[mtint]

Ha, that story is quite old - month or so ago.

What happen exactly - there is a company in Beijing - Dongtong, which is "specialized" in selling smuggled BlackBerry phones - 9900 is not officially released in China and to get it options are to bring it from abroad, or to buy a smuggled one.

Dongtong started making the "show" - yes, it is only a SHOW, and they began it when there was no anymore issue with bricking 9900s.
They recorded a video of "angry consumers" with bricked 9900s, being angry because having bricked phone and no option to repair/exchange it in China. I think RIM China made it clear that 9900 is not officially available in the country and cannot offer repair or exchange, but this could be done where the phone is official.

The Dongtong show, again - it started when no more bricking issues, on the surface was about complain, but in reality together with hammering Dongtong "announced" that they have broke the code on some low level (Guys, I am only telling the story)
Thanks to the "hack", Dongtong promised if you have 9900 and pay 1 yuan (~15 cents) they will install you a modified by them OS that wont brick the phone, and they guarantee it

Here is the "beautiful" part - they didn't make money by installing the "hack", but thanks to the "events" and Dongtong's "guarantee", the "sheeps" started buying 9900s exclusively from Dongtong, but not from other smugglers. I think even Dongtong didn't expected that radical shift on the "market", so shortly after the first video they shot the second one.


On a personal note - the suggestions that RIM (even the CEO) should speak about this events is ... hm, exotic. I think RIM should get organised and approach the Chinese market as it should (it's about a billion phones and counting on the network here), and it is a shame that BlackBerry is virtually not present here.
My feeling, based on having couple of decades experience in China and telecoms, RIM except building the sales channels in the country should start thinking about how to popularize the brand here as well. The telcos wont help for sure.

The entire event and story, I think, is very shameful for Chinese BlackBerry fans, and it is even more shame that many people believed the Dongtong's "guaranties" (not to mention hacking the OS on low level) and turned to them buying 9900s. But there are sheeps everywhere I guess ...

[OniBerry]

you dont have eurofighters? come on help the old countries trade deficit a little lol

Yeah, just let us actually use those subs we bought from the old countries first. Should be seaworthy in a few more years

[Strider2112]

are you kidding me?! this is nothing compared to when that guy bought the PS3 (first in line day 1 of release) and smashed it outside in front of all the people watching.

now that deserved media attention, not a couple dicks smashing some phones.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using the CrackBerry Forums App!

[goku_vegeta]

Do Canada have any F18's?

Our government is trying to purchase F-35's

[BlackStormRising]

Those videos remind me of the Joker's nasty propaganda video when he abducted the fake Batman and started beating on him. Chilling stuff.

[jwn66]

oh they mad

[Magnetic_dud]

Wait, the 9900 bricks if charged too much?
I am missing some parts, I am not understanding

[wuulfy]

Our government is trying to purchase F-35's

The british version with rolls royce engines i hope

[MikeLiu]

It's not a question whether it's smuggled BlackBerry phone, It's the encryption design issue created by RIM, phone is produced by RIM, CEO must response why it becomes a brick, even none smartphone, cannot certainly become a brick, users loss data, loss time, create inconvenience for users of blackberrys. CEO need to compensate all users around the world who use Blackberry 9900, and now he's a chicken

[Magnetic_dud]

you mean that there is not a recovery from a brick?