[Bunky1967]

https://youtu.be/C80VeW13n8o

It has a robot sounding voice. Just wondered if it is really going to happen or if this is a sad joke.

[conite]

No.

[vimagreg]

Sad joke

[howarmat]

april fools joke 1 day early....

[Paulelmar18]

Not even close to the real KEY3.

[RoseBud68]

Not even close to the real KEY3.

What does that even mean?????

[conite]

What does that even mean?????

He means he saw a potential pre-production model a while back. Obviously it never came to be.

[the_boon]

He means he saw a potential pre-production model a while back. Obviously it never came to be.

I still hold hope that TCL will do something with that prototype.

[conite]

I still hold hope that TCL will do something with that prototype.

They don't have a legal right to - it belongs to the licencing agreement.

[the_boon]

They don't have a legal right to - it belongs to the licencing agreement.

Lol who says they can't throw a few dollars at BlackBerry to have the right to do something with it?

How in the world could you know all these finite details of the licensing agreement?

You could just say "I don't know" but you seem so sure about little details that only someone at TCL and BlackBerry involved in the agreement would know.

[conite]

Lol who says they can't throw a few dollars at BlackBerry to have the right to do something with it?

How in the world could you know all these finite details of the licensing agreement?

You could just say "I don't know" but you seem so sure about little details that only someone at TCL and BlackBerry involved in the agreement would know.

I know because that's how every licencing agreement and partnership works.

If BlackBerry comes up with a replacement licencing agreement for the IP contained in the prototype KEY³, then sure.

But BlackBerry would never give up the rights to any of it.

[the_boon]

But BlackBerry would never give up the rights to any of it.

1. Like you often say lately, [citation needed]

2. Who says TCL can't negotiate a way to use the prototype if they make certain tweaks to the design so that it doesn't clearly look like a BlackBerry.

[conite]

1. Like you often say lately, [citation needed]

2. Who says TCL can't negotiate a way to use the prototype if they make certain tweaks to the design so that it doesn't clearly look like a BlackBerry.

"Looking" like a BlackBerry is only one small element. It's the tech behind it, the software, and the proprietary manufacturing and design techniques that are each just as important. These are all protected.

How many patents are being used in the KEY³? 10, 20, 50? Who knows.

[Troy Tiscareno]

Microsoft made versions of Windows that could be installed on Power PC Macs - because they could - but of course they never could have released that as a retail product because it would have violated licensing agreements. Tons of prototypes of all kinds of products never get made - that's a very normal and common thing.

[the_boon]

"Looking" like a BlackBerry is only one small element. It's the tech behind it, the software, and the proprietary manufacturing and design techniques that are each just as important.

Eh, I'm not so sure BlackBerry would know exactly what goes on behind TCL closed doors.
If TCL wanted to base a production QWERTY device under TCL/Palm/Alcatel/Whatever they could inspire themselves off of that KEY3 prototype and make necessary tweaks so that if BlackBerry ever got their hands on a production unit down the line, they wouldn't have enough to back a successful lawsuit against them (which isn't out of the realm of possibility seeing their "out for blood" track record).

Let's not forget that despite the above, they slowly realized that the power of the PKB market isn't the same today as it was 7 years ago.

In 2013-14 they stopped Typo, which made keyboard CASES only.

In 2019-20 the UniHertz Titan, an obvious Passport clone, made it through production and is available to buy.

[conite]

Eh, I'm not so sure BlackBerry would know exactly what goes on behind TCL closed doors.
If TCL wanted to base a production QWERTY device under TCL/Palm/Alcatel/Whatever they could inspire themselves off of that KEY3 prototype and make necessary tweaks so that if BlackBerry ever got their hands on a production unit down the line, they wouldn't have enough to back a successful lawsuit against them (which isn't out of the realm of possibility seeing their "out for blood" track record).

Let's not forget that despite the above, they slowly realized that the power of the PKB market isn't the same today as it was 7 years ago.

In 2013-14 they stopped Typo, which made keyboard CASES only.

In 2019-20 the UniHertz Titan, an obvious Passport clone, made it through production and is available to buy.

Unihertz has stayed behind the great wall, so it's hard to know what BlackBerry would have done with the Titan.

And no, you can't just "tweak it" to remove dozens of actionable patent violations.

TCL operates globally, so they wouldn't be able to get away with anything.

[the_boon]

TCL operates globally, so they wouldn't be able to get away with anything.

The Titan is also technically available "globally".

So can you explain what makes TCL different from UniHertz in this regard aside from the obvious gigantic difference in scale between the two?

They're both based in China.

[conite]

The Titan is also technically available "globally".

So can you explain what makes TCL different from UniHertz in this regard aside from the obvious gigantic difference in scale between the two?

They're both based in China.

TCL has worldwide offices, distribution channels, and carrier relationships.

Unihertz exists as an entity only in China - making them untouchable from outside.

[Bla1ze]

How many patents are being used in the KEY³? 10, 20, 50? Who knows.

Could make an educated guess on how many it would require. https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/leg...patent-marking

tl;dr: It's a lot and hard to say what would be viable without them.

[conite]

Could make an educated guess on how many it would require. https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/leg...patent-marking

tl;dr: It's a lot and hard to say what would be viable without them.

That's a great resource! Finally something to back up what should be rather common sense.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Could make an educated guess on how many it would require. https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/leg...patent-marking

tl;dr: It's a lot and hard to say what would be viable without them.

Yeah that kinda put's it into perspective.... they'd have to start from scratch.

It would be a tough sell to the higher ups...

[PantherBlitz]

Microsoft made versions of Windows that could be installed on Power PC Macs - because they could - but of course they never could have released that as a retail product because it would have violated licensing agreements. Tons of prototypes of all kinds of products never get made - that's a very normal and common thing.

Instead, Microsoft makes money from Apple hardware the old fashioned way. They bought a sizeable amount of shares.

[Troy Tiscareno]

Instead, Microsoft makes money from Apple hardware the old fashioned way. They bought a sizeable amount of shares.

Apple also has to license technologies from MS (not as many as most companies, though), so they get some revenue there too. And of course, the best-selling apps on the Mac platform are the MS Office apps.

[Bunky1967]

Well my KeyOne is barely hanging on. I'm not gonna spend money on a Key2 that's already pretty dated, so if there's not going to be a new BlackBerry anytime soon....after 20 years using BlackBerry, once I get forced to pay for something else & have to learn to type on a virtual keyboard that doesn't acknowledge my touch, I won't be going back.

[the_boon]

That's a great resource! Finally something to back up what should be rather common sense.

We don't know how many of those patents are relative to the keyboard itself.

And maybe violating several of them at once could result in BlackBerry bothering to file a lawsuit.

But one or two? Who's gonna notice that?