[conite]

We don't know the details of BlackBerry's licensing agreement with TCL. What we do know is that in early December, when Marty Beard said BlackBerry was no longer in the hardware business and he was discussing their pending software licensing agreement, he said "This is like Intel inside, BlackBerry inside".

We know plenty.

TCL licences the BlackBerry brand and will have the BlackBerry name and/or logo on their phones. They will continue with their Alcatel brand too. The former will use the BlackBerry hardened Android and app suite.

TCL has sole responsibility for design (except the Mercury), manufacture, distribution, marketing, and sales of all BlackBerry-branded devices globally except for Indonesia and India (along with a couple other countries).

BB Merah Putih will have the same arrangement in Indonesia. Negotiations are continuing for India with other potential licencees.

ALL BlackBerry does now is collect licencing fees, and keep BlackBerry Android and the Android app suite updated. That's it.

[slagman5]

Then it was a bad render because the shape of the keys has been a signature feature of BlackBerry phones for 20 years.

Posted via CB10

Eh, it was a render made for a 4 second teaser. It served its purpose. Had they spent significantly more time and money on it, I think that would have been a big waste. Save it for the real marketing (hopefully) once this is actually released.

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

[conite]

Prem bet badly on Chen if Chen needs to rely on another management team to sell Blackberry branded devices.

Posted via CB10

Chen wasn't hired to sell devices. His job was to make drastic cuts and refocus the entire company towards software.

He got rid of the low margin stuff (device hardware), but kept the higher margin stuff (device software).

DTEK60 / Z30

[BB-JAM215]

We know plenty.

TCL licences the BlackBerry brand and will have the BlackBerry name and/or logo on their phones. They will continue with their Alcatel brand too. The former will use the BlackBerry hardened Android and app suite.

TCL has sole responsibility for design (except the Mercury), manufacture, distribution, marketing, and sales of all BlackBerry-branded devices globally except for Indonesia and India (along with a couple other countries).

BB Merah Putih will have the same arrangement in Indonesia. Negotiations are continuing for India with other potential licencees.

ALL BlackBerry does now is collect licencing fees, and keep BlackBerry Android and the Android app suite updated. That's it.

I expect there will be at least a "BlackBerry Inside" logo on TCL's new phones, but what those phones look like compared to legacy BlackBerry devices and whether TCL continues to make keyboard devices after Mercury, will be entirely up to TCL.

[conite]

but what those phones look like compared to legacy BlackBerry devices and whether TCL continues to make keyboard devices after Mercury, will be entirely up to TCL.

Of course.

[ray689]

I expect there will be at least a "BlackBerry Inside" logo on TCL's new phones, but what those phones look like compared to legacy BlackBerry devices and whether TCL continues to make keyboard devices after Mercury, will be entirely up to TCL.

TCL is already stating they will be making BlackBerry devices. Not TCL devices powered by BlackBerry. What Marty Beard said is being taken out of context.

[nbaliga]

Holy moly, how many times does this have to be repeated. Bla1ze used to reply to these comments but have obviously gotten tired of it, so I'll help out. THEY ARE NOT FLAT.

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

I too thought that the keys were flat from the leaked render. However given that TCL says the keyboard is still in progress, there is a small chance the render is more accurate on what the final design will be.

[BB-JAM215]

TCL is already stating they will be making BlackBerry devices. Not TCL devices powered by BlackBerry. What Marty Beard said is being taken out of context.

So then how would a "BlackBerry" device made by TCL be different from a TCL device with BlackBerry software and a "BlackBerry Inside" logo on it?

[conite]

So then how would a "BlackBerry" device made by TCL be different from a TCL device with BlackBerry software and a "BlackBerry Inside" logo on it?

The name or logo of BlackBerry is on the device instead of TCL or Alcatel. It's a matter of branding.

[mcournoyer]

Did he say 3 gb RAM? If so, why go backwards from what's on the Dtek60?

[conite]

Did he say 3 gb RAM? If so, why go backwards from what's on the Dtek60?

Because it's a mid-range utilitarian Enterprise device.

Read reviews of the Moto Z Play. Same specs. Apparently very smooth and excellent battery life.

[ray689]

So then how would a "BlackBerry" device made by TCL be different from a TCL device with BlackBerry software and a "BlackBerry Inside" logo on it?

It's a huge difference. Going back to your Intel inside talk, it's the difference between a PC (whatever brand) with Intel inside it and an actual Intel PC (if they existed) with Intel Inside it.

[BB-JAM215]

It's a huge difference. Going back to your Intel inside talk, it's the difference between a PC (whatever brand) with Intel inside it and an actual Intel PC (if they existed) with Intel Inside it.

That wasn't my Intel Inside talk it was Marty Beard's Intel Inside talk. Here's what Beard said about Mercury and the pending BlackBerry-TCL licensing agreement: "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."

[ray689]

That wasn't my Intel Inside talk it was Marty Beard's Intel Inside talk. Here's what Beard said about Mercury and the pending BlackBerry-TCL licensing agreement: "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."

Like i said, you are reading way too much into that. I believe he was just trying to say they are the software side and TCL is the hardware. Otherwise TCL wouldn't be touting BlackBerry devices Coming and rather BlackBerry software and security Coming to their TCL or Alcatel devices.

Read this and see what TCL is saying about the future of BlackBerry devices.

http://www.techradar.com/news/blackb...tnokia-debacle

[BB-JAM215]

Like i said, you are reading way too much into that. I believe he was just trying to say they are the software side and TCL is the hardware. Otherwise TCL wouldn't be touting BlackBerry devices Coming and rather BlackBerry software and security Coming to their TCL or Alcatel devices.

So then, like Conite, your saying that simply putting the BlackBerry name on a new TCL designed phone with BlackBerry software inside makes it a "BlackBerry"?

[conite]

So then, like Conite, your saying that simply putting the BlackBerry name on a new TCL designed phone with BlackBerry software inside makes it a "BlackBerry"?

TCL have a BlackBerry brand and an Alcatel brand. They will build devices for both brands. One will have a BlackBerry logo, and the other an Alcatel logo.

The BlackBerry devices will use BlackBerry Android and the app suite.

[BB-JAM215]

TCL have a BlackBerry brand and an Alcatel brand. They will build devices for both brands. One will have a BlackBerry logo, and the other an Alcatel logo.

The BlackBerry devices will use BlackBerry Android and the app suite.

And then like the Alcatel Idol 4 and the DTEKs, we could have two seemingly identical devices, one simply branded Alcatel and one with BlackBerry software inside and the BlackBerry name on it?

[conite]

And then like the Alcatel Idol 4 and the DTEKs, we could have two seemingly identical devices, one simply branded Alcatel and one with BlackBerry software inside and the BlackBerry name on it?

That's a possibility, sure.

As an aside, the DTEK50 was almost identical to the Idol 4, but the DTEK60 was completely unique in terms of its mix of components.

[markmall]

Chen wasn't hired to sell devices. His job was to make drastic cuts and refocus the entire company towards software.

He got rid of the low margin stuff (device hardware), but kept the higher margin stuff (device software).

DTEK60 / Z30

I know why he was brought in, but I'm not debating it with you again. If he had been able to sell Privs or Z5s or Jakarta's or DTEK 50s or DTEK60s or Classics we would be saying what a brilliant CEO he is. Since he couldn't sell a single device, he tells everyone BlackBerry is really just a software company.

I think his approach was cowardly and self-serving. From day one he undermined hardware through these foolish statements.

Posted via CB10

[conite]

I know why he was brought in, but I'm not debating it with you again. If he had been able to sell Privs or Z5s or Jakarta's or DTEK 50s or DTEK60s or Classics we would be saying what a brilliant CEO he is. Since he couldn't sell a single device, he tells everyone BlackBerry is really just a software company.

I think his approach was cowardly and self-serving. From day one he undermined hardware through these foolish statements.

Posted via CB10

They didn't sell because they had no ecosystem, and they put very few resources into them.

They did just enough to keep the wheels turning as software ramped up.

But you're right, we don't need to through this again.

[ray689]

And then like the Alcatel Idol 4 and the DTEKs, we could have two seemingly identical devices, one simply branded Alcatel and one with BlackBerry software inside and the BlackBerry name on it?

Actually TCL has specifically stated that these won't be reference designs but rather new designs.

[ray689]

So then, like Conite, your saying that simply putting the BlackBerry name on a new TCL designed phone with BlackBerry software inside makes it a "BlackBerry"?

Exactly what I'm saying actually. Either it was going to be design engineers employed by BlackBerry designing devices and someone like Foxconn/TCL building them (with BlackBerry software/patents) or design engineers at TCL designing them and also building them (with BlackBerry software/patents).

[iamci]

Prem bet badly on Chen if Chen needs to rely on another management team to sell Blackberry branded devices.

Posted via CB10

Why complain? I'm just happy that we will still have BlackBerry devices. Would you rather not have anymore BlackBerry devices?

Posted via CB10

[markmall]

Why complain? I'm just happy that we will still have BlackBerry devices. Would you rather not have anymore BlackBerry devices?

Posted via CB10

I think based on where we were one week ago, this device is good news. Although I don't know if I ever will be an Android used for my daily driver. Also, it is a little sad that this might be the last real (or close to real) Blackberry. The future ones might be generic looking slabs with Blackberry enhancements to Android -- like the DTEKs.

[bakron1]

Excellent review and for me it's going to be the pricing, if the device is priced to sell, I am all in and will buy one the day it's officially released. Now it's a wait and see until WMC in February.