[pnfitz]

I think there'll always be something. Some can't use touchsceen easily for medical issues.

My father for example has classical Parkinson. His hand shakes too much unless pressing firmly. But He's fine with a BB Classic. He's not thrilled by the lack of trackball in the Keyone though. But given his previous BB lasted forever (I think it was monochrome when the Classic came out) he might be able to hold on until Android P or Q!

[the_boon]

I think the best we can hope for is for TCL to keep on making true PKB phones with capacitive keyboards, but only expect a brand like Samsung to take a small risk and release 1 mid range PKB device. That, or companies start pushing out PKB attachments for their slabs, which is totally fine...if they can make it look like part of the phone and not grotesque like the Galaxy S8 PKB

[FF22]

I think the best we can hope for is for TCL to keep on making true PKB phones with capacitive keyboards, but only expect a brand like Samsung to take a small risk and release 1 mid range PKB device. That, or companies start pushing out PKB attachments for their slabs, which is totally fine...if they can make it look like part of the phone and not grotesque like the Galaxy S8 PKB

Well, since BB now licenses its tech, maybe they will see fit to actually license their KEYBOARD to another company which will create a niche product. It seems that they did not exclusively license the KeyOne design to only BB Mobile.

[FF22]

Perhaps I'll upgrade? to note 8 from passport se next year. But I'll miss the pkb for sure, I don't like vkb. But key one screen is a stepback after passport for me.

Posted via CB10

Anything other than a Tablet will be a step back or step down from the Passport's screen size. But folks report getting adjusted okay after a bit of use.

[the_boon]

Well, since BB now licenses its tech, maybe they will see fit to actually license their KEYBOARD to another company which will create a niche product. It seems that they did not exclusively license the KeyOne design to only BB Mobile.

Well, a good start is to not file a lawsuit against a company that develops a PKB attachment for a smartphone, like the Typo and Typo 2 for iPhone which are so rare now because BB attacked them almost as soon as they hit the market, granted they did look exactly like a Bold/Classic keyboard lol.

[S1lv1o]

It's been over for ten years, the iPhone killed it. I'll limp along with my Passport, probably complemented by another phone, but the thought of typing on a display makes me not want to use any app.

[FF22]

Well, a good start is to not file a lawsuit against a company that develops a PKB attachment for a smartphone, like the Typo and Typo 2 for iPhone which are so rare now because BB attacked them almost as soon as they hit the market, granted they did look exactly like a Bold/Classic keyboard lol.

I don't agree. Those companies can attempt to negotiate a license to use BB's keyboard design. That is a part of BB's property that is worth money and someone who likes it can afford to pay for it. Of course, I will be sorry when no one follows through on such an idea and there are no more GOOD physical keyboards.

[vara411]

Perhaps I'll upgrade? to note 8 from passport se next year. But I'll miss the pkb for sure, I don't like vkb. But key one screen is a stepback after passport for me.

Posted via CB10

Go for the KEYone. I went from my BlackBerry Passport to the Priv, and now the KEYone. Screen size has NOT been an issue for me. I love this device... if the Priv and the Passport had a baby, I think it'd look like this!

[ImJustJoshinYa]

While yes, we're living in the touchscreen age..m the keyone shows very well what a pkb can do in 2017. I can hardly wait until 2018 for the keytwo and see what they improve on the keyboard.

[TCM01]

Agreed. But that doesn't mean necessarily that the market is not large enough to make the concept viable.

I agree. I agree it's a niche market that is less than 1% and if they can sell enough to make a profit it's viable.

[the_boon]

I agree. I agree it's a niche market that is less than 1% and if they can sell enough to make a profit it's viable.

That niche can grow with the right marketing, I'm sure there are people out there would switch to KEYone if they heard that it exists.
Capacitive/trackpad/fingerprint PKB + 3500 mAh battery ain't something to laugh at.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I don't agree. Those companies can attempt to negotiate a license to use BB's keyboard design. That is a part of BB's property that is worth money and someone who likes it can afford to pay for it. Of course, I will be sorry when no one follows through on such an idea and there are no more GOOD physical keyboards.

I agree that there are no more good physical keyboards (outside of BlackBerry)... for the last five years or so the only Keyboard phones other than BlackBerry have been cheap low end devices. Last one I saw on Verizon was about two year behind on it's Android version (think it was a Casio). But was that poor planning or a result of a poor market for such devices?

I've said it a few times, it will be interesting to see what TCL does with the PALM brand next Spring....

[duncan86]

Being a PKB diehard is what drew me to the KeyOne - which is my first BB phone - in the first place. I've never enjoyed my pure slabphones but have always liked my old horizontal slideout phones; KeyOne wasn't horizontal, of course, but neither was the Priv, and at this point in the dark slab age it's any port in the storm. Cheers for the KeyOne, and may it have many descendants.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

Agreed. But that doesn't mean necessarily that the market is not large enough to make the concept viable.

Disagree (generation of young adults that have never used a PKB)....young adults have all had to use a laptop or similiar in school and maybe work, and for a lot of their work. Has Microsoft dropped it from the Surface, and Apple from its do-hickey? No. PKB's are not a mystery to young pple or corporate purchasers. Many universities reject students using tablets instead of laptops for coursework requiring some computer interactions. Just a matter of getting a pkb phone in their hands and showing them the productivity advantages (like shortcuts), and the capacitive touch keyboard features.....and slowly they get the idea that VKB's are just a pane in the glass.

[conite]

Disagree (generation of young adults that have never used a PKB)....young adults have all had to use a laptop or similiar in school and maybe work, and for a lot of their work. Has Microsoft dropped it from the Surface, and Apple from its do-hickey? No. PKB's are not a mystery to young pple or corporate purchasers. Many universities reject students using tablets instead of laptops for coursework requiring some computer interactions. Just a matter of getting a pkb phone in their hands and showing them the productivity advantages (like shortcuts), and the capacitive touch keyboard features.....and slowly they get the idea that VKB's are just a pane in the glass.

So... you're agreeing with me that the concept can be viable?

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

So... you're agreeing with me that the concept can be viable?

...so upon official review ....yes I am disagreeing with the poster who you disagreed with as well....got to be careful which message I press reply on. lol.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Magical Unicorn.....

[tnewton3]

Well, since BB now licenses its tech, maybe they will see fit to actually license their KEYBOARD to another company which will create a niche product. It seems that they did not exclusively license the KeyOne design to only BB Mobile.

Now that the KEYᵒⁿᵉ is running Android there is no reason to license the keyboard to another Android maker. The only other option would be Apple and I think it's far fetched for them to put a PKB on an iPhone and I don't see BlackBerry licensing it to them if they wanted it. I also think Apple sees a PKB device as a thing of the past and would not put it on their phones.

I for one wouldn't care but I like the customizable Android OS and wouldn't switch given the choice.

[evodevo69]

Disagree (generation of young adults that have never used a PKB)....young adults have all had to use a laptop or similiar in school and maybe work, and for a lot of their work. Has Microsoft dropped it from the Surface, and Apple from its do-hickey? No. PKB's are not a mystery to young pple or corporate purchasers. Many universities reject students using tablets instead of laptops for coursework requiring some computer interactions. Just a matter of getting a pkb phone in their hands and showing them the productivity advantages (like shortcuts), and the capacitive touch keyboard features.....and slowly they get the idea that VKB's are just a pane in the glass.

Except that if you ask these younger adults about their preferences you will quickly learn that phones and laptops are completely different categories to them.

They will say they need a laptop for serious work as a tablet without a keyboard cannot cut it (look at Apple marketing their pro iPads with a keyboard cover) and then at the very same time, because they grew up with iPhones and Samsungs, that typing on a blackberry is just too weird or counterproductive.

Even though you and I know the advantages of a pkb on a phone, that just doesn't register with people who use phones today. I have tried and trust me, they do not see anything but it being a set back and also ancient.

That ship has long since sailed.

[furieux]

The design of the Passport was fresh, that of the Priv is superb in physicality... TCL should seize upon that and scrape out the innards to refresh with a fast, cool processor, big ram, slicker camera, and cooler battery with QI 3.0, fingerprint space bar, Larger ALT key, and it should sell since the Priv is so light and thin it can be used as a slab simply ignoring the slider... why make * slab in an overloaded Market without anything signature BlackBerry...?

[conbrio29]

There will always be that niche in the market that wants to use physical keyboards. It's like the niche in the auto market that still would rather drive a manual over an automatic.

[duncan86]

The idea that physical or tactile keyboards are dead is farcical anyway. Touchscreen keyboards have clumsy, inefficient workarounds built in to compensate for their inadequacy - auto-correct and haptic feedback being the chief examples. There is also ongoing efforts like this:

https://gizmodo.com/keyboards-that-r...-he-1685246880

To simulate physical keypads on the touchscreen.

The physical keyboard is about as dead as the old man in the plague cart sketch from Monty Python.

[Sigewif]

After the Krypton, BlackBerry Mobile is supposed to come out with a high end pkb device.

I HOPE this is the case. Now I have the PRIV and the KEYone. But a new high end device with a PKB as a sequel to these would be AWESOME!

[Sigewif]

The design of the Passport was fresh, that of the Priv is superb in physicality... TCL should seize upon that and scrape out the innards to refresh with a fast, cool processor, big ram, slicker camera, and cooler battery with QI 3.0, fingerprint space bar, Larger ALT key, and it should sell since the Priv is so light and thin it can be used as a slab simply ignoring the slider... why make * slab in an overloaded Market without anything signature BlackBerry...?

My money will be ready when they make a PRIV2 style phone with all the latest features. As for those who would want it and yet think it might cost too much, start squirreling away money now, every week or every month and have it set aside for your dream phone.

[Bbnivende]

Would not a Priv2 just take away sales from the KEYtwo ? The PKB market is not large. Chen said that the PRIV was costly to make.