded cpu, so they had to redesign the board.
Moto mod failed, but people either received money back or a generous coupon for their own device.
I would recommend to either look for second hand device at forums/discord or preorder and get some real dose of patience.

[the_boon]

I have the original pro1 and it has some downsides compared to key2, but it's a decent replacement.
I flashed lineageos which gets proper timely security updates (weekly releases) and you can opt out not to use google at all. Root is also optional.

People did indeed receive the devices, but it was a huge struggle since corona hit and the whole supply chain still did not recover fully.
Pro1-x is a modified device with downgraded cpu, so they had to redesign the board.
Moto mod failed, but people either received money back or a generous coupon for their own device.
I would recommend to either look for second hand device at forums/discord or preorder and get some real dose of patience.

How would you rate the typing experience on the Pro 1 compared to the KEY2?

Does it feel wide for comfort? Meaning do you feel that you have to stretch the hand out to reach the middle keys?

[sorgo]

How would you rate the typing experience on the Pro 1 compared to the KEY2?

Does it feel wide for comfort? Meaning do you feel that you have to stretch the hand out to reach the middle keys?

the keyboard is not that large. for comparison, the alpha keys are same layout as on my old 4" samsung landscape slider. the extra space is for additional keys such as arrows etc.

I've been switching back an forth between key2 and pro1 and some downsides of pro1 are bulky, heavy and i ended up typing short stuff on the virtual keyboard to avoid annoyances with apps not properly acting when switching to landscape.

one thing i miss a lot is the convenience key, especially the mute during call function. i mapped camera button to do the same, but it's not as convenient by far.

i used to unlock the key2 with my thumb while pulling it out from my pocket, clicked the convenience key for google search and started typing right away. with pro1, it's a more complicated process.

the stock android is not that good, it's not updated for long time and has some bugs and annoyances. i ended up running rooted lineageos, it takes some time to tweak it and hide root from some apps, but was able to get everything running including banking apps, spotify, netflix etc.

the typing experience is cool, the special keys are irreplaceable if you log into a terminal. try to do ctrl+D on key2

pro1 is unfortunately a bit fragile, lots of folks have troubles with shattered screens since there is no decent case to protect the phone from damage. i had to replace the screen already, it took me months to get my hands on one since even fxtec does not have any in stock.

i would definitely run a key3 by now if they would deliver in H1, for now pro1 seems like the best choice out there

worth mentioning there's a strong discord community helping with any challenges and issues

[JECE]

the keyboard is not that large. for comparison, the alpha keys are same layout as on my old 4" samsung landscape slider. the extra space is for additional keys such as arrows etc.

I've been switching back an forth between key2 and pro1 and some downsides of pro1 are bulky, heavy and i ended up typing short stuff on the virtual keyboard to avoid annoyances with apps not properly acting when switching to landscape.

one thing i miss a lot is the convenience key, especially the mute during call function. i mapped camera button to do the same, but it's not as convenient by far.

i used to unlock the key2 with my thumb while pulling it out from my pocket, clicked the convenience key for google search and started typing right away. with pro1, it's a more complicated process.

the stock android is not that good, it's not updated for long time and has some bugs and annoyances. i ended up running rooted lineageos, it takes some time to tweak it and hide root from some apps, but was able to get everything running including banking apps, spotify, netflix etc.

the typing experience is cool, the special keys are irreplaceable if you log into a terminal. try to do ctrl+D on key2

pro1 is unfortunately a bit fragile, lots of folks have troubles with shattered screens since there is no decent case to protect the phone from damage. i had to replace the screen already, it took me months to get my hands on one since even fxtec does not have any in stock.

i would definitely run a key3 by now if they would deliver in H1, for now pro1 seems like the best choice out there

worth mentioning there's a strong discord community helping with any challenges and issues

This was published in March:
https://store.fxtec.com/fix-your-bro...tphone-screen/

Apparently you can purchase a replacement screen directly from F(x)tec and the screens are designed to be easy to replace.

I'm a bit confused about the different operating systems that can run on F(x)tec devices. I assume that you can only run one OS at a time, right? You have to wipe your device before running another OS? Can Google Play Services run on unrooted Lineage? Also, I feel like there may be a big difference between the Pro1, which can only run Android 9.0, and the Pro 1 X, which can run Android 11, right?

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[Trouveur]

On the IGG comments, there are many who claimed having ordered the first Pro 1 on FxTec site but still waiting for it to be delivered.

[JECE]

On the IGG comments, there are many who claimed having ordered the first Pro 1 on FxTec site but still waiting for it to be delivered.

If I understand correctly, they were either offered a refund or an upgrade to the Pro1 X. The Pro1 X hasn't been released yet.

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[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

On the IGG comments, there are many who claimed having ordered the first Pro 1 on FxTec site but still waiting for it to be delivered.

Yes they got transferred over the getting the Pro1-X for "free"... just are having to wait a year plus to hopefully see it. A handful of early supporters did get a variant of the Pro1-X last January. But since then they have had to adjust the specification a few time so what many ordered, isn't what they'll get.

March, August, September, October, November... right on the cusp of getting them shipped out. (check is in the mail)

In the end it's not a 5G phone.... so I'd go with the Planet Computer device - if I thought my carrier would support it.

[John Albert]

Yes they got transferred over the getting the Pro1-X for "free"... just are having to wait a year plus to hopefully see it. A handful of early supporters did get a variant of the Pro1-X last January. But since then they have had to adjust the specification a few time so what many ordered, isn't what they'll get.

March, August, September, October, November... right on the cusp of getting them shipped out. (check is in the mail)

In the end it's not a 5G phone.... so I'd go with the Planet Computer device - if I thought my carrier would support it.

Why are the Cosmo specs outdated?
Even it runs an old Android version.
Any idea about future support?

[JECE]

Yes they got transferred over the getting the Pro1-X for "free"... just are having to wait a year plus to hopefully see it. A handful of early supporters did get a variant of the Pro1-X last January. But since then they have had to adjust the specification a few time so what many ordered, isn't what they'll get.

March, August, September, October, November... right on the cusp of getting them shipped out. (check is in the mail)

In the end it's not a 5G phone.... so I'd go with the Planet Computer device - if I thought my carrier would support it.

The Planet Computers device isn't really a smartphone when the keyboard is extended, though, so it's a nonstarter for most of us.

And I don't think that F(x)tec has being claiming that the Pro1-X is "right on the cusp" of reaching consumers for so long. It's only in the latest update that they made it sound that way:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/p...l#/updates/all

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[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Why are the Cosmo specs outdated?
Even it runs an old Android version.
Any idea about future support?

Their new phone is the Astro Slide...

Cosmo is from their 2018 campaign so it is rather outdated at this point.

They have done pretty good in supporting their device for a couple of years.... but they aren't Samsung or Apple.

[John Albert]

Their new phone is the Astro Slide...

Cosmo is from their 2018 campaign so it is rather outdated at this point.

They have done pretty good in supporting their device for a couple of years.... but they aren't Samsung or Apple.

Thank you.
Is Astro Slide available right now?
I'm surprised that Conite has suggested a device that still runs on January security patch.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Thank you.
Is Astro Slide available right now?
I'm surprised that Conite has suggested a device that still runs on January security patch.

No it's like the PRO1-X.... any day now.

Don't think conite was making a suggestion, just saying what's out there.... but I suspect he meant the current Planet Computer campaign....

In the end he is pointing out there really aren't any viable options, it's time to learn to use a slab... like the other 99.9999% of the population has been able to do.

If he were making a recommendation... it would be the Pixel 6, like he is getting. Great hardware at a reasonable price with Android support that is hard to beat.

[sorgo]

They did not have the screens in stock when I inquired, waited for months and after that got the screen elsewhere. The original from them is full front face with camera and sensors, very easy to replace, but costs 150 GBP. Mine was screen only for 40 eur and replacement in professional store 25.

Stock android is only 9, lineage is 18.1 (android 11). Both pro1 and pro1x are capable of running it.

[conite]

Thank you.
Is Astro Slide available right now?
I'm surprised that Conite has suggested a device that still runs on January security patch.

Look at the first paragraph in my post #2.

[the_boon]

In the end he is pointing out there really aren't any viable options, it's time to learn to use a slab... like the other 99.9999% of the population has been able to do.

Anyone can learn to use one, there's a reason they're seeking keyboard options.

So no thanks.

[the_boon]

They did not have the screens in stock when I inquired, waited for months and after that got the screen elsewhere. The original from them is full front face with camera and sensors, very easy to replace, but costs 150 GBP. Mine was screen only for 40 eur and replacement in professional store 25.

Stock android is only 9, lineage is 18.1 (android 11). Both pro1 and pro1x are capable of running it.

This gives me confidence in trying out that device.

Maybe I'll just spring for one on eBay.

[GordH]

Now that Blackberry has stopped producing phones, what are the best alternatives out there that you are considering or will be once your current phone is kaputt.

Why would a an "alternative" to the Key2 or other Android BB phones be required at this point? It's only BB10 and 7 devices that won't function after 04/I/2020