[Bla1ze]

Blaze your the editor in chief! Get of the guys back! If I were a mod I would've blocked u!

I wasn't on his back. He commented and addressed me, I commented and addressed him. That's how a discussion forum works. If he didn't want to have a discussion with me, then he shouldn't have addressed me. I'm just as happy to not converse.

[ardakca]

I wasn't on his back. He commented and addressed me, I commented and addressed him. That's how a discussion forum works. If he didn't want to have a discussion with me, then he shouldn't have addressed me. I'm just as happy to not converse.

Am I being addressed here?

[Bla1ze]

Am I being addressed here?

By way of indirect conversation. Yes. lol

PS: You don't need to be a mod to block. You can put anyone on your 'ignore' list. Including mods. It just won't carry over to apps.

[BBd00d]

Is it toast Doctor Penfield?

(Maybe that's too obscure and only Canadians will get it.)

Yes I got it, I remember that commercial like it was yesterday

[slagman5]

Because it's meant to be a cheap device that corps can buy in mass quantities for thier employees.

This isnt meant to be a bleeding edge consumer device.

Try the Mi Mix, or Google Tango if you want bleeding edge stuff.

I was actually being sarcastic. :-)

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

[Chemy JMHT]

Well, let say Alcatel will build the next BB device, weird, but possible, also weird wasn't Alcatel bought last year by Nokia? or was only a division of Alcatel?

Also isn't Alcatel making deals with Microsoft to do something with the Idol line?

[ardakca]

Well, let say Alcatel will build the next BB device, weird, but possible, also weird wasn't Alcatel bought last year by Nokia? or was only a division of Alcatel?

Also isn't Alcatel making deals with Microsoft to do something with the Idol line?

Part of Alcatel was bought by Nokia. Alcatel-Lucent to be precise. That division have zero interest in mobile phones.

Alcatel is a manufacturer, don't see the reason why it wouldn't also build for other companies?

Like Foxconn, they build iphones but they joined forces with HMD global for building Android Nokia phones.

[ToniCipriani]

Part of Alcatel was bought by Nokia. Alcatel-Lucent to be precise. That division have zero interest in mobile phones.

Alcatel is a manufacturer, don't see the reason why it wouldn't also build for other companies?

Like Foxconn, they build iphones but they joined forces with HMD global for building Android Nokia phones.

Alcatel isn't the manufacturer, TCL is. They license the brand for the most part.

[Bla1ze]

And there it is... ahead of earnings.

BlackBerry and TCL Communication sign smartphone software and brand licensing deal | CrackBerry.com

[mutigbeere]

And there it is... ahead of earnings.

BlackBerry and TCL Communication sign smartphone software and brand licensing deal | CrackBerry.com

Just like you said. Hint, hint, wink, wink indeed.

[JeromeM]

So when is the Mercury coming? lol

[Uzi]

Big news!

[conite]

Great news!

[BB-JAM215]

So when is the Mercury coming? lol

Probably some time in the next six months, now that this partnership deal is finally signed, but not by February as rumored.

[Niels B]

Probably some time in the next six months, now that this partnership deal is finally signed, but not by February as rumored.

Why not??

[ToniCipriani]

Probably some time in the next six months, now that this partnership deal is finally signed, but not by February as rumored.

I'm almost certain they have been in talks about this as far back as when they were working on the DTEK duo, now just a formal announcement, and handing off the sales and support. Otherwise we wouldn't see those prototype leaks.

[HaberNik]

Original source written poorly, but there you go, truth.

Good to see!

Posted via CB10

[BB-JAM215]

I'm almost certain they have been in talks about this as far back as when they were working on the DTEK duo, now just a formal announcement, and handing off the sales and support. Otherwise we wouldn't see those prototype leaks.

We know this project goes back more than a year now. Bla1ze mentioned there were rumors that BlackBerry's relationship with TCL was having problems. Chen made his promises back in September, but it's taken another three months to finalize the on-going partnership deal with TCL.

The latest we've heard from BlackBerry was through Marty Beard, who last week said: "We are actively engaged with other partners. Stay tuned, but I won't give a month in 2017. I think people misunderstood. All we announced is that the hardware part is not our focus. This is like Intel Inside, BlackBerry inside."

We can only hope that "leaked" photograph of what appeared to be an early Passport inspired Mercury prototype will not be the final form of Mercury.

So then, if BlackBerry has a Mercury prototype design ready to go, now that TCL appears to be finally committed, how long will it take to get it to market?

[ToniCipriani]

We know this project goes back more than a year now. Bla1ze mentioned there were rumors that BlackBerry's relationship with TCL was having problems. Chen made his promises back in September, but it's taken another three months to finalize the on-going partnership deal with TCL.

The latest we've heard from BlackBerry was through Marty Beard, who last week said: "We are actively engaged with other partners. Stay tuned, but I won't give a month in 2017. I think people misunderstood. All we announced is that the hardware part is not our focus. This is like Intel Inside, BlackBerry inside."

We can only hope that "leaked" photograph of what appeared to be an early Passport inspired Mercury prototype will not be the final form of Mercury.

So then, if BlackBerry has a Mercury prototype design ready to go, now that TCL appears to be finally committed, how long will it take to get it to market?

But there wouldn't be this statement if they didn't sort out the issues right? This was November.

John Chen discusses Trump election and BlackBerry's plan to release one more in-house QWERTY phone | CrackBerry.com

[BB-JAM215]

But there wouldn't be this statement if they didn't sort out the issues right? This was November.

John Chen discusses Trump election and BlackBerry's plan to release one more in-house QWERTY phone | CrackBerry.com

Yes, it was Chen's plan to release "release one more in-house QWERTY phone" and now that this partnership deal with TCL has finally been signed, he can do it, even if it doesn't meet everyone's definition of in-house device.

When John Chen (whose first language is not English) answered Emily Chan's question about their "last in-house device" in November he answered in his usual jumbled, not entirely clear way saying "That statement is not right... I did not put out the last phone... there will be another one coming ... maybe we'll call that the last in-house phone ... once we get this segment back on profitability and we see an opportunity somewhere in the future, we'll be working with some of our partners to build one..."

So, what John Chen said was "maybe we'll call that the last in-house phone" and as Marty Beard said just last week "I think people misunderstood."

[ToniCipriani]

https://twitter.com/SteveCistulli/st...82929646682112

FWIW, we might see Mercury in CES. Think it's a while where BlackBerry has any presence there.

And it all adds up now, Neon, Argon, Mercury. Elements are TCL-manufactured devices.

[BB-JAM215]

https://twitter.com/SteveCistulli/st...82929646682112

FWIW, we might see Mercury in CES. Think it's a while where BlackBerry has any presence there.

And it all adds up now, Neon, Argon, Mercury. Elements are TCL-manufactured devices.

I saw something about BlackBerry planning to be at CES, but the suggestion was that it might have more to do with QNX and vehicles than devices, but with TCL and BlackBerry both there, maybe we will learn some more about Mercury.

[HaberNik]

That would be good to see them team up.

Posted via CB10

[ToniCipriani]

Yes, it was Chen's plan to release "release one more in-house QWERTY phone" and now that this partnership deal with TCL has finally been signed, he can do it, even if it doesn't meet everyone's definition of in-house device.

When John Chen (whose first language is not English) answered Emily Chan's question about their "last in-house device" in November he answered in his usual jumbled, not entirely clear way saying "That statement is not right... I did not put out the last phone... there will be another one coming ... maybe we'll call that the last in-house phone ... once we get this segment back on profitability and we see an opportunity somewhere in the future, we'll be working with some of our partners to build one..."

So, what John Chen said was "maybe we'll call that the last in-house phone" and as Marty Beard said just last week "I think people misunderstood."

Actually on a second thought, it all makes sense now. We all know how it started, BB10 hemorrhaging money, which lead to Project Avenger, to bring in Android. The original plan was 4 phones, all 1 to 1 replacement of everything BB10. That's why we had 4 code names: Venice, Vienna, Rome and Hamburg. Priv (Venice) was the PKB flagship, intended to replace Passport and Z30, Vienna (the plasticky PKB Android) replaces Q5, Rome replaces Q10/Classic, and finally Hamburg replaces Z10 and Leap. They all started as in-house designs from BlackBerry. The idea was Priv comes out first at the highest price point, rake in the funding for Vienna, Rome and Hamburg. And of course we know how that went: Priv's price was too high for a tarnished brand along with QC issues due to budgeting, ended up not raking in enough to further development, i.e., it got to the point where Chen had to "think about what is he going to do."

Fast forward to the Bloomberg interview where Chen said "I think we're OK now", this was when the TCL deal was started, rather than Priv sold enough to develop in-house further and keep hardware going. TCL probably only wanted to dip their toes, so didn't announce anything at that point, other than as the OEM. They provided the Idol 4 and the hybrid TCL 950/Idol 4s reference designs to BlackBerry, in which became Neon/DTEK50 and Argon/DTEK60, which replaced Hamburg and Z30. Vienna was cancelled, as a Q5-esque device and positioning wouldn't rake enough margins, and Rome was kept, with blueprints passed on to TCL to finalize and become Mercury. It was around the time the DHabkirk renders started showing up. At some point along the line, TCL wasn't sure if they can build Mercury (the "you may have seen our last in-house design/phone" comments from Chen), and hiccups with the licensing discussion (Bla1ze's comment about TCL BlackBerry not going so well and Beard's comment about DTEK60 being the last phone). It was all part of the discussion for this deal.

After the DTEK50 and 60 and getting some market reaction, TCL was more confident with the licensing and partnership deal, so they formally announced it now, to take over the distribution and support, and announcing a roadmap at CES.

Of course, this is all just my own speculation, but I'm just piecing together all the stuff we heard and stringing them. I could be wrong.

[Bla1ze]

Bla1ze's comment about TCL BlackBerry not going so well

For the love of pete, stop attributing this comment to me lol. I mentioned the rumor started by someone else, I didn't say anything about it was true. The source of the rumors: http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...rumor-1091051/

Now with this news out there finally, any guesses on how long it'll be before they announce the end of BB10? Or will they ride that out for as long as they can?