1. John Albert's Avatar
    Silence is defying!
    We are here just reading different rumors, speculations, BBMobile demise expectations and so on!
    I can no longer digest the notion of BBMobile announced several months ago the release cycle is 14 months instead of 12 months, which we are already in!

    It's been over 14 months since the release of Key2. Still no Pie for Key2 and no new device leak either.

    It looks that this site is sponsored by BBMobile, and the administrators have some kind of contact with the management, but they are behaving just like TCL officials. Keep silent and ignore all inquiries!

    They are probably not in the position to talk or disclose any information, but they have a responsibility toward their community members.
    For instance, Bla1ze and Kevin at least have to clarify some issues here or at least say we are just like you! We don't know!
    Hopefully, we can get some news from TCL or CrackBerry leaders soon!

    Have a great weekend, everybody.
    08-16-19 09:48 AM
  2. goku_vegeta's Avatar
    Bla1ze and Kevin at least have to clarify some issues here or at least say we are just like you! We don't know!
    They've said this publicly before on their podcast with James (he works for BB Mobile, or did, no idea if he still does). The management at BlackBerry has completely changed since it's basically a separate entity now. The (old) BlackBerry has shifted to a security as a service company and MDM management. The problem is this is far less fascinating for BlackBerry users because it's not about any new devices.

    Not sure what else you're seeking from CB at the moment, the old guard isn't making smartphones anymore. It's fresh blood.
    BigAl_BB9900 likes this.
    08-16-19 10:01 AM
  3. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    Silence is defying!
    We are here just reading different rumors, speculations, BBMobile demise expectations and so on!
    I can no longer digest the notion of BBMobile announced several months ago the release cycle is 14 months instead of 12 months, which we are already in!

    It's been over 14 months since the release of Key2. Still no Pie for Key2 and no new device leak either.

    It looks that this site is sponsored by BBMobile, and the administrators have some kind of contact with the management, but they are behaving just like TCL officials. Keep silent and ignore all inquiries!

    They are probably not in the position to talk or disclose any information, but they have a responsibility toward their community members.
    For instance, Bla1ze and Kevin at least have to clarify some issues here or at least say we are just like you! We don't know!
    Hopefully, we can get some news from TCL or CrackBerry leaders soon!

    Have a great weekend, everybody.
    Yeah for what we pay each month we deserve to know! (Bla1ze... promise the check is in the mail. )

    People that value their jobs, know what they aren't suppose to say. Even if Bla1ze, Kevin, Passport, Conite or others "know people"... that doesn't mean that those people know anything, or if they do... they'd be willing to tell what they know.
    08-16-19 10:09 AM
  4. John Albert's Avatar
    Yeah for what we pay each month we deserve to know! (Bla1ze... promise the check is in the mail. )

    People that value their jobs, know what they aren't suppose to say. Even if Bla1ze, Kevin, Passport, Conite or others "know people"... that doesn't mean that those people know anything, or if they do... they'd be willing to tell what they know.
    I'm not blaming them for anything.
    I'm just asking if they could get any clarification or update from TCL via the contact channel they have with them.
    They is a BlackBerry news section herr, and a journalist should report the news based on his resources.
    08-16-19 10:15 AM
  5. conite's Avatar
    I'm not blaming them for anything.
    I'm just asking if they could get any clarification or update from TCL via the contact channel they have with them.
    They is a BlackBerry news section herr, and a journalist should report the news based on his resources.
    If they knew something, and can tell us, they would.

    If they knew something, but can't tell us, are you suggesting they break their NDA?
    08-16-19 11:09 AM
  6. spantch101's Avatar
    If they knew something, and can tell us, they would.

    If they knew something, but can't tell us, are you suggesting they break their NDA?
    Of course. As well as post a video review of alpha units ... And maybe mail it to a lucky CB reader after
    ppeters914 likes this.
    08-16-19 11:14 AM
  7. ppeters914's Avatar
    If they knew something, and can tell us, they would.

    If they knew something, but can't tell us, are you suggesting they break their NDA?
    There you go again... being logical.
    08-16-19 11:14 AM
  8. danfrancisco's Avatar
    I guess the question is whether this is a BlackBerry news site or fan site. If it's a news site and there's no news to report... well... what can you do?

    On the other hand, if it's a fan site (which is how I view it), I do think there's room for improvement. Op pieces, collector corners, nostalgia showcases... There's nearly two decades worth of BlackBerry product out there; fans want a place to visit to help stoke the fires of not just the new stiff, but the legacy as well. I suppose the forums serve that purpose, but it'd be great to get some cool retrospective articles given how much subject material exists.
    anon(8004005) likes this.
    08-16-19 01:02 PM
  9. conite's Avatar
    I guess the question is whether this is a BlackBerry news site or fan site. If it's a news site and there's no news to report... well... what can you do?

    On the other hand, if it's a fan site (which is how I view it), I do think there's room for improvement. Op pieces, collector corners, nostalgia showcases... There's nearly two decades worth of BlackBerry product out there; fans want a place to visit to help stoke the fires of not just the new stiff, but the legacy as well. I suppose the forums serve that purpose, but it'd be great to get some cool retrospective articles given how much subject material exists.
    I would suggest that as a fan site, it would require more article submissions by members to accomplish that.

    It's too wide a net to cast for a site administrator and editor.
    Bbnivende and Flatman like this.
    08-16-19 01:11 PM
  10. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    I would suggest that as a fan site, it would require more article submissions by members to accomplish that.

    It's too wide a net to cast for a site administrator and editor.
    Bla1ze has stated in the past and recent articles that have been posted suggest he was very serious about posting member articles and written and verified news rumors.

    On a side note, another forum member here runs some fan site in Germany if memory serves. When approaching TCL for answers, I believe, regardless of heightened level of tenacity coupled with some negative consent interrogatory questions, he’s effectively been told in polite silence, to practice self gratification if nothing better to do.

    I believe a company has the right to say nothing at their detriment unless speaking has worse effects.
    BB and BBMo/TCL could be negotiating termination of licensing agreement or renegotiating better terms. Either way CrackBerry doesn’t have any investigative reporters on retainer but they’ll accept your articles when you write and provide them.
    conite, SeeBeeEss and elfabio80 like this.
    08-16-19 01:25 PM
  11. Bla1ze's Avatar
    (Bla1ze... promise the check is in the mail. )
    Better be. You're already late on your dues. Don't make me send Tony Two Fingers after you.
    08-16-19 01:33 PM
  12. Bla1ze's Avatar
    They are probably not in the position to talk or disclose any information, but they have a responsibility toward their community members.
    For instance, Bla1ze and Kevin at least have to clarify some issues here or at least say we are just like you! We don't know!
    I don't hide or ignore inquiries. I'm all over these forums and tell people what I can when I can and if I don't know I have and always will say so. There's nothing wrong with the words 'I don't know'. The problem is, you all want answers to things that I'm pretty sure are not even solidified within TCL / BlackBerry Mobile / BlackBerry Ltd.


    - Where is Pie for the KEY2? -

    I don't know. That's between BlackBerry Mobile and BlackBerry Ltd. Everyone around here likes to place blame, which I totally get, it's always easier to handle things when you have someone to blame, but not everything in these cases is black and white. It's easy to blame TCL / BlackBerry Mobile but that puts aside the fact that there are multiple parties involved here and they all have to agree in order for things to move forward.

    - Will there be a KEY3? -

    I don't know. That's between BlackBerry Mobile and BlackBerry Ltd. Again, they have agreements in place and they all have to agree with everything on the table in order to proceed. I don't know what they discuss behind closed doors and what their current status is, to say otherwise would actually be a disservice to anyone who wants to know because it would totally be speculation based on rumors.


    There's a certain balance between rumors and speculation that I lived by over 10 years in writing about BlackBerry because what I put out in the world means different things to different people and how they interpret it. I've always swayed on the side of facts vs. rumors and at this point, I don't have all the facts (and as I stated I'm not sure the facts are even solidified at this point) so it's better for me to stick to what I know vs. putting junk into the world that could be wrong, change later on down the road or be taken out of context and totally misconstrued by folks looking to draw their own narratives.

    When people ask me newsy things that start with 'Do you know...' I have a standard answer I usually throwback. 'No, I don't know and if I knew, you wouldn't need to ask, you'd already know as it would be on the front page'. That is to say, If I knew for sure, you would know.
    08-16-19 01:42 PM
  13. anon(10622733)'s Avatar
    Better be. You're already late on your dues. Don't make me send Tony Two Fingers after you.
    There's the hint.... KeyTwo and done
    08-16-19 01:43 PM
  14. conite's Avatar
    I don't hide or ignore inquiries. I'm all over these forums and tell people what I can when I can and if I don't know I have and always will say so. There's nothing wrong with the words 'I don't know'. The problem is, you all want answers to things that I'm pretty sure are not even solidified within TCL / BlackBerry Mobile / BlackBerry Ltd.


    - Where is Pie for the KEY2? -

    I don't know. That's between BlackBerry Mobile and BlackBerry Ltd. Everyone around here likes to place blame, which I totally get, it's always easier to handle things when you have someone to blame, but not everything in these cases is black and white. It's easy to blame TCL / BlackBerry Mobile but that puts aside the fact that there are multiple parties involved here and they all have to agree in order for things to move forward.

    - Will there be a KEY3? -

    I don't know. That's between BlackBerry Mobile and BlackBerry Ltd. Again, they have agreements in place and they all have to agree with everything on the table in order to proceed. I don't know what they discuss behind closed doors and what their current status is, to say otherwise would actually be a disservice to anyone who wants to know because it would totally be speculation based on rumors.
    We know the truth - you just don't want to give up your BBMo-supplied beach house. Shame.
    ppeters914 likes this.
    08-16-19 01:53 PM
  15. Bla1ze's Avatar
    We know the truth - you just don't want to give up your BBMo-supplied beach house. Shame.
    Look, man, they promised I'd never have to stock the bar fridge.
    08-16-19 01:55 PM
  16. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    If there was something to tell, you would find it on the front page or at the top of one of the likely forums (such as this one).

    The facts seem to be that BB Ltd. and TCL/BBMo are in a dispute with each other, with BB Ltd. wanting more money per phone due to lower sales volumes and TCL wanting to pay less money per phone as they're losing money on every phone sold. This is the same reason the other two licensees have stopped making BB-branded phones.

    It's unknown whether anything will be resolved to their mutual satisfaction, but every day that goes by, the chances of a resolution that leads to new devices is lower, because costs have continued in the meantime and it makes the financial situation worse for TCL. Nevertheless, a final decision hasn't been released publicly, so there's really nothing more to say until that changes. And if/when it does, it will be on the front page, as I said at the beginning.
    08-16-19 01:55 PM
  17. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    If there was something to tell, you would find it on the front page or at the top of one of the likely forums (such as this one).

    The facts seem to be that BB Ltd. and TCL/BBMo are in a dispute with each other, with BB Ltd. wanting more money per phone due to lower sales volumes and TCL wanting to pay less money per phone as they're losing money on every phone sold. This is the same reason the other two licensees have stopped making BB-branded phones.

    It's unknown whether anything will be resolved to their mutual satisfaction, but every day that goes by, the chances of a resolution that leads to new devices is lower, because costs have continued in the meantime and it makes the financial situation worse for TCL. Nevertheless, a final decision hasn't been released publicly, so there's really nothing more to say until that changes. And if/when it does, it will be on the front page, as I said at the beginning.
    But... wait.... hold on there....

    We’re the fans, the supporters.... we’re so loyal and dedicated, we hold onto devices 3x industry average plus we buy used on swappa, eBay or any discount site we can find $1 cheaper. We refuse to pay the high prices of the competition. Now instead of flooding the market using the unsold inventory at sharp discount, they held the price and only higher priced new inventory is scarcely available.

    They owe us!!!!!!
    ppeters914 likes this.
    08-16-19 02:06 PM
  18. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    But... wait.... hold on there....

    We’re the fans, the supporters.... we’re so loyal and dedicated, we hold onto devices 3x industry average plus we buy used on swappa, eBay or any discount site we can find $1 cheaper. We refuse to pay the high prices of the competition. Now instead of flooding the market using the unsold inventory at sharp discount, they held the price and only higher priced new inventory is scarcely available.

    They owe us!!!!!!
    Like to see someone trying to stock up on 10 KEY2's in the US at this point.... (wonder how that's working out for that Passport guy... he on Passport #3 yet?)
    08-16-19 02:20 PM
  19. mrsimon's Avatar
    Troy T, I hadn't explicitly heard the rumour about the license fee per phone dispute, although it may be possible. This is complicated because it's asking for a reduction in price based on low sales. When does their contract end?
    Based on evidence I presented in another thread, I have a feeling that Blackberry Mobile no longer has any staff working in it, and TCL employees add social media posts once a week.
    Stock is being allowed to run down. So, right now, you can only buy one model key2 (for Germany) and one LE (for EU) from the EU store. Clicking on the Ads here on CB takes you to those 2 models.
    If they're no longer promoting or manufacturing the key series, you need to put 2 and 2 together, and brace yourself for what's coming next.
    There's no smoke without fire.

    CB are not in a position to say what I've just said as they receive advertising fees. And if it does go pear-shaped, that would mean a loss of income.

    Over to you.
    Last edited by mrsimon; 08-16-19 at 03:52 PM.
    08-16-19 03:20 PM
  20. SteinwayTransitCorp's Avatar
    Silence is defying!
    We are here just reading different rumors, speculations, BBMobile demise expectations and so on!
    I can no longer digest the notion of BBMobile announced several months ago the release cycle is 14 months instead of 12 months, which we are already in!

    It's been over 14 months since the release of Key2. Still no Pie for Key2 and no new device leak either.

    It looks that this site is sponsored by BBMobile, and the administrators have some kind of contact with the management, but they are behaving just like TCL officials. Keep silent and ignore all inquiries!

    They are probably not in the position to talk or disclose any information, but they have a responsibility toward their community members.
    For instance, Bla1ze and Kevin at least have to clarify some issues here or at least say we are just like you! We don't know!
    Hopefully, we can get some news from TCL or CrackBerry leaders soon!

    Have a great weekend, everybody.
    WOW you guys have never worked in corporate world before.
    First have you paid your subscription to crackberry.

    Two there are times when you are told info either under the table or off the record. So lets stop crying over what we know or don't know. The people here try to pass on the info as fast as they are allowed too. BB Mobile is having issues period.

    Here is a great idea: STOP worrying about what we don't know and start enjoying and helping each other by what we do know.......life will go much easier.
    parryberry likes this.
    08-16-19 03:46 PM
  21. John Albert's Avatar
    I don't hide or ignore inquiries. I'm all over these forums and tell people what I can when I can and if I don't know I have and always will say so. There's nothing wrong with the words 'I don't know'. The problem is, you all want answers to things that I'm pretty sure are not even solidified within TCL / BlackBerry Mobile / BlackBerry Ltd.


    - Where is Pie for the KEY2? -

    I don't know. That's between BlackBerry Mobile and BlackBerry Ltd. Everyone around here likes to place blame, which I totally get, it's always easier to handle things when you have someone to blame, but not everything in these cases is black and white. It's easy to blame TCL / BlackBerry Mobile but that puts aside the fact that there are multiple parties involved here and they all have to agree in order for things to move forward.

    - Will there be a KEY3? -

    I don't know. That's between BlackBerry Mobile and BlackBerry Ltd. Again, they have agreements in place and they all have to agree with everything on the table in order to proceed. I don't know what they discuss behind closed doors and what their current status is, to say otherwise would actually be a disservice to anyone who wants to know because it would totally be speculation based on rumors.


    There's a certain balance between rumors and speculation that I lived by over 10 years in writing about BlackBerry because what I put out in the world means different things to different people and how they interpret it. I've always swayed on the side of facts vs. rumors and at this point, I don't have all the facts (and as I stated I'm not sure the facts are even solidified at this point) so it's better for me to stick to what I know vs. putting junk into the world that could be wrong, change later on down the road or be taken out of context and totally misconstrued by folks looking to draw their own narratives.

    When people ask me newsy things that start with 'Do you know...' I have a standard answer I usually throwback. 'No, I don't know and if I knew, you wouldn't need to ask, you'd already know as it would be on the front page'. That is to say, If I knew for sure, you would know.
    Thanks a lot.
    Highly appreciate this explanation!
    08-16-19 03:49 PM
  22. Platinum_2's Avatar

    The facts seem to be that BB Ltd. and TCL/BBMo are in a dispute with each other, with BB Ltd. wanting more money per phone due to lower sales volumes and TCL wanting to pay less money per phone as they're losing money on every phone sold. This is the same reason the other two licensees have stopped making BB-branded phones.

    It's unknown whether anything will be resolved to their mutual satisfaction, but every day that goes by, the chances of a resolution that leads to new devices is lower, because costs have continued in the meantime and it makes the financial situation worse for TCL.
    So, basically BB Ltd is trying to cripple TCL's business much in the same way they did their own?

    Seems plausible.
    08-16-19 04:21 PM
  23. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    So, basically BB Ltd is trying to cripple TCL's business much in the same way they did their own?

    Seems plausible.
    How’s making sure to only support profitable business crippling? If TCL can’t afford to play or there’s not enough people to support a product, that’s just how it goes... BBL chose to exit mobile because it felt it wasn’t a feasible business line. Motorola did the same decision several years ago
    08-16-19 04:29 PM
  24. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    As I've mentioned before, we've past the initial "big growth" phase of the smartphone industry when companies large and small were jumping in, and have gotten to the "consolidation phase", where companies who weren't able to carve out profitable marketshare will leave the smartphone market, go bankrupt, or be acquired by someone else. BB Ltd left the market, and tried to see if licensing could be a profitable alternative. It seems that experiment is also coming to an end.

    Given that BB wasn't able to make it profitable, I never understood how a third-party could be profitable given that they had all the same pressures PLUS the licensing fees on top of that. TCL apparently held out hope for enterprise buyers, but that ship sailed in 2010 once the iPhone (and very soon after the Galaxy S) was able to be managed via MDM software. Enterprise demands full carrier support and widespread, easy availability of hardware support, and BB hasn't had that since 2013. Carriers were never going to touch BBMo phones that they had to buy unlocked and didn't have advanced calling features like fully-supported-by-carriers phones had. Thus, BB became a consumer brand, not a business brand, and the consumers who bought BB phones didn't want to pay full price (after years of buying discounted phones due to RIM/BBLtd over-producing phones) and they would return them for the slightest flaw, causing a high rate of returns. None of that helped the brand.

    So, here we are. Remaining stock of new phones is almost gone, and the chances of a new model shrinks by the day.
    08-16-19 06:01 PM
  25. mrsimon's Avatar
    If they've stopped manufacturing devices and have no money coming in, why would they develop and launch a Key3?
    The only Blackberrymobile activity is on social media.
    This is sad as I really like the phones and would like to see another one.
    It looks like they haven't convinced enough people about the merits of the Key series. Amazing, isn't it? Only one proper PKB in the whole world, and not enough people want one. We're more niche than we thought...
    08-17-19 01:37 AM
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