[howarmat]

Yeah hub was nice but I have been fine getting my 250+ notifications without it for several years now.

[thurask]

I ditched Hub a couple years ago, it didn't do email aliases but Aquamail could. I can't say I miss it, between that and the rest of the notification system.

[TgeekB]

That's the same as saying that Oreo is just fine. So does Marshmallow but that doesn't mean that a better experience is not desired and Hub blows Android notifications system out of the water. I am positive that if the majority of the users saw it they would prefer it.

Highly subjective.
It would be nice to have an alternative but I never found it necessary.

[anon(10387168)]

I for one am a big fan of the HUB! Totally agree that if more people were exposed to it, many of them would keep it. It's an excellent productivity tool.

[AhabSnake]

Blackberry phones will always be around. I have some great marketing plans/strategies, in mind, that will work, to present to BBMobile , incase they are ever serious about phones again, or if tlc calls it quits.

[quizm]

I am actually quite worried that within the year TCL is going to announce they will no longer be making blackberry phones. Obviously I hope I'm dead wrong. But if this happens do you think Blackberry will be able to find another company to license the name too or will this mark the end of blackberry phones and the end of PKB devices?

Since we have so little news I can only assume the worst. I have always thought that there was a small percentage of people who want pkb but that would still be enough. Looks like no. I still believe that it's there but TCL has under spec'd both the key series and the Motion in order to sell cheaper phones to govt and enterprise. The BlackBerry pkb and vkb along with the hub are still the best in class for professional users. The hardware is good for battery ok, but not the camera by far. Non professional users want the best camera in the price range. All worse that even recently prices are not falling to sell phones.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Blackberry phones will always be around. I have some great marketing plans/strategies, in mind, that will work, to present to BBMobile , incase they are ever serious about phones again, or if tlc calls it quits.

Chen has no intention of ever getting serious about phones again. Best that could be hoped for is IP licensing of the KEYboard. I doubt he's going to risk the company's Brand without security, but I think their Android Secure is a non seller at that price.

Thinking up marketing "plans" is the easy part... paying for it on a boutique budget is another thing.

[BergerKing]

Yes even Apple said that people are keeping their phones for longer

They set themselves up for that, really. Giving people a chance to get brand new batteries in old phones was a big whoops on their part, and they took a significant financial hit for it.

[BergerKing]

Chen has no intention of ever getting serious about phones again. Best that could be hoped for is IP licensing of the KEYboard. I doubt he's going to risk the company's Brand without security, but I think their Android Secure is a non seller at that price.

Thinking up marketing "plans" is the easy part... paying for it on a boutique budget is another thing.

Personally, if they'd make a more adaptable keyboard, I'd probably use it again. But, I've now used SwiftKey keyboard since 2012.it has features the BB virtual keyboard does not, like scalable keys, and keyboard variations to suit personal choices, different themes, colors, even a built in clipboard which is handy for saving snips, articles, and other things you can use again and again without having to go to another app to retrieve it.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Personally, if they'd make a more adaptable keyboard, I'd probably use it again. But, I've now used SwiftKey keyboard since 2012.it has features the BB virtual keyboard does not, like scalable keys, and keyboard variations to suit personal choices, different themes, colors, even a built in clipboard which is handy for saving snips, articles, and other things you can use again and again without having to go to another app to retrieve it.

I still miss the flick to type, but I too ended up going fully SwiftKey and customizing it.

When I mentioned keyboard IP I meant the PKB.

[babugaru1]

I hope Google introduces "Physical feel on touch" option under virtual keyboard settings just like "Vibrate on touch"

Then it will be end of PKB devices

[BergerKing]

I still miss the flick to type, but I too ended up going fully SwiftKey and customizing it.

When I mentioned keyboard IP I meant the PKB.

Gotcha. But with the passage of time, I see phones manufactured with a PKB going the way of the dodo. More likely you'll see add-ons or Bluetooth ones.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Gotcha. But with the passage of time, I see phones manufactured with a PKB going the way of the dodo. More likely you'll see add-ons or Bluetooth ones.

Or the way of the kickstarter...

[tfitzpat03]

I think that the physical keyboard is at the end of its rope. It's been that way pretty much since iPhones replaced Blackberrys as the "workphone standard." It is extremely admirable that BlackBerry has been able to sustain in such a one sided market.

I think there will be a Key3 but the real question is what happens after that? What does the future hold for BlackBerry at that point?

Hopefully they will be able to sustain but who knows.

[the_boon]

I think that the physical keyboard is at the end of its rope. It's been that way pretty much since iPhones replaced Blackberrys as the "workphone standard." It is extremely admirable that BlackBerry has been able to sustain in such a one sided market.

I think there will be a Key3 but the real question is what happens after that? What does the future hold for BlackBerry at that point?

Hopefully they will be able to sustain but who knows.

Well, how about if the PKB isn't fully dependent on the fate of BBMo?

If they were to end, I'm pretty confident that a small start-up or kickstarter will provide for that market.

I can't imagine a mobile world without at least one currently produced and supported PKB device at a given time.

[Invictus0]

BlackBerry has been able to sustain in such a one sided market.

Seems to be a one way street so far, sustainable for PKB fans but not the companies that make them.

[Vistaus]

Well, how about if the PKB isn't fully dependent on the fate of BBMo?

If they were to end, I'm pretty confident that a small start-up or kickstarter will provide for that market.

I can't imagine a mobile world without at least one currently produced and supported PKB device at a given time.

There already are small alternative PKB smartphone makers: Planet Computers, f(x)tec, Unihertz, ...

[Troy Tiscareno]

If they were to end, I'm pretty confident that a small start-up or kickstarter will provide for that market.

I don't think a lot of people really appreciate the tradeoffs that come with Kickstarter phones. If the rumors are correct, the Titan is going to have a pretty low-powered SoC, and while the basics will probably all work okay, I wouldn't hold out much hope for less common stuff to work - such as Slimport (wired HDMI), or mobile payments, or even reliable Bluetooth. There are tons of dependencies in smartphones, and tons more testing and tweaking that has to be done to get everything working, and a tiny company with limited resources will have to prioritize, and not everything will be gotten to.

If it was easy, we wouldn't depend on a few large companies.

[tfitzpat03]

I think BlackBerry would just sell their software if the devices don't pan out.

I'll be good with that. Blackberry as a company owes me nothing. I have enjoyed their products over the years.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I think BlackBerry would just sell their software if the devices don't pan out.

I'll be good with that. Blackberry as a company owes me nothing. I have enjoyed their products over the years.

Yes I suspect the suite of apps will survive as they are Enterprise UEM tools as well.... but there could be a few more that get dropped.

[YeahIgottheKey2]

I got rid of my K2 a couple months ago and I'm quite happy. I actually get timely security and software updates.

If they make a K3, if it's lackluster then then it's over for BlackBerry and TCL.

[SeeBeeEss]

It has seemed to me that the writing has been on the wall for some time - not a matter of "if," but "when." I loved the BlackBerry of yesteryear and still prefer a pkb, but actually really liked my Z30 and my recent foray into OnePlus land with BlackBerry Keyboard, Hub, etc.

If there is no longer a decent BlackBerry-branded pkb device option, I now know I will be happy if only the software is still available under licence or through some other arrangement. The simplicity and user-friendliness (old school, perhaps) of the BlackBerry Keyboard, whether pkb or vkb, would be missed if it were no longer available. Personally, I would also really miss the Hub, even though Microsoft, Google and others have made inroads in this direction.

[johnb_xp]

BlackBerry could make keyboard cases for other phones like Typo did, I guess. I'd think they'll be suing Unihertz soon, maybe they'll strike a royalty deal. They have tons of patents they could license.

Posted via CB10

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

BlackBerry could make keyboard cases for other phones like Typo did, I guess. I'd think they'll be suing Unihertz soon, maybe they'll strike a royalty deal. They have tons of patents they could license.

Posted via CB10

Make them for which phones? Even if you only focused on the iPhones and Galaxy phones... how many variants would you need?

Typo's sales were already tanking, Samsung drop the clip on keyboards.... there isn't much of a market for them.

[the_boon]

Make them for which phones? Even if you only focused on the iPhones and Galaxy phones... how many variants would you need?

Typo's sales were already tanking, Samsung drop the clip on keyboards.... there isn't much of a market for them.

Right but it's much less financially demanding and risky to made add-on cases (especially if it's for popular models like iPhone/Galaxy) than making full-on devices which requires FCC and Bluetooth certifications etc...

And how do you know Typo's were already tanking? They were a first attempt at making something like this, and could have vastly improved down the road.

Again, PKB phone is better than PKB case, but PKB case is still better than nothing.