[Doug_M]

BlackBerry to release new keyboard smartphone within six months, executive says - Technology & Science - CBC News

BlackBerry to release new keyboard smartphone within six months, executive says
� The Canadian Press, 2016

One of BlackBerry's top sales executives says the company will release a new smartphone with its distinctive physical keyboard within six months.

The comment was made in a BBC video interview published Wednesday, a week after the Canadian smartphone pioneer announced it would stop doing hardware development in-house.

Instead, it said it would rely on partners to produce BlackBerry devices.

It's been an open secret that BlackBerry has at least one more smartphone with a keyboard that hasn't been released.

But chairman and CEO John Chen said last week that he hadn't decided whether it would be brought to market.
BlackBerry Security 20151219

BlackBerry CEO John Chen recently said he hadn't decided whether the company would bring another smartphone to market. BlackBerry has said it will stop making smartphones in-house by the end of February. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

The company's senior vice-president for global device sales, Alex Thurber, was less vague in his interview with BBC.

"There will still be a keyboard-based BlackBerry device, designed and distributed within the next six months," he said.

Thurber said that the keyboards set BlackBerrys apart from market-leading Apple and Samsung smartphones that feature touch screens.

"I think there's a demand for keyboard phones. As we've been showing mockups of what we've been working on, to our carrier and distributor partners, they are very excited about this," Thurber said in the three-minute video.

He addressed confusion about whether BlackBerry smartphones will disappear or continue to be available after in-house design and development ceases by the end of the company's 2017 financial year on Feb. 28.

"We'll now be working with partners to take our software onto their hardware. So there will continue to be BlackBerry-branded devices for sale all over the world," Thurber said.

The only such partnership announced is with a joint venture company that will primarily make BlackBerrys for the Indonesian market.

The keyboard phone is expected to be a DTEK model. The first DTEK � a touch-screen device using a BlackBerry version of the Android operating system � began shipping in August.

[ToniCipriani]

It was on the front page already.

BlackBerry's Alex Thurber discusses upcoming handsets and company future | CrackBerry.com

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

"There will still be a keyboard-based BlackBerry device, designed and distributed within the next six months," he said.

1) Doesn't mean that BlackBerry will distribute it.
2) Doesn't mean it will be widely available.

But there are a few other post already talking abut this "story".

[macterp]

I've yet to see/read anything that it would be a Dtek variant?

Posted via CB10

[Bla1ze]

I've yet to see/read anything that it would be a Dtek variant?

Posted via CB10

BlackBerry already stated devices going forward would use that naming convention.

[ChainPunch]

All hail the Dtek 70, but I would of thought the pkb would have been named the dtek 60 rather the dtek70 because of the reported specs of the pkb device.

Posted via CB10

[ardakca]

"There will still be a keyboard-based BlackBerry device, designed and distributed within the next six months," he said.

1) Doesn't mean that BlackBerry will distribute it.
2) Doesn't mean it will be widely available.

But there are a few other post already talking abut this "story".

He says globally in the interview on BBC. I think it is around 01.20.

[cgk]

He says globally in the interview on BBC. I think it is around 01.20.

You are mixing up two different things a) that a keyboard will be design and disturbed by *someone* and that b) BBRY branded devices will be available globally.

He never says that A is related to B. So there might be a BBRY branded keyboard phone released by someone but in what region is unknown at this point.

It certainly sounds to me as if it is going to be the Indonesian device aimed at low end consumers that might have the keyboard.

[ardakca]

You are mixing up two different things a) that a keyboard will be design and disturbed by *someone* and that b) BBRY branded devices will be available globally.

He never says that A is related to B. So there might be a BBRY branded keyboard phone released by someone but in what region is unknown at this point.

It certainly sounds to me as if it is going to be the Indonesian device aimed at low end consumers that might have the keyboard.

Well you are wrong. It is coming. Even the name is out there. I'm so tired of you guys trying your best to deny the simple truth.
Why would Chen hold a prototype in his hand if the device is only for Indonesia?
Why would Thurber bring the subject up in an interview with BBC?
Why would there be leaks?
Why would Chen need to make up his mind?
Why would the partners and distributors be excited when Thurber showed them the designs?
Why would BlackBerry write a big red ink for mobile handsets this year?
On and on.




In what kind of a manufacturing plant, a design is designed all components bought and assembled, aaaand the final product is distributed within 6 months?

[cgk]

Well you are wrong. It is coming. Even the name is out there. I'm so tired of you guys trying your best to deny the simple truth.
Why would Chen hold a prototype in his hand if the device is only for Indonesia?
Why would Thurber bring the subject up in an interview with BBC?
Why would there be leaks?
Why would Chen need to make up his mind?
Why would the partners and distributors be excited when Thurber showed them the designs?
Why would BlackBerry write a big red ink for mobile handsets this year?
On and on.




In what kind of a manufacturing plant, a design is designed all components bought and assembled, aaaand the final product is distributed within 6 months?

You are talking about the mercury - the mercury could come out or it could be cancelled, Chen is undecided. However Furber seems pretty certain that a keyboard phone from someone will come out in the next six months. If Chen is undecided if the mercury is coming out, but Furber is certain one is coming out - we only have a few options.

* Chen is lying to us
* Chen very quickly changed his mind after saying he was unsure
* Furber knows a keyboard phone will certainly come out because that is what the only partner they have is making.

You can pick your own option but I'll go with three based on the information we have.

[ardakca]

You are talking about the mercury - the mercury could come out or it could be cancelled, Chen is undecided. However Furber seems pretty certain that a keyboard phone from someone will come out in the next six months. If Chen is undecided if the mercury is coming out, but Furber is certain one is coming out - we only have a few options.

* Chen is lying to us
* Chen very quickly changed his mind after saying he was unsure
* Furber knows a keyboard phone will certainly come out because that is what the only partner they have is making.

You can pick your own option but I'll go with three based on the information we have.

Where did you get the information that Chen is lying? Anyways, freedom of speech .
Well good job to a company designing, manufacturing and distributing a device in 6 months. Hats off.

[cgk]

Where did you get the information that Chen is lying? Anyways, freedom of speech .
Well good job to a company designing, manufacturing and distributing a device in 6 months. Hats off.

I don't have any information - it's a logical deduction based on the information we have - so if we agree that Chen isn't lying - we have two options - the two outlined above.

[ardakca]

I don't have any information - it's a logical deduction based on the information we have - so if we agree that Chen isn't lying - we have two options - the two outlined above.

So releasing a device from 0 in 6 months is logical?

Nevermind we'll see in a couple of months anyways.

[cgk]

So releasing a device from 0 in 6 months is logical?

Nevermind we'll see in a couple of months anyways.

Well the deal had to happen before we were told about it - Furber says to market in six months, he doesn't say how long and BBRY don't disclose when the deal was made.

You could be right and it could be the mercury but it feels like with them exiting hardware, the Dtek60 is coming (well being pushed outside to die) out simply because they paid for the units already. The mercury however it's not clear why Chen would pay for yet another phone to bomb in the marketplace.

[BeautyEh]

I will submit to my dying day that there is some demand for PKB devices, to the extent that they could really occupy a small-but-important niche in the smartphone world, if properly marketed and good quality AND pricing. Or perhaps change my 'is' to a 'would be', because it is surely just...easier for Apple and Samsung, etc to make ONLY virtual keyboard devices and then tell the market "all of you only want this", and try to make it seem like it's the consumer's idea. Otherwise, ventures like the Typo wouldn't have even sprung up.

Posted via CB10

[TgeekB]

I will submit to my dying day that there is some demand for PKB devices, to the extent that they could really occupy a small-but-important niche in the smartphone world, if properly marketed and good quality AND pricing. Or perhaps change my 'is' to a 'would be', because it is surely just...easier for Apple and Samsung, etc to make ONLY virtual keyboard devices and then tell the market "all of you only want this", and try to make it seem like it's the consumer's idea. Otherwise, ventures like the Typo wouldn't have even sprung up.

Posted via CB10

Sure there's some demand. Not everyone likes the same things. I just don't think it's a big enough demand. I feel the reason is screen real estate. I don't think most people will give up all that space for a PKB they may want to use for other things they enjoy. They feel the VKB works well enough and they don't lose screen. JMHO.

[ardakca]

Guys you are getting it wrong. People did not demand all touch phones. It was presented to them. We should be clear if Apple made keyboard phones and market the hell out of them, there would be a demand. I'm not saying apple will or should but it is how it works. Times are different, those who own the market forces the demand in their favor with aggressive marketing.

Removal of headphone jack is a great example. They are cutting costs and every OEM will jump on the wagon next year.

[Prem WatsApp]

Guys you are getting it wrong. People did not demand all touch phones. It was presented to them.

....

There's some truth in that one... :-)

�   "BB10 dead?" - "Let's dance the Danse MacaBBRY! ... or is it..?" ;-D   �

[tinochiko]

There's some truth in that one... :-)

�   "BB10 dead?" - "Let's dance the Danse MacaBBRY! ... or is it..?" ;-D   �

Sometimes people don't know what they want until you've shown it to them, and even then sometimes they won't know they needed it until they use it

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[tinochiko]

Guys you are getting it wrong. People did not demand all touch phones. It was presented to them. We should be clear if Apple made keyboard phones and market the hell out of them, there would be a demand. I'm not saying apple will or should but it is how it works. Times are different, those who own the market forces the demand in their favor with aggressive marketing.

Removal of headphone jack is a great example. They are cutting costs and every OEM will jump on the wagon next year.

Apple wasn't always great and mighty in the smartphone industry, they had great touch technology from ipod etc. At a time when most phones had physical keys and the few that had touch, it was a poor implementation (poor functionality, no two finger support), they transferred this technology to the iPhone , added a compelling story and the rest is history...

As a market leader now I wouldn't say they could do anything and people would just follow them into it, they have done controversial things that haven't slowed down their sales much AFAIK (audio jack, bluetooth etc) but something as radical as having a physical keyboard, I couldn't see that taking off...

Samsung is quite influential phone wise, although without as compelling as a story, and I don't think their keyboard accessory has quite taken off.

I don't believe that just because you're a market leader you can create demand for anything, it makes it easier for sure, but apply the same logic to BlackBerry in their hay days and BlackBerry should be leading the tablet market right now.

Tl;dr, small things can make big changes, Coca Cola had a massive following when they introduced (and 'marketed the hell out of'), New Coke, which objectively tasted better than old coke in taste tests (which is why they changed it anyway), but the market rejected it. So it's not as simple as just creating demand there is some art to it, there must be a clear and compelling benefit.

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[bakron1]

I don't think the all touch device was forced onto anyone, I think it was a new technology that was presented to the consumer and the consumer welcomed it with open arms and the rest is history.

Bigger touch screens and more screen real estate are what the consumer is demanding and that's what the device manufacturers are going to produce. It's called basic business concepts 101.

[ardakca]

Well everyone have their own opinions. I especially said it won't sell like hot cakes but it will sell more than BlackBerry is trying to. Be it build quality specs lack of marketing and so on.

[ardakca]

I don't think the all touch device was forced onto anyone, I think it was a new technology that was presented to the consumer and the consumer welcomed it with open arms and the rest is history.

Bigger touch screens and more screen real estate are what the consumer is demanding and that's what the device manufacturers are going to produce. It's called basic business concepts 101.

So, no one introduced a solid flagship pkb with decent marketing. If done it could very well gain ground by that logic.

A lot of people are demanding better battery instead of huge qhd screens too. With the addition of fast launching from the keypad, enterprise customers can be won also. Plus old people can be targeted. I don't know I see the niche but it is hard to reach them all.

[cgk]

So, no one introduced a solid flagship pkb with decent marketing. If done it could very well gain ground by that logic.

Haven't you answered your own question - if it's such a potential moneyspinner - why isn't anyone doing it?

[tinochiko]

So, no one introduced a solid flagship pkb with decent marketing. If done it could very well gain ground by that logic.

A lot of people are demanding better battery instead of huge qhd screens too. With the addition of fast launching from the keypad, enterprise customers can be won also. Plus old people can be targeted. I don't know I see the niche but it is hard to reach them all.

*cough* *cough* so another Passport? *cough* *cough*

Had loads of adverts, from golf grounds to a few banners here and there, also the device itself was an advert so many threads of people getting asked about it...



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