Should there be a BB10 Blackberry "Style"

Now I know this wasn't the most popular BB ever, but if BB10 is truly all it's cracked out to be, as a 'mobile computing platform' this form factor makes a bit of sense. It's essentially a handheld laptop! I do think a "streamlined" portfolio of 3-4 phones would be best for Blackberry *a la their BBOS7 base line of phones. However a newly designed slider or flip BB would be really powerful I think, any thoughts? I would bring over the track-pad as well and make this form factor very very business oriented... Again like a mini laptop

I personally loved my 9670. My oldest daughter used it and loved it and now it's been passed on to my mother who prefers the flip style. I think an updated version of the 9670 with BB10 would be awesome but that's just my opinion :)

I think this is one of the better looking flip phones out there. But, I just don't think the demand for it is all that great now.

It would be nice to see a variety bb10 styles. I'm sure there's still many people that prefer that form factor.

Originally Posted by Moonbaseone

I think this is one of the better looking flip phones out there. But, I just don't think the demand for it is all that great now.

I agree there's no demand, which is why all touch and qwerty are their first two phones. I feel like if the software is top notch, I'd rather use a Style than a laptop. I feel that applies to BB's in general however since they're such a breeze to use. I kind miss flipping my phone open and it automatically accepting the call as I raised the phone to my ear

BB10 Pearl all the way.

If they do make a "special" line of BB's I'd rather have something retro classic like this then that god awful porsche disaster looking phone. This I would consider buying. Looks old, but is a beast!

Yes yes Yes yes Yes oh Gawd yes!

but Please make it GSM! and add an integrated rubber gasket around the upper clam perimeter so when closed it is close to water tight

I owned a pearl flip and would love a flip device again. In the construction field a flip device works best in my opinion.

in one word "no"

youll get the occasional users that loved the flip phones but truth is full touch sells to the general public and candybar sells to people who are against going all touch. other than that the people that own or love flip phones wont buy enough to make it worth it.

maybe if rim wasnt in money problems right now it would be an idea but they are dropping the number of handsets to possibly 3. anything else would pull in stragglers which they dont need to invest the time and money into development at this current point in time.

if they were doing well they may try it but i think the style went eol only after 8 months.

Originally Posted by eve6er69

in one word "no"

youll get the occasional users that loved the flip phones but truth is full touch sells to the general public and candybar sells to people who are against going all touch. other than that the people that own or love flip phones wont buy enough to make it worth it.

maybe if rim wasnt in money problems right now it would be an idea but they are dropping the number of handsets to possibly 3. anything else would pull in stragglers which they dont need to invest the time and money into development at this current point in time.

if they were doing well they may try it but i think the style went eol only after 8 months.

I would seriously give one a close look, but unfortunately I think you're right, they wouldn't be popular enough to justify yet another model. The only scenario where I could see it possible is if it had the same 720x720 display the QWERTY'd BB10 is rumored to have. But even then, not too likely ...

Originally Posted by sleepngbear

I would seriously give one a close look, but unfortunately I think you're right, they wouldn't be popular enough to justify yet another model. The only scenario where I could see it possible is if it had the same 720x720 display the QWERTY'd BB10 is rumored to have. But even then, not too likely ...

I think the death of the flipphone had more to do with the lack of features available to the flipphone than the form factor itself, RIM never gave the Style a fair chance, it was only available on Sprint in the US, though Bell and Telus both had it in Canada, total userbase that had access to this phone was not even 100 Million, and it was on a slow network.

FlipPhones still actually sell, people buy Flip featurephones because they are flip phones it isn't always about the plan, though some it is,

I agree it wouldn't be a major landslide phone, but if they piggy backed off of the N series using the N Series Keyboard, and the N Series display in a new packaged flip shell, that would reduce the development costs, and allow for Apps to run the same,

it could be released 6 months after an N series phone utilizing any excess inventory that may have been purchased, OR buying the inventory at lower prices as it is not as cutting edge.

Every device doesn't need to sell 10 million units a quarter, but if they can control a market niche that people like, like the currently do with the candybar qwerty it just helps generate loyalty

Originally Posted by ESN

I owned a pearl flip and would love a flip device again. In the construction field a flip device works best in my opinion.

I understand that the flip blackberries haven't proven to be the most successful line in RIM's history, but for what it's worth, I owned a Pearl flip and found the problems to be manufacture specific hardware, bluetooth was a biggie, and various software limitations/glitches. Other than that I loved the form factor of the phone.

If RIM ever came out with a GSM flip phone, with the latest OS, and some type of support for it, (longer than a few months) I would gladly part with my cash money to buy it.

No. If RIM is designing the platform for the future they should not be looking
at putting it on a phone designed for last decade.

I wouldn't reject it out of hand, but...

-It would have to have the same resolution--or at least screen proportion--as the keyboard model

-Part of what's led RIM into the quagmire it finds itself currently is TOO MANY MODELS. It would be nice to think that once the BB10 architecture has spread throughout RIM's model line that we will see exactly 4 handsets: high-spec and low-spec, each with full-touch and keyboard.

I vote no....not yet anyway.

K.I.S.S. "keep it simple stupid" lol

Focus on a limited amount of models first. Full touch, qwerty, and a slider. If these end up catching on then sure, bring out another model or two in the future but I hope RIM never has 5000 different model on the market at the same time ever again. Ok, that might have been an exaggeration...but not by much lol

They can have as many models as they want really, they dont need to produce as many, just lower the production numbers. It's all about the OS and if they can make it simple aka cut down on fragmentation overall form factor becomes a choice.

Originally Posted by amazinglygraceless

No. If RIM is designing the platform for the future they should not be looking
at putting it on a phone designed for last decade.

:p :p :p

I want a Style!!

in 2015!!

Originally Posted by Thunderbuck

I wouldn't reject it out of hand, but...

-It would have to have the same resolution--or at least screen proportion--as the keyboard model

-Part of what's led RIM into the quagmire it finds itself currently is TOO MANY MODELS. It would be nice to think that once the BB10 architecture has spread throughout RIM's model line that we will see exactly 4 handsets: high-spec and low-spec, each with full-touch and keyboard.

RIM's quagmire of too many models stems from too many of the SAME model and too many OS's that was the fragmentation issue, but with much stronger processors, and RIM being more focused on the OS being more universal among the devices that fragmentation would not be as bad.

They can't release 10 curves, only slightly different over 3 years, 3 years, 3 curves, thats how it should be, if 10 phones over 3 years was 3-4 distinct models it wouldn't have been as bad, though still less than ideal with each needing a distinct OS

Absolutely, yes.


I use 3 different cell phones. One is my main phone and two others are used occasionally (each for about 1,000 minutes a month) for the surrounding area codes. I would love to have these two phones be a simple, sturdy, flip phone like the Style.

Just make it touch screen, with a good keyboard, sturdy device, and slim. I just want something that I can "toss around" and not worry too much about. And definitely something I can easily slip in jacket pocket or pants. It doesn't have to be as thin as a Razr flip phone, but slimmer the better.

It wouldn't be my main device, but my secondary phone for sure.

I would say no. Don't think there's enough of a market for it.

I think they need to focus on fewer offerings, not more. Right now we have two confirmed, an all touch and a QWERTY offering, and likely a slider at some point. I just don't think it would be a high volume unit and RIM needs as consolidated of a handheld product offering as possible. Once they show that people are wanting BB10 in demand then start looking at niche handheld sets like flips, Pearls, etc..

Originally Posted by lnichols

I think they need to focus on fewer offerings, not more. Right now we have two confirmed, an all touch and a QWERTY offering, and likely a slider at some point. I just don't think it would be a high volume unit and RIM needs as consolidated of a handheld product offering as possible. Once they show that people are wanting BB10 in demand then start looking at niche handheld sets like flips, Pearls, etc..

While I agree for the short term

They need to be thinking about it soon, 18 month or so development cycle especially a new form factor, tie it in with the second generation BB10 QWERTY device,

I wouldn't want to see them come out with a Style, or Pearl in 2013, but maybe 2014, and surely 2015 I want to see them push some boundries with form factors and ideas the Storm concept was a great hardware concept, just super crappy software

No. I feel like RIM is shooting itself in the foot by making so many different models each product cycle. Keep it simple - one touch phone, one qwerty phone, and maybe an entry level device. I think Apple has proven that making ONE really good phone that caters to most people can be just as, if not more profitable than making multiple phones with varied target demographics. (At least in the US market).

If RIM releases another "Style" they are doomed to fail. The Style was a horrendous device and even with BB10 it would be the laughing stock of the mobile world.