[Qorax]

Well at least they listened, to one thing.

"BBMo plans to release two new QWERTY keyboard BlackBerrys later this year."
~CES 2018, Las Vegas

That's a welcome revelation. At least they understood that 'all touch' wasn't the way to go forward. Note that they aren't releasing one PKB and one VKB only device ~ but both are PKB handsets.

Neil Shah, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, estimates TCL may have shipped 170,000 BlackBerrys in the fourth quarter. Which are mostly the popular KeyONE, a PKB device. That TCL is committed to making not one, but at least two new BlackBerrys signal that TCL is still in this for the long haul, and that it's making good on its promise of rebuilding the broader portfolio of BlackBerry phones.

Alaine Lejeune, global general manager for TCL's BlackBerry Mobile, said in an interview Sunday the company's BlackBerry sales in 2017 surpassed expectations by 50 percent.

"We want to build a keyboard category," said Francois Mahieu, deputy president and general manager of global sales and regional marketing for TCL's BlackBerry business. Insisting that there are customers who want the battery life, keyboard and security of a BlackBerry phone.

Tho TCL executives declined to offer details on the new phones beyond the fact that they would each come with a physical keyboard ~ which doesn't foretell a PRIV-v2, but at least confirms that the PKB is indeed in their main scheme of things. Which is an absolutely fantastic news for us.

[newcollector]

Well at least they listened, to one thing.

"BBMo plans to release two new QWERTY keyboard BlackBerrys later this year."
~CES 2018, Las Vegas

That's a welcome revelation. At least they understood that 'all touch' wasn't the way to go forward. Note that they aren't releasing one PKB and one VKB only device ~ but both are PKB handsets.

Neil Shah, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, estimates TCL may have shipped 170,000 BlackBerrys in the fourth quarter. Which are mostly the popular KeyONE, a PKB device. That TCL is committed to making not one, but at least two new BlackBerrys signal that TCL is still in this for the long haul, and that it's making good on its promise of rebuilding the broader portfolio of BlackBerry phones.

Alaine Lejeune, global general manager for TCL's BlackBerry Mobile, said in an interview Sunday the company's BlackBerry sales in 2017 surpassed expectations by 50 percent.

"We want to build a keyboard category," said Francois Mahieu, deputy president and general manager of global sales and regional marketing for TCL's BlackBerry business. Insisting that there are customers who want the battery life, keyboard and security of a BlackBerry phone.

Tho TCL executives declined to offer details on the new phones beyond the fact that they would each come with a physical keyboard ~ which doesn't foretell a PRIV-v2, but at least confirms that the PKB is indeed in their main scheme of things. Which is an absolutely fantastic news for us.

I wonder what the expectations were? If the expectations were break even point, then TCL is making a nice profit. Also, since the motion just came out, they may still release an all touch device next year, depending on sales.

It would be nice if TCL does one candy bar and one slider/ Priv 2. Just hope they update the processor to 835. They don't have to go to the 845, but that would be a nice uptick plus the extra ram.

[the_boon]

Well at least they listened, to one thing.

"BBMo plans to release two new QWERTY keyboard BlackBerrys later this year."
~CES 2018, Las Vegas

That's a welcome revelation. At least they understood that 'all touch' wasn't the way to go forward. Note that they aren't releasing one PKB and one VKB only device ~ but both are PKB handsets.

Neil Shah, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, estimates TCL may have shipped 170,000 BlackBerrys in the fourth quarter. Which are mostly the popular KeyONE, a PKB device. That TCL is committed to making not one, but at least two new BlackBerrys signal that TCL is still in this for the long haul, and that it's making good on its promise of rebuilding the broader portfolio of BlackBerry phones.

Alaine Lejeune, global general manager for TCL's BlackBerry Mobile, said in an interview Sunday the company's BlackBerry sales in 2017 surpassed expectations by 50 percent.

"We want to build a keyboard category," said Francois Mahieu, deputy president and general manager of global sales and regional marketing for TCL's BlackBerry business. Insisting that there are customers who want the battery life, keyboard and security of a BlackBerry phone.

Tho TCL executives declined to offer details on the new phones beyond the fact that they would each come with a physical keyboard ~ which doesn't foretell a PRIV-v2, but at least confirms that the PKB is indeed in their main scheme of things. Which is an absolutely fantastic news for us.

It is fantastic news indeed. Now where are all those who said they doubt TCL sold more than 50k KEYone's in total.

The only things I'd really wish for the next candybar is:

-Lose the LCD, knock on Samsung's door and go for AMOLED

-Lose the capacitive back/home/recents, and make them on-screen.

-Lose the square top block, make it curved angles, but keep the flat surface

-Lose the rounded sides, make them flat like the Motion, this makes the phone much grippier

-Lose the individual keyboard keys, make it a unibody like the Priv, that way there is no way for any key to fall off

-Add different colors of backlighting for the PKB. It's a gimmick, but gimmicks sell. That way, there's not much else we could ask from a PKB.

[Chuck Finley69]

It is fantastic news indeed. Now where are all those who said they doubt TCL sold more than 50k KEYone's in total.

The only things I'd really wish for the next candybar is:

-Lose the LCD, knock on Samsung's door and go for AMOLED

-Lose the capacitive back/home/recents, and make them on-screen.

-Lose the square top block, make it curved angles, but keep the flat surface

-Lose the rounded sides, make them flat like the Motion, this makes the phone much grippier

-Lose the individual keyboard keys, make it a unibody like the Priv, that way there is no way for any key to fall off

-Add different colors of backlighting for the PKB. It's a gimmick, but gimmicks sell. That way, there's not much else we could ask from a PKB.

Unfortunately or Fortunately, CB will not be the place for design input. CB is the vocal minority. BBMo/TCL needs to use all of its data from all of its different brands to decide what to sell to people that left BB than all of us that stayed. We may be loyal, but we're not profitable.

[the_boon]

Unfortunately or Fortunately, CB will not be the place for design input. CB is the vocal minority. BBMo/TCL needs to use all of its data from all of its different brands to decide what to sell to people that left BB than all of us that stayed. We may be loyal, but we're not profitable.

Agreed, but many of the things I'm suggesting are probably shared by others as well.

[Chuck Finley69]

Agreed, but many of the things I'm suggesting are probably shared by others as well.

I wasn't criticizing your suggestions, just stating that BBMo will be far more analytical with cost/design because they have successful data from the Android environment in their existing markets.

Production techniques and technology have improved greatly. I think BB under Chen did cater to BB10 crowd on CB because they had to produce hardware with all the components of their purchase commitments.

I'm suggesting, like a fun but impractical relationship from our youth, BB has grown up and BB10 fans aren't suitable for marriage.

[ChrisLeNeve]

I know PRIV was not made by TCL. However, BlackBerry being Blackberry regardless of whoever makes it - I shot the following email to TCL / BMo. Let's see what they reply (if at all they do).

And friends, pls post below your take on the specs (what you think should be included) lest they reply - and we have ready points for further discussion/s with them.

---------------------------------------------------------

Dear BlackBerry Mobile / The Creative Life,

There is a considerable interest for a version-2 of the BlackBerry PRIV. I believe if TCL produces this phone once again with updated specs it would be a big success.

In my opinion, a BlackBerry without its 'physical' keyboard is not the way to go. 99% folks who opt for a BlackBerry do so only b'coz of a PKB. Which is why the KeyOne is such a success - and I have my doubts on the Motion.

I seriously believe if BlackBerry needs to be relevant in today's cellphone market it must "only" concentrate on three phone variants. A wide device (Passport), a long device (KeyOne) and a Slider (Priv). Albeit all with PKBs.

Attachment 432003

I know BB10 is done for - so stick with Android over the three lines (yes, on Passport as well. But more on it separately b'coz that's a serious discussion by itself). But pls do consider a renewed PRIV asap now that the Motion is out and I'm sure Team-BlackBerry is already on the drawing board for 2018 (if not, you gotta be!).

There are a plethora of slab-phones in the market - and it will be very difficult for TCL to compete in that segment given the budget constraints. As such, in my opinion, stick with just three models (like I stated above) and you will have a fair chance, a fair share of the cellphone market once again. It will keep you different, as well as keep your economies of scale in check. I would go ahead one step and call it your redemption. You need that. We need that.

A PRIV v2 (Oreo), with at least 6GB of RAM, 64GB storage (off course with a microSD slot), Dual Cameras and be able to shoot in 4K with good low light capabilities, Fingerprint sensor, IP68, the works - could be a perfect call for BlackBerry-2018. Yes, such phones already exist - but BlackBerry can better it with their security suite and this unique form factor. Believe me, tho the PRIV has been called-off it yet is loved by many, used by many till date. And many more would've gone for it if not for it's ab-initio teething troubles (first BBdroid). A PRIV v2 would bridge it.

Bottomline: If you can do that and keep it competitively priced* I am sure we are looking at a [true]winner flagship from BlackBerry.

All the best!

From your fan via CrackBerry

*If possible, maintain around KeyOne Black Edition prices. At max around Google Pixel-2's. Definitely below iPhone-8s. Else it might not take off the way we want it to.

---------------------------------------------------------

Haha this guy is hilarious!
Didn't know Santa worked for TCL. Anything else you want for Christmas?
"On behalf of myself and no other fans on CB... here is my opinion! Specs: at least 6 GB of ram. Maybe 12. And at 400 quid like the budget phones, please. Also throw in all the other good stuff I can't think of at the moment."
The guy in customer support at TCL will be like "hmmmm, yeah, I'll just go ahead and delete this email."


GTFOing from BlackBerry !

[Qorax]

Some CES-2018 Snippets:

#1 : Spectre and Meltdown are industry-wide problems affecting almost all smartphones, PCs, and servers. BBMo's global portfolio head - Gareth Hurn said, "Spectre will be dealt with in a January security release for BlackBerry KeyOne and Motion devices, and that Meltdown does not affect the company's phones".

#2 : "We hope to bring more products onto the Verizon network in 2018," Lejeune said. "Realistically, we'll devote a little bit of additional time to make sure we listen to the market requirements carefully," he said. "This is something we're learning a great deal from. The door is open to much more in the future."

#3 : "We're very confident in our ability to grow the keyboard market," said Gareth Hurn, BBMo's global head of device portfolio, in a conversation with Engadget. "BBMo strongly believes there's a place in the market for the kind of productivity and convenience only physical keyboards can offer".

#4 : When asked whether BlackBerry Mobile would push to grow its presence by releasing a low-cost device, Hurn said, "one of the phones planned for this year would cost more than the other", without specifying the price gap.

#5 : You probably shouldn't expect to see a superfast premium BlackBerry for a while either. Hurn didn't rule out the possibility but noted, "a special blend of build quality, performance and price is our forte, and nailing that sweet spot again would take precedence over building a high-end device" to rival the iPhones and Galaxys of the world. "You have to earn your right to be in the superpremium space," he added.

[Qorax]

Haha this guy is hilarious!
Didn't know Santa worked for TCL. Anything else you want for Christmas?
"On behalf of myself and no other fans on CB... here is my opinion! Specs: at least 6 GB of ram. Maybe 12. And at 400 quid like the budget phones, please. Also throw in all the other good stuff I can't think of at the moment."
The guy in customer support at TCL will be like "hmmmm, yeah, I'll just go ahead and delete this email."


GTFOing from BlackBerry !

Hmm, thanks for those kind words my friend.

[Chuck Finley69]

Hmm, thanks for those kind words my friend.

What exactly should be said? You put it out there? If something hilarious is posted, we're not supposed to laugh? You're allowed to say jokes and we can't? Or you're serious?

[ChrisLeNeve]

Hmm, thanks for those kind words my friend.

Ha! It's not that I disagree with you. But that's not the way the corporate world works.

You managed to get an email to contact TCL on? Great. Probably customer support. Who are they going to forward that email to? Their boss. That's only as high as they can go. Unless the whole chain of people from that guy's boss in customer support to the board of directors all forward that email to their respective boss, the board of directors won't read it and it won't be taken into account.

And does it have anything interesting? No. The board of directors are well aware of BlackBerry strengths, selling points, target audience. They know that to be competitive, they need to have good specs, good prices, etc.

At the end of the day, your email brings nothing new to them at all. What's more, it's plain unrealistic in some ways. 6 GB of ram? Is there even a phone yet that has that much? Dual camera? And all that at 500 quid?

This is why corporations don't communicate with consumers. Sorry, it's exactly like a kid telling his dad what he wants for Christmas. Only dad knows if he can afford it and if it's a good idea. And he already wants to make kid happy.

GTFOing from BlackBerry !

[Qorax]

#6 : One sign of encouragement for TCL: Roughly half of the customers who end up buying one of BlackBerries lately are switching from an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S phone. That suggests the company is potentially winning back old BlackBerry fans who gave up on the brand or attracting new enthusiasts.
~CNET / CES-2018

[AndrewPranoto]

you my friend got another approval from another blackberry long term user. bought my priv on the day it launch in singapore which is around 830 USD. this proves that there are market for high end blackberry devices! would love to get 2nd gen priv with better specs!

[Steve Cx]

I just hope it will be larger screen than keyone came out with!! priv2 I want bad!!!

[DamianWarS]

I was never a slider fan but I did a quick flat illustration mock up of what a motion would look like if it were a slider



it's too big. if they were to do a slider they would have to remove the motion's chin and use an on screen nav bar like the PRIV then relocate the fingerprint scanner to the back.

[Qorax]

Thanks @DamianWarS.

Imo, Motion slider would really be a large and heavy phone. Might not be liked by many. The original Priv however was a perfect balance for a slider, dimensions wise. It is the sweet spot. If the same model gets updated with better specs - I'm sure that'd be something.

As I stated earlier, the two new PKB devices for 2018 could be:

#1 . A KeyTWO: An updated model, same length but slightly wider. Chin and forehead minimized for a little bigger screen.

#2 . A Motion-REV: The same Motion dimension wise, but with Passport's PKB. As with the KeyTWO this Motion's (Revised) forehead and chin also gets minimized/optimized.

One of them could be swapped with the Priv-v2, but I'm not counting on that. Maybe later - but not now. As of now TCL might stick with their already existing platforms (KeyONE and Motion).

[Qorax]

-Deleted-

(the dreaded double post)

[newcollector]

-Deleted-

(the dreaded double post)

Many many of of us us have have inadvertently inadvertently double double posted posted..

[Chuck Finley69]

Many many of of us us have have inadvertently inadvertently double double posted posted..

No No stop stop it it.

[newcollector]

No No stop stop it it.

Is is there there an an echo echo in in here here??

[DamianWarS]

Thanks @DamianWarS.

Imo, Motion slider would really be a large and heavy phone. Might not be liked by many. The original Priv however was a perfect balance for a slider, dimensions wise. It is the sweet spot. If the same model gets updated with better specs - I'm sure that'd be something.

As I stated earlier, the two new PKB devices for 2018 could be:

#1 . A KeyTWO: An updated model, same length but slightly wider. Chin and forehead minimized for a little bigger screen.

#2 . A Motion-REV: The same Motion dimension wise, but with Passport's PKB. As with the KeyTWO this Motion's (Revised) forehead and chin also gets minimized/optimized.

One of them could be swapped with the Priv-v2, but I'm not counting on that. Maybe later - but not now. As of now TCL might stick with their already existing platforms (KeyONE and Motion).

The PRIV and Motion are actually very close in size and both are quite boxy. The most significant difference is the Motion's chin so if you remove it, what's left is a very PRIV like device with just slightly more rounded corners. Given the direction of TCL it's going to be a device with bezels and the PRIV design still fits in a TCL culture so little changes would be needed just updated OS and internals. The internals will match the Motion/KEYᵒⁿᵉ direction so SD660 across the board.

Posted via CB10

[ToniCipriani]

I was never a slider fan but I did a quick flat illustration mock up of what a motion would look like if it were a slider



it's too big. if they were to do a slider they would have to remove the motion's chin and use an on screen nav bar like the PRIV then relocate the fingerprint scanner to the back.

Just get rid of the button. Even if there is it should be on the top half.

[DamianWarS]

good point. I didn't use BBOS devices as a reference. I altered the picture and put the button on top but of course it doesn't change the size of the device which is probably too big. If you remove the button/chin what you have left is pretty much the PRIV with just a little more rounded corners. I know the PRIV has curved glass but this is a flat illustration so I'm not worried about those details just a high contrast essentials of the device.

[teentitan]

I dont agree, I think bringing out another Priv would be a waste of time and money. Nobody bought the previous one.

What next, another email/letter to TCL to bring back BB10?

Get over it folks.....

I just bought a Priv and I still agree with this statement. I love a slider phone but the masses would not. Sadly I think what is going to happen..and I hope I'm wrong..is that TCL will eventually stop licensing the blackberry name and blackberry will officially cease making phones. I know no one wants to hear this and it saddens me and I hope to God I'm wrong but honestly I think the end is very near for our beloved phones

Posted via CB10

[valer466]

I just bought a Priv and I still agree with this statement. I love a slider phone but the masses would not. Sadly I think what is going to happen..and I hope I'm wrong..is that TCL will eventually stop licensing the blackberry name and blackberry will officially cease making phones. I know no one wants to hear this and it saddens me and I hope to God I'm wrong but honestly I think the end is very near for our beloved phones

Posted via CB10

I love your realistic approach to things. But let me tell you that TCL has apparently succeeded in turning to a profit on BB branded hardware. Just hope it goes on this way.