[cgk]

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd plans to introduce high-end smartphones that cater to keyboard aficionados in the coming 18 months, in an effort to win back core corporate and government clients who have shunned the company's touch-screen devices.

Chief Executive John Chen said in an interview that the company's engineers have designed at least three different next-generation handsets that are being "kicked around right now."

"The focus is going to be very keyboard centric," said Chen, the former Sybase CEO who took the reins of the Canadian company just over four months ago.

Chen, viewed by tech industry insiders as a turnaround artist, wants BlackBerry to zero in on its core base of corporate and government clients, and on its services arm, which secures mobile devices on the internal networks of big clients.

New BlackBerry phones to cater to keyboard aficionados: CEO - Yahoo!7

[wincyUt]

And what's your comment about your posting?

[lnichols]

Guess they made me not a BlackBerry customer by moving me from PKB to all touch with the Z line. Not going back to a PKB unless it were optional in a slider platform, and probably not even then.

Posted via CB10

[wincyUt]

Thanks for sharing the article. I hope John Chen quickly launches BBM on desktops because IMO that will help spur the subscriber base.

[Bishkin]

And don't forget the buttons and trackpad this time!

[cgk]

And what's your comment about your posting?

That the company is going backwards - at the same time, he announced they are restarting production of the Bold! - this is a pretty desperate attempt to simply hold onto existing customers rather than grow base.

[Solar 77]

That the company is going backwards - at the same time, he announced they are restarting production of the Bold! - this is a pretty desperate attempt to simply hold onto existing customers rather than grow base.

With windermere and Ontario coming, i'm thinking they are planning to do both.

Posted via CB10

[FOR RIM]

chen must understand we want a new full touchscreen device

[BBUniq01]

BlackBerry is known for the PKB. As much as I love my Z10, I will be buying the Q20 when released. The Bold 9900 was the darling of the majority of BlackBerry users. I would like to see both full touch and Classic designs being offered. I disagree that PKB is going backwards. If that was so, there would not be the issue of Typo.

Loving my Zed 10!!

[cgk]

No it's not it's just like what Apple is doing with the iPhone 4.

They stopped production of the iphone 4 and then restarted it - and it came with an old version of the OS?

[qwerty4ever]

That the company is going backwards - at the same time, he announced they are restarting production of the Bold! - this is a pretty desperate attempt to simply hold onto existing customers rather than grow base.

BlackBerry enterprise and professional users prefer the physical keyboard. I know that is true for me and the BlackBerry Q5. I have a BlackBerry Z10 as well which is great as a mini-tablet for watching movies/videos and reading ebooks and PDF documents due to the ability to rotate the screen as necessary to suit the reading material layout. But the BlackBerry PlayBook with BlackBerry Bluetooth Mini-Keyboard remains essential for remote access to servers, the screen real estate is optimal for web browsing and various in-the-browser cloud services, and the stereo speakers cannot be surpassed yet. In my opinion, as a professional user, the BlackBerry PlayBook, BlackBerry Q5, and BlackBerry Bridge (if ever fully restored) could set the standard for mobile computing.

[cgk]

There aren't enough of you - that is the problem

sent from my bright red Nexus 5

[alan510]

I agree about the Q5. I picked up one last week and find myself using it more and more. My Z10 still gets a workout but I'm travelling now with the Q5. I'm not completely back to a keyboard but I'm getting close.

[AnimalPak200]

The problem with new keyboard devices is that from a distance they look like the ancient relics of BBOS. Sure, people will easily recognize them as a BlackBerry... but will assume, it still requires battery pulls.

It's like looking at a typewriter from a distance, you easily recognize it, you know what it does... you assume it still jams, even though this typewriter works nothing like the old full-mechanical type.

Posted via CB10

[badiyee]

why is it that .. erm..

i'm getting the vibe that everyone assumes keyboard = bbos?

as in assuming that every keyboard model produced here will be / must be bbos variant?

[TgeekB]

The problem with new keyboard devices is that from a distance they look like the ancient relics of BBOS. Sure, people will easily recognize them as a BlackBerry... but will assume, it still requires battery pulls.

It's like looking at a typewriter from a distance, you easily recognize it, you know what it does... you assume it still jams, even though this typewriter works nothing like the old full-mechanical type.

Posted via CB10

Advertising will be necessary. Something they have been ignoring.

Posted via my Nexus 10.

[AnimalPak200]

why is it that .. erm..

i'm getting the vibe that everyone assumes keyboard = bbos?

as in assuming that every keyboard model produced here will be / must be bbos variant?

we at Crackberry will know which ones are BB10 and BBOS... but most people will assume they are just like the OS 5 device they threw out the window when it hourglassed for the last time.

Posted via CB10

[AthenaSmith]

I prefer a physical keyboard with toolbelt so I'm really looking forward to the Q20.

It seems to me they're making high-end and midrange/budget versions of a full-touch, a qwerty with no toolbelt, and a qwerty with toolbelt. So something like this, I guess:

High-end full-touch: Z10, Z30, and the rumored Z50
Budget/midrange full-touch: Z3
High-end qwerty with no toolbelt: Q10
Budget/midrange qwerty with no toolbelt: Q5
High-end qwerty with toolbelt: Q20
Budget/midrange qwerty with toolbelt: ??? (Q7? Haha)

I think I like what they're doing, because there's something for everyone.

Posted via CB10

[knighty2112]

If BlackBerry don't continue with all touchscreen devices and solely developed just keyboard devices in the future then my Z10 will continue until it is dead and then I'll go with another none BlackBerry phone altogether. Sad, but alas I will never return to a physical keyboard device again. Been spoiled too much by my awesome Z10.

Z10 In action here!

[TGR1]

I prefer a physical keyboard with toolbelt so I'm really looking forward to the Q20.

It seems to me they're making high-end and midrange/budget versions of a full-touch, a qwerty with no toolbelt, and a qwerty with toolbelt. So something like this, I guess:

High-end full-touch: Z10, Z30, and the rumored Z50
Budget/midrange full-touch: Z3
High-end qwerty with no toolbelt: Q10
Budget/midrange qwerty with no toolbelt: Q5
High-end qwerty with toolbelt: Q20
Budget/midrange qwerty with toolbelt: ??? (Q7? Haha)

I think I like what they're doing, because there's something for everyone.

Posted via CB10

That is a very expensive inventory list to carry. Begs the question, does this plan actually retain or attract more users than it cannibalizes itself at higher cost?

[amjass12]

chen must understand we want a new full touchscreen device

+1. Next iteration z30 please

Just make it the flagship

Posted via CB10

[Sridhara Shankara]

That would be a wrong move!!.It should be healthy mixture of keyboard & touch devices at various price points so that consumer will have more choices

[PygmySurfer]

Chen cancelled Windermere.

Source?

[Ethereo]

I was thinking seriously to return back to BB after my S4, but if they dont produce a full touchscreen, I am out.

[Shadowyugi]

If BlackBerry don't continue with all touchscreen devices and solely developed just keyboard devices in the future then my Z10 will continue until it is dead and then I'll go with another none BlackBerry phone altogether. Sad, but alas I will never return to a physical keyboard device again. Been spoiled too much by my awesome Z10.

Z10 In action here!

I'm glad I'm not the only one.