[brunibruni]

Poor Bla1ze... left to decide if/when/how to defend all the buildup for 60 or so GSM ready devices ready for US consumption via Amazon, limited at best availability from Best Buy and a complete whiff on the CDMA availability despite the press release hours before 'pre-order' tab went live.

If I knew this was how it was going to do down, I'd have gone 1/2 way around the world too!

We had numerous clues/'warnings' there would be limited supply - from the London launch to some of what Kevin alluded to on the podcasts about ordering ASAP etc. Heck, even Chen himself back in April on the earnings call said availability "after May." He was basically right all along.

And now I understand why the CBK tour rolls on through June. 98% will still be without the phone when CBK rolls into our respective towns.

First world problems, yes, I know... But quite possibly among the worst marketing (or lack thereof) efforts I can remember for ANY product...

Can't wait until my CDMA KEYone arrives in August, about 2-3 months before the announcement of the KEYtwo...

[erinsteadman]

at least you know now though that if they announce the keytwo in November, you won't have it for 1-1.5 years from then so it'll all work out :P

[nucks26]

Or maybe because Kevin has other things to do with his life other than replying to people on crackberry.

[anon(3732391)]

If you consider all the previous "almost" launches as trial runs, known only to us CrackBerrians, than today's pre-release, release...
went off without a hitch.
And each and every single device goes through test after test after test of testing before it is releast into the wild, making you feel that much more confident that the wait to make your mobile experience everything you knew it would be, was well worth it!!


(and I have a bridge for sale if anyone's interested)

[anon(5364777)]

Or maybe because Kevin has other things to do with his life other than replying to people on crackberry.

He did come back - and there was full radio silence from the reps here to be honest. Very un cbk like to be silent during a BBerry launch.

Not his fault, but you bet thy knew and now that hey sponsor this site - there wont be much critique as there was before. It goes how it goes.

[nucks26]

He did come back - and there was full radio silence from the reps here to be honest. Very un cbk like to be silent during a BBerry launch.

Not his fault, but you bet thy knew and now that hey sponsor this site - there wont be much critique as there was before. It goes how it goes.

What else would you like them to say? They've covered this device to death and now that it's launched there's really nothing else to report. What do you want them to do, release an article stating Amazon is sold out and that "this is the worst launch in history" ? Come on.

[consv93]

Kevin has been quiet for weeks because he knew this was coming. And he's being paid nicely by TCL so he doesn't care.

[anon(679606)]

Is the k1 not sold on Verizon because they need an unlocked GSM capability so their customers can take it abroad ?? Oram I missing something here? Does the CDMA version also take a GSM sim for that or not?

Posted via CB10

[whatsever]

First of all this device is for TLC a gamble and ofcourse they know people like the device and give it awards, also the Passport get awards like red dot and how that goes. So too launch a device with a keyboard is a big jump and now it seems people wanted this device and they have not enough. Why make 200k devices if you not sure you will sell 100k , you start with 80K first.

TCL will learn there new customers and maybe it will be a succes and maybe the only sell 200K or 2M in the end but they know how the market is. So next time they will have been better prepared.

[Thud Hardsmack]

Kevin has been quiet for weeks because he knew this was coming. And he's being paid nicely by TCL so he doesn't care.

Unfortunately incorrect on both accounts. Kevin is Mobile Nations' media manager, and as such has been active on other platforms and places other than just the Crackberry forums.

[consv93]

Unfortunately incorrect on both accounts. Kevin is Mobile Nations' media manager, and as such has been active on other platforms and places other than just the Crackberry forums.

You seriously expect us to believe Kevin is not being paid? Who's paying to fly him around the world for meetups? Who's paying for the ads all over CB? Why did he suddenly come out of retirement right after the licensing deal was announced?

You guys are losing credibility by the day.

[Thud Hardsmack]

You seriously expect us to believe Kevin is not being paid? Who's paying to fly him around the world for meetups? Who's paying for the ads all over CB? Why did he suddenly come out of retirement right after the licensing deal was announced?

You guys are losing credibility by the day.

He's not taking the money and being quiet, as you said in the previous post. He's using it for promotions, if anyone's been paying attention outside of CB.

[consv93]

He's not taking the money and being quiet, as you said in the previous post. He's using it for promotions, if anyone's been paying attention outside of CB.

You can tell yourself that. Nobody else buys it.

[curves2000]

In my conversations with Kevin at the Calgary meet up he kind of told a story of how all this Crackberry Kevin out of retirement came together.

Pretty much said that BlackBerry broke his heart with BlackBerry 10 and what all materialized there and he started pulling back his appearances and posting on CB.

When he was writing his business plan for Mobile Nations towards the end of 2016 he had Crackberry listed is "maintenance mode" unless any significant development occurred. We as regular visitors to the site can all tell that the site had a lot less activity over the years and it was evident.

Kevin went to CES and caught a glimpse of the KEYONE on his way to another meeting as the meeting was with TCL and a friend of Kevin's. Upon seeing the device and their overall TCL/ BlackBerry Mobile strategy he was intrigued and got further info. To him, it seemed like their was a solid plan into place to at least have a good shot at reviving the brand and the devices going forward. By all accounts the Keyone has gotten some great press, great reviews and has lots and lots of people recommending a BlackBerry in 2017 when nobody thought that was possible. We are all fans here but the general consensus on there is that the brand is dead. There are fewer and fewer of us fans around but this device is getting some good "love"

I really hope this partnership goes well and that the Keyone issues with stock are over fairly soon. I know this isn't something that people want to hear but if it's cleared up within a matter of days or a week, than all is well. If the device still has stock issues after so many weeks than it will be very unfortunate as this device appears to have some solid demand behind it and you don't want to lose out on that.

Good luck to those who are waiting for their devices!

Posted via CB10

[Thud Hardsmack]

You can tell yourself that. Nobody else buys it.

You're welcome to your own opinion of course, but the truth is out there on Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Thanks for playing.

[BigBadWulf]

You can tell yourself that. Nobody else buys it.

I'll further emphasize this. Speak your opinion, but you aren't everyone, no matter how much you try and convince yourself otherwise.

[Bla1ze]

Poor Bla1ze... left to decide if/when/how to defend all the buildup for 60 or so GSM ready devices ready for US consumption via Amazon, limited at best availability from Best Buy and a complete whiff on the CDMA availability despite the press release hours before 'pre-order' tab went live.

I appreciate your concern for my well being.

[CrackBerry Kevin]

Hey Guys!

Woke up in Taipei this morning to soooo many fun threads like this one! Congrats to everyone who managed to get an order placed on their KEYone (you are gonna love it!). To everyone still waiting who wanted one, I feel your pain. Hopefully the wait is short.

Re: CBK Blog Quietness - Been quieter on the blogs the last few weeks because of the Canadian CrackBerry meetup tour (and recovery of meetup tour) and then off to Taipei this week for Computex. Been on the calendar since 2016. Listen to last podcast for Kevin's full update on general day to day stuff. That said, been staying active on SOCIAL like Instagram and Twitter, so make sure you're following @crackberrykevin in all the places. Doing quality writing/posts takes big chunks of time, but at least with social I can stay active in time efficient manner. Plus, I post so many awesome photos of the KEYone - my Instagram countdown was Epic!

Re: KEYone Availability - Glad it's for sale now in US/Canada.... also glad there's demand! Obviously, there's a big pent up demand so initial inventory is going to move quickly. Obviously BlackBerry Mobile wants to sell as many KEYones as possible, so can assume they're moving as fast as they can to get product into retail channels. Like all of us, I'd hope they'd have a ton of phones ready for purchase, but seems like inventory supply is still on the low slide. Hopefully that changes soon. Obviously they're hustling as much as they can to produce KEYones, so hopefully that hustle works and those waiting don't have to wait long. If I felt CBK complaining about it would help them hustle more I would, but I already know they're hustling so just gotta wait it out and hope inventory ramps up to meet the demand.

End of the day, still can't believe it's 2017 and so many people (myself included) are damn excited about a new BlackBerry to this level. Great to see, and worth a little waiting pain. As we talked about on last podcast... first one is going to be the hardest - thinking future BB launches from BBMobile will be smoother as relationships are established and you'll have more insight into it all from the experience of the first one.

OK - need to go eat some breakfast here and head to Computex!

[CrackBerry Kevin]

@consv93 - Think you missed reading this post... explains our relationship with BlackBerry Mobile.

https://crackberry.com/editors-desk-...-announcements

[rhp525i]

Hey Guys!

Woke up in Taipei this morning to soooo many fun threads like this one! Congrats to everyone who managed to get an order placed on their KEYone (you are gonna love it!). To everyone still waiting who wanted one, I feel your pain. Hopefully the wait is short.

Re: CBK Blog Quietness - Been quieter on the blogs the last few weeks because of the Canadian CrackBerry meetup tour (and recovery of meetup tour) and then off to Taipei this week for Computex. Been on the calendar since 2016. Listen to last podcast for Kevin's full update on general day to day stuff. That said, been staying active on SOCIAL like Instagram and Twitter, so make sure you're following @crackberrykevin in all the places. Doing quality writing/posts takes big chunks of time, but at least with social I can stay active in time efficient manner. Plus, I post so many awesome photos of the KEYone - my Instagram countdown was Epic!

Re: KEYone Availability - Glad it's for sale now in US/Canada.... also glad there's demand! Obviously, there's a big pent up demand so initial inventory is going to move quickly. Obviously BlackBerry Mobile wants to sell as many KEYones as possible, so can assume they're moving as fast as they can to get product into retail channels. Like all of us, I'd hope they'd have a ton of phones ready for purchase, but seems like inventory supply is still on the low slide. Hopefully that changes soon. Obviously they're hustling as much as they can to produce KEYones, so hopefully that hustle works and those waiting don't have to wait long. If I felt CBK complaining about it would help them hustle more I would, but I already know they're hustling so just gotta wait it out and hope inventory ramps up to meet the demand.

End of the day, still can't believe it's 2017 and so many people (myself included) are damn excited about a new BlackBerry to this level. Great to see, and worth a little waiting pain. As we talked about on last podcast... first one is going to be the hardest - thinking future BB launches from BBMobile will be smoother as relationships are established and you'll have more insight into it all from the experience of the first one.

OK - need to go eat some breakfast here and head to Computex!

Thank you kind sir on the update. As one fortunate enough to get my hands in one, I can definitely feel all the angst. But in the end, I am confident it will all be worth it. Now on to my unboxing!

[Denise in Los Angeles]

I really have to hand it to Kevin for his being tolerant of some posters. Other websites would not allow posts to criticize the Admins and moderators the way some CBers do.

Being mad about not getting a KEYone or not having enough information about the phone is understandable, but calling out Kevin and the staff is not right!!

[consv93]

@consv93 - Think you missed reading this post... explains our relationship with BlackBerry Mobile.

https://crackberry.com/editors-desk-...-announcements

@CrackBerry Kevin I'm really not trying to malign you or anyone else at CB. I'm just hacked off. I'm due to return my cracked Priv to my phone insurance company today, and was expecting to have a K1 to replace it. Now I have to order another phone with overnight shipping then either return it with a restocking fee or re-sell it at a loss if I decide to buy the K1 whenever it comes out.

Waiting six months and thinking today is finally the day, then learning we're going to be waiting indefinitely is extremely frustrating. Especially after Verizon Priv users like me had to wait five months for the VZW Priv to come out after everyone else had it.

I hope you understand that this tortured launch process, repeated delays, lack of communication, and at least one lie (CDMA availability) is not conducive to a friendly atmosphere on the forums. The whole thing has been so, so tiresome.

[phuoc]

TCL botched it, period. Not BB, not Chen, not Bla1ze and not Kevin, TCL:-(

[anon(4297019)]

@CrackBerry Kevin I'm really not trying to malign you or anyone else at CB. I'm just hacked off. I'm due to return my cracked Priv to my phone insurance company today, and was expecting to have a K1 to replace it. Now I have to order another phone with overnight shipping then either return it with a restocking fee or re-sell it at a loss if I decide to buy the K1 whenever it comes out.

Waiting six months and thinking today is finally the day, then learning we're going to be waiting indefinitely is extremely frustrating. Especially after Verizon Priv users like me had to wait five months for the VZW Priv to come out after everyone else had it.

I hope you understand that this tortured launch process, repeated delays, lack of communication, and at least one lie (CDMA availability) is not conducive to a friendly atmosphere on the forums. The whole thing has been so, so tiresome.

Suck it up. You stepped over a line with calling out CBK. Live with it.

Passport. SQW100-1 OS 10.3.3.2163

[michaelakid]

Lmao. Funniest comment ever.