[evodevo69]

BlackBerry subsequently stated that all three licencees will be getting the full secure version of the OS. No one took them up on the other option.

By full secure version you mean the injected chips as well?

[conite]

By full secure version you mean the injected chips as well?

There was never a separate BlackBerry-injected chip. It is a generally unused feature of the Qualcomm SnapDragon, that BlackBerry took advantage of. KEYᵒⁿᵉ and Aurora have the same.

[ray689]

I remember reading that actually in an interview.

The hardware root of trust ie the special BlackBerry sauce they inject into the chips, they said was optional.

Yes partners will have BlackBerry's version of Android but they may not necessarily have the "special sauce" as Chen liked to call it, on the hardware side.

Just in case there was any confusion and people think the Keyone is equivalent in security to the ones made by BlackBerry proper.

But if Conite is correct and the licensees did go for the full security package then ok

If it was Chen who actually said it then he was likely wrong or confused or had no idea what he was talking about which is likely why they had to come back and say all their licensees will have the full security features of BlackBerry Android. Never fails, Chen speaks and then the company has to spend week/months fixing whatever bone head thing he said.

[curves2000]

One interesting this I noticed on BlackBerry's own website was the variation of the security brochure between the Priv and the DTEK series.

If you look at the Priv section of the website, there is a space about 2/3 of the way down the says "Priv security brichure"

https://ca.blackberry.com/content/da...y_Brochure.pdf

Here it talks about the security and process that went into the design of the Priv.

I don't find anything similar on the DTEK devices portion if the site. I also don't have 100% confirmation of the similar design on the KEYone.

Keep in mind that the Priv was designed from the ground up as a BlackBerry device without any help from any other manufacturers where the above mentioned devices did have input from TCL.

Just an observation and I have no way of knowing if there are any different security features either hardware or software on any of the devices

Posted via CB10

[conite]

One interesting this I noticed on BlackBerry's own website was the variation of the security brochure between the Priv and the DTEK series.

If you look at the Priv section of the website, there is a space about 2/3 of the way down the says "Priv security brichure"

https://ca.blackberry.com/content/da...y_Brochure.pdf

Here it talks about the security and process that went into the design of the Priv.

I don't find anything similar on the DTEK devices portion if the site. I also don't have 100% confirmation of the similar design on the KEYone.

Keep in mind that the Priv was designed from the ground up as a BlackBerry device without any help from any other manufacturers where the above mentioned devices did have input from TCL.

Just an observation and I have no way of knowing if there are any different security features either hardware or software on any of the devices

Posted via CB10

They're all the same.

[evodevo69]

There was never a separate BlackBerry-injected chip. It is a generally unused feature of the Qualcomm SnapDragon, that BlackBerry took advantage of. KEYᵒⁿᵉ and Aurora have the same.

Wait what loll

So what does hardware root of trust mean?

They always spoke of the special sauce that they do to the chips physically, not software side loll

Mind blown...

[conite]

Wait what loll

So what does hardware root of trust mean?

They always spoke of the special sauce that they do to the chips physically, not software side loll

Mind blown...

It is hardware. It's just that it's not a separate chip - that was just marketing fluff. The rest of the story is very real.

[ray689]

It is hardware. It's just that it's not a separate chip - that was just marketing fluff. The rest of the story is very real.

Well BlackBerry must be doing something different because I believe others claim hardware root of trust yet still get rooted.

[conite]

Well BlackBerry must be doing something different because I believe others claim hardware root of trust yet still get rooted.

You're correct. There are many ways one could use the hardware root of trust. BlackBerry has implemented signing keys for all system software. The root of trust is just a single (but important) part of a much bigger process.

[ray689]

You're correct. There are many ways one could use the hardware root of trust. BlackBerry has implemented signing keys for all system software. The root of trust is just a single (but important) part of a much bigger process.

Right so it wouldn't be fair to say it's just there. Others can't seem to accomplish the same thing. Even with Knox Samsung devices get rooted.

[conite]

Right so it wouldn't be fair to say it's just there. Others can't seem to accomplish the same thing. Even with Knox Samsung devices get rooted.

Absolutely. I was just saying it wasn't a separate chip.

[murphy_thom]

But as usual ask the average Joe/Jane Android what version of O.S. he or she is on they'll say Samsung or LG.

Nailed it. They don't know the specs either.

Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

Not what I was saying. Of course they are in charge of OS development. What are you even talking about now?
I'm saying if BlackBerry has no say in keeping devices updated and it's all TCL then what I suggested could happen if TCL just decided they didn't want to keep it updated. Which is why I don't think BlackBerry has no say or nothing in the agreement regarding that because of their brand and reputation they want to uphold. Why is that so difficult to believe for you?

What brand and reputation? Majority of cell phone users don't know they are still in business.

Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

Yes but we're not average as far as this stuff goes.

You are in the minority. The Vast majority of cell phone users don't care if their OS is Kit Katie, Marshmallow, Nougat or O as long as it can take selfies to upload to social media.

Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

Very true. But when O promises huge gains in RAM management and your "Flagship" has only 3GB..........it's probably a necessary move for a device longevity.

KEYONE isn't a flagship phone. It's a niche product for a niche market. If it was a flagship model it would be a slab with high end specs and priced $750 plus.

Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

I'm glad we were able to agree on the speculation part. Now, my real concern is that people who would otherwise be attracted to the KeyONE won't take a chance because of the uncertainty regarding the OS upgrade path, if there even is any. Less sales means more opportunity for TCL to ignore further KeyONE-type developments in favor of more popular phones in its portfolio. Unless TCL has committed to minimum royalty payments and/or minimum sales milestones under its BBRY agreements (circumstances no one here is privy to), then the pivot to in-house phones with more potential becomes more attractive than dealing with disappointing KeyONE sales and support.

The average consumer is not interested in the KEYone nor are they concerned about OS update path. Overall most android users don't even know the device they have let alone what OS it is running on. The OS doesn't mean much for those interested in taking pictures of their dinner and posting it on social media.

Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

BlackBerry wouldn't have signed a contract to have their phones built by TCL and then abandon them. What would be the point? Don't speculate bad news.

Regardless, does a person actually believe their Android Nougat device will somehow become useless because it's not running Android O? Your PRIV and DETEK devices are still useful unless a person somehow thinks their basic needs have evolved just because a new OS version is available or not available.

My good and productive friend and neighbor is still using his Note 4. Three years now.

Amen. My Z10 is 4.5 years old and it still works just fine. I don't see why M and N won't work fine for years to come.

Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

It's rather simple with Android updates, either you get a Pixel or an older Nexus device that will get at least O or get the new Pixels when they are released. There is always the iPhone so all in all I don't see why make a big deal out of it when companies like Samsung, LG, Sony and Motorola have issues pushing a new OS update and take a good amount of time before updating a particular line of phones. If companies like this have issues imagine what BB is facing with their track record
If BB will not update the Priv and DTEK to N and update K1 only to O and nothing beyond that, then they will fail in the mobile market altogether because no one wants to buy a phone that receives an OS update extremely late or only one iteration aside from the one with which it was released.
As much as I like the K1, it will be my last BB phone if they fail to update it beyond O or take to much time to do the update and I honestly consider spiking all future BB phones if the Priv won't get N.
Nowadays getting an OS update should be the first thing a buyer considers when getting a new phone, but that is probably the last thing buyers consider.
As a side note why do you think that some Chinese phone companies managed to push OS updates before big names like the ones mentioned above? Because it's the only way they can stay relevant on the market, otherwise they will disappear from the market in a few years when buyers realize that they are stuck on the same 2 year old OS while others have the latest on 2 year old phones.

Like you mentioned most users don't care about OS and any possible updates in the future. Besides it's not like a phone running M,N, or O will stop working when a new update is introduced.




Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

I get that it legally has nothing to do with it, but it's the same brand. They are paying BB for the brand, so if BlackBerry hurts their brand by not supporting phones, it indirectly hurts TCL. Even if those phones were merely build by TCL for BlackBerry.

If you are in the business of selling your brand, it is your interest to maintain that brand.

Just like the screen falling off is BlackBerry's problem, as well as BB Mobile and TCL's problem. Even though BlackBerry is licensing the software, their brand takes a hit. Which means future agreements will be even less likely.

BlackBerry doesn't have a brand name anymore. Majority of people are surprised BlackBerry is still in business.

Posted via CB10

[Chuck Finley69]

BlackBerry doesn't have a brand name anymore. Majority of people are surprised BlackBerry is still in business.

Posted via CB10

LMFAO

[southlander]

You are in the minority. The Vast majority of cell phone users don't care if their OS is Kit Katie, Marshmallow, Nougat or O as long as it can take selfies to upload to social media.

Posted via CB10

Yes we agree. By definition the forum users here are very certainly a minority subset of the vast majority. Which is why there are hundreds of threads a year about which phones are getting various version updates. Whether it be BB10 or Android.

[Nathan Conley]

KEYONE isn't a flagship phone. It's a niche product for a niche market. If it was a flagship model it would be a slab with high end specs and priced $750 plus.

Posted via CB10

The KeyOne may not be a flagship by standard definition, but it most certainly is the current flagship of BlackBerry and BlackBerry mobile.

It's the only device running N, and has the highest sticker price. When BlackBerry mobile releases a new touch device running N, with a SD 835 then it will lose this current title of "Flagship by default".

[murphy_thom]

Yes we agree. By definition the forum users here are very certainly a minority subset of the vast majority. Which is why there are hundreds of threads a year about which phones are getting various version updates. Whether it be BB10 or Android.

Hundreds out of the millions upon Millions of users is exactly the point I was making.

Posted via CB10

[murphy_thom]

The KeyOne may not be a flagship by standard definition, but it most certainly is the current flagship of BlackBerry and BlackBerry mobile.

It's the only device running N, and has the highest sticker price. When BlackBerry mobile releases a new touch device running N, with a SD 835 then it will lose this current title of "Flagship by default".

OS and price tag doesn't make a phone A flagship when less than .5% of cell phone users even know about the KEYone and would consider buying it.

Posted via CB10

[Neville A Daniels]

Based upon BlackBerry and TCL's history of updating their phones, you cannot safely assume the KEYone will get O.

Unless you hear TCL come out and say it's going to get O, it's not going to get O.

Brand new phone and all the guarantees are totally worthless thank you Blackberry and TCL.
Get some clarity between the two of you and any others and make sure that you tell your customers exactly where they stand because they just do not know and that's when they walk elsewhere.