[the_boon]

When I got my first blackberry curve 8520 blackberry was most popular and status symbol among students in college universities. I was doing bachelor of pharmacy when I got my first curve. After few years I got an all touch Z3 which was a mistake tho I wanted to buy q10 but it was a nice introduction to bb10.

Around 2015 I got my 3rd blackberry the classic which served me good for well over 2 years. Upgraded to Android blackberry after moving to California USA from India in 2017 after my studies. First one had a faulty mic then got a replacement unit, really loved the key one. Then came the black variant and I instantly got it followed by bronze which was the least favorite among 3. Bronze had that multi language keyboard which I didn't liked plus keyboard wasn't nice as the silver or Black's so went onto getting black one outta box.

The dropping prices of priv had me intrigued, ended up buying one to play as black keyone was my daily driver but ended up putting priv back in the box when battery started to drain even while phone was plugged inn and got extremely overheated. My brother later gave away my priv as a bday present to one of his friend in India.

Then came silver key2 loved this phone,still miss it when I see it sitting in box water damaged accidentally by my uncle at our restaurant while working. But while it was working good I gave it to my mom n buy myself a black key2 which is currently my mom's daily driver and I'm stuck between iPhone 11 and galaxy s10 which my brother gave me n took my iPhone cause he thinks I dont post stuff like selfies or videos on social media regularly to be using iPhone as its camera is great, better than his s10 so he gave it to me.

As of now I'm confused whether I should wait for next upcoming 5G blackberry and hold onto Samsung for few months or should I upgrade to Note 20 ultra. Well one leaked render of our beloved 5G blackberry can play a vital role in deciding if I should wait for it or get the note 20 ultra.

If you already have a Galaxy S10, that's more than good enough to hold you over until the 5G BlackBerry next year.

[IETZR1S]

been using BlackBerry since 2003. started with a 71 or 7200 series, then the 8703 and so on. had a storm for a week and returned it. never had a S2. World edition was one of my favorites. I use a keyone at night when I am home. Use a key2le in the field. All I have owned and used over the past 16 years is BlackBerry. Looking forward to seeing what is released in 2021

[Kato659]

my first BlackBerry was a Z30. Great phone, very good VKB. Picked up a Key2 at the end of 2018, then a bunch of used BB10 handsets on the cheap. Really like my Q10, with a fresh keyboard and NOS BB external battery charger. I'm back on the K2 for now, as BB10 is struggling more than ever with my modest wants. I, too, am looking forward to the supposedly forthcoming 5G device.

[johnb_xp]

My Dad had a Pearl 8100 from 2006 to 2011, upgraded to the Bold 9900 in 2011 and passed on the 8100 to my Mom. I always loved playing Brick Breaker when we were waiting at restaurants and such. I remember when my Uncle got the iPhone 3G and showed it to my Dad, he thought it was interesting but not much of a business machine. The BlackBerry was still a top tier status symbol for businessmen.

Fast forward to 2013 and he traded in his Bold 9900 for an iPhone 5. My first phone was a Galaxy SIII (buy one get one deal cemented my fate), but I definitely looked at the BlackBerry Q10 at the Sprint store. I remember reading about the Classic when it was announced, I was in 6th grade, and thought it looked so classy. The Priv came out in 2015, and when it was time for a new phone in December of 2016 I lobbied hard for one. That was around when I joined CrackBerry. Yet another buy one get one deal forced me to get a Galaxy S7 Edge. It was a fine phone, and I bought the official keyboard cover and enjoyed the compromise for some time. Still, I must admit that some tears were shed in Best Buy in front of a very confused employee when a high school age boy was prevented from getting a BlackBerry. My Galaxy SIII was really outdated and left a bad taste in my mouth. The battery life was terrible and it lagged when typing. I set up Hub+ services and the BlackBerry keyboard the instant I got home with my new S7 Edge. Knowing the problems the Priv had now, it was probably for the best that it wasn't my first BlackBerry.

I had to spend my own money to get a BlackBerry, which eventually I did with a Torch 9810. I paid something like $20 for mine, it was used but looked like it was new. Unfortunately, the Noosy SIM adapter I used to put my nano SIM in it instantly ripped up the pins in it so it became a wifi-only device. Repairs would cost more than replacing it. I still used it with LogicMail for emails for a bit as well as listening to TuneIn radio during gym class, but it was more of a novelty than a useful device. By 2017, BBOS 7 was largely outdated.

The KEYone came out, and I went to Best Buy to check out the keyboard. Honestly, it had a much smaller keyboard than the one on my Galaxy. I like the touch sensitivity of the keyboard and screen size. I wouldn't be able to buy it if I wanted to, but I knew I wanted to hold off for the KEY2.

On July 5, 2018 I purchased my BlackBerry Classic for $35. The phone was in great condition and looked fantastic. The Classic was an amazing phone, and I continued using it until May of 2020. I remember when the 3 bus convoy got lost on a high school camping trip and nobody had signal except me and my BlackBerry. The processor was extremely slow, and it took two minutes to load directions, but eventually a route was put together and the day was saved. The Classic carried me through many big events. The 2MP camera stored my memories from homecoming, prom, and graduation. BlackBerry Maps guided me through college visits across the country. The Hub and Calendar kept me organized during my first year at the university studying Electrical Engineering, and my first real relationship. I bought a used Passport (very poor condition) in the spring of 2019, and it was a fun phone but too big for me to daily drive. It wasn't much better than my Classic at the time because the android runtime was the same, but later I would definitely notice the speed difference. I wasn't a fan of the 3 row keyboard but did like the touch sensitivity - especially swiping back to delete. I always ended every email with "Sent from my BlackBerry", which has brought up some chuckles when I needed help from IT. By the end of 2019, I really had to rely on my old Galaxy S7 for apps like Snapchat and GroupMe that my classmates used to communicate with me. I still was doing fine with RedditInMotion, Discord, Instagram, NewPipe Legacy, my bank's app, and Firefox. I would remotely connect to my S7 from my Classic with TeamViewer, which worked okay when I desperately needed to check those apps. I also had notifications sent to my BlackBerry from my Galaxy over email so I knew if something important was sent to me. My dorm floor spent a whole dinner in the cafeteria trying to crack into my picture password. They thought that was so cool. I loved how smooth the Hub was on BB10, and my battery life was fantastic. Swipe gestures are still something I miss. I got an email on my BlackBerry about the COVID-19 from the Chicago Tribune in November, then I got ones daily in February and March about the rising number of cases. The system of relying on my Galaxy S7 as a "remote server" worked well enough during the fall and winter, but when I was sent home for the spring because COVID-19 I was forced to use a new set of apps. Microsoft Teams. OneNote. Canvas. These apps didn't work at all on BB10. Other things stopped working like my bank's app, and the native browser really became more problematic than before. After 2 years of using a then 6 year old phone, it was time for an upgrade.

I bought a Silver KEY2 for my birthday in May of 2020 using $500 from my COVID-19 stimulus check. It is faster than my Galaxy, and was the first BlackBerry I owned that was truly an upgrade from my previous device. I never noticed how truly slow my Classic was at running android apps until I got a KEY2. Side by side, the difference is insane. The KEY2 is really a no-compromise device and my Galaxy has finally been able to retire. Using one device for everything again was extremely refreshing. The keyboard is fantastic (the space bar was weird but I've gotten used to it). 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage + a 32GB SD card from my Classic are more than enough for me. I'm super happy with my KEY2 and don't think I will need an upgrade for a while. We'll see how that 5G BlackBerry is when it comes out... maybe...

I went fishing with a friend and a kid talked to me about the bait I was using, and then noticed my phone. He had no idea what a BlackBerry was but thought it looked cool and the keyboard was interesting. Now that I am back on campus at the univeristy, my classmates were surpised to see my fancy new phone. People always comment on my Classic and KEY2 (they don't always recognize the KEY2 as a BlackBerry though). It's a lot of fun, and I am very proud to be one of the youngest BB users and one of the last BB10 users - I still take out my Classic sometimes and load up BAR files from the community like BBTube. I miss how smooth BB10 was, swiping up to peek at the Hub, and that sweet trackpad. I haven't converted anyone else to the BlackBerry Gang but I have definitely spread awareness of their devices and such. Hopefully you found my story interesting, thanks for reading it!

[Tsepz_GP]

Had both 8900 Curve and Q10, both were secondary devices to my Androids, I used them for BBM, wasn't a huge fan of BB to be honest once I got to use them. The Q10 was a nice step up but I could tell BB had missed the boat at this point.

I remember being curious about them when my Dad got them for work he first had a 7230, I believe he also had a 8320 Curve and then a 9000 Bold which I really liked, my mother got a 8900 Curve around the same time. Both of them used BBs alongside their iPhones and then completely dropped their BBs around 2013/2014.

What I really liked was the BIS service with its flat monthly fee, it made a lot of sense for many here in South Africa. While a tech enthusiast like me had already become used to buying Data Bundles to access internet on their phones most people here got online for the first time on their mobiles on a BB due to its flat fee structure with "unlimited data". The day BB dropped BIS is the day I believe they began to really lose customers in many developing economies, once that was dropped I saw no point in keeping BBs around.

A BB that I liked after all that was the Priv, the design was great, pity it was given poor hardware. I also loved its spiritual predecessor the 9810 Torch, I think those QWERTY vertical sliders were really cool and the form factor had a lot more potential, I was generally a big fan of QWERTY vertical sliders like the HTC TouchDual, the WP DELL Venue Pro and Palm Pre, I actually wanted the Palm Pre to kill off Android lol.

Looking forward to what Onward Mobility bring, I hope they can revive this brand and make it something people aspire to own, we need something new and exciting.

One cannot be a Mobile Device enthusiast without having a little part of them that found BB interesting in some way I believe, there was a bit of a charm in these devices, I just hated how RIM didn't work harder to get better hardware in those devices, I remember using the 8900 Curve alongside my Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and Nokia N8-00, the BB felt so archaic and years behind, take note I was a university student at that time so my phones were not just used for email but also IM, Social Media, 3D Gaming, taking pictures/videos and consuming Media, so the BBs felt very lacking to me.

[saint300]

Back in 2007 I was working for a US publishing company in sales, based in Greece but travelling to a number of countries in Europe and the Middle East. That's when the company issued the sales team a Blackberry 8300, I think it was the 8310 variant, but with a SIM card only for data, in other words only for email use, corporate email at that. We were also given the original first Apple phone, which I used for just a year and then gave it away to my daughter and bought a SonyEricsson. Regarding the Blackberry device, it was a most excellent experience! All at once I could have all my emails at the tips of my fingers and be able to contact my customers in a jiffy!! We did have a laptop as well while on the go, but really nothing could beat the Curve on that note. Unfortunately Blackberrries were not really represented here and the small fan base had to order from abroad, hence my next phone was A Symbian device at the time.

Fast forward to 2017 when I spotted an awesome looking Priv in a Vodafone shop, which was listed in an as new condition and bought on the spot. Alas, it was not to be....I took it home, upgraded to Android 6 and right after that the phone became unbearably hot and started a never ending booting cucle. So, I returned it the next day and started googling whatever Blackberry phones were available online.

First I bought a mint Classic, and that was my introduction to BB10. What a great little phone that was!! At the same time though I found out about the Passport and decided I did need to own that model too. Started out with a mint (again) PP OG and some months later I bought an almost unused PP SE! This was clearly the best smartphone I had ever had, even though I was really late in the game with regards to BB10....

But the Priv bug was still there, so finally, just last month I said to myself, "why not? since you have wanted that phone all these years, just go ahead!" And I bought a brand new NOS Priv from Canada and I am currently using it as my main device. I am verry happy too, given its limitations, and this time there were no horror stories in store for me.

Currently I am tempted to buy a black Key2, the international edition at 6/128, although I already know that I like Priv's screen and form factor much more. We'll see...

Lastly, regarding the upcoming 2021 Blackberry, I will have to see what it looks like and the specs too. Something tells me that if they go on and present a sort of a Key3 so to speak, it won't be something I will rush out to buy. Even worse, if they decide on a form factor like fxtec, I won't even consider it. So basically for me, there's only two designs interesting, and these are a PP2 or a Priv2; but I digress....

[asbuender]

My story is short and unsatisfactory. Started after Palm and a lot of Android devices with a Q10. Falling in love, and get every week more angry about app developers, because they stopped work on BB10 apps. Imported apps like Swiss Transport Organisation! So I changed to Key One but I never warmed up for this giant QWERTY phone. Now I'm back on the smallest Android Sony Xperia Compact. And waiting for Q10 running Android. LOL

[the_boon]

My story is short and unsatisfactory. Started after Palm and a lot of Android devices with a Q10. Falling in love, and get every week more angry about app developers, because they stopped work on BB10 apps. Imported apps like Swiss Transport Organisation! So I changed to Key One but I never warmed up for this giant QWERTY phone. Now I'm back on the smallest Android Sony Xperia Compact. And waiting for Q10 running Android. LOL

The newly announced iPhone 12 Mini is 131mm tall, which is pretty much exactly the same as the BlackBerry Classic.

It takes the crown from Samsung's S10e for the most compact flagship phone, once it becomes available early November.

[Ashley Taylor]

Have a look at this story.

I was the BlackBerry SME who supported these guys.

I had the UK Security Services contact me about it!

It was me

https://www.zdnet.com/article/police...e-blackberrys/

[Ashley Taylor]

Have a look at this story.

I was the BlackBerry SME who supported these guys.

I had the UK Security Services contact me about it!

It was me

https://www.zdnet.com/article/police...e-blackberrys/

They had 3 tiers of support. Drug Dealers, Gangsters and Terrorists. It was easy money. Buy a BBOS device on eBay for $50, set up a BES typically in Romania. they would charge 1000 euros for a device and several 1000 for the service charges

I was worried because the email trace lead to me....

[Rootbrian]

Mine? Started when (was still with telus) after I got tired of the ut starcom/ppc 6700 (remember that device?), was considering the HTC Touch/Diamond 2/Pro, until I decided to use something different.

That was the 8130 (pearl). Got so damn used to it, then 9700 (when they launched 3G/H+), soon shortly after, 9900 (wanted to challenge the "bricked device" rumour) when I ported to freedom mobile (the part of my signature sent from cb10).

Great device, same e-mail functionality. Soon I grabbed the Q10. Took me a while to get used to everything, however since being so damn familiar, it was easy once things got figured out.

Jumping between devices until BIS was discontinued and all. Soon I then got the classic. Jumped between that, Q10, 9900 (as just an ordinary 3G device then), then got the passport.

Good times with the passport and other devices until the modem got cooked (many of us experienced that event). Now it's Q5 (Q10 got stolen from a friend who left it in their drawer), classic, key2 LE.

I still have the 9700, the 8130 I donated (and hilariously, it returned to me!), and found it again in my buildings's electronics recycling bin!

Recently acquired two 2G/edge/gprs rogers-locked 72xx devices (don't have expensive rogers services however), was given a 3G 9320 (bands 1,2,5,6) at work.

Found a blackberry flip device (the style!) and another t-mobile Q5 (needs to be unlocked) in an electronics recycling bin passing through a neighbourhood. Yes, my curiosity always peaks. Lol

Too bad telus restricted their CDMA network to roaming devices, so can't rock it no more, as the network denies it access.

Yeah, that is my blackberry story. The devices are very efficient in what they're designed to do.

From my BlackBerry Q5 on Freedom Mobile 3G HSPA+

[asbuender]

iPhone is no solution. No BB Services Hub App. No TomTom. Not the best Exchange integration. Design is VERY nice but...

So I'm waiting.

[idssteve]

They had 3 tiers of support. Drug Dealers, Gangsters and Terrorists. It was easy money. Buy a BBOS device on eBay for $50, set up a BES typically in Romania. they would charge 1000 euros for a device and several 1000 for the service charges

I was worried because the email trace lead to me....

That's a worry to be worried about! Hope it all worked out...??

[s ga]

I loved your post.

Posted via CB10

[Mobile120]

I had a blackberry from 2010 to 2013 (Blackberry Q10 and Z10). In germany it was always a very appreciated phone. It has always fascinated me that Blackberries have such a ghetto/urban style and very comfortable to text.

[Mobile120]

Had both 8900 Curve and Q10, both were secondary devices to my Androids, I used them for BBM, wasn't a huge fan of BB to be honest once I got to use them. The Q10 was a nice step up but I could tell BB had missed the boat at this point.

I remember being curious about them when my Dad got them for work he first had a 7230, I believe he also had a 8320 Curve and then a 9000 Bold which I really liked, my mother got a 8900 Curve around the same time. Both of them used BBs alongside their iPhones and then completely dropped their BBs around 2013/2014.

What I really liked was the BIS service with its flat monthly fee, it made a lot of sense for many here in South Africa. While a tech enthusiast like me had already become used to buying Data Bundles to access internet on their phones most people here got online for the first time on their mobiles on a BB due to its flat fee structure with "unlimited data". The day BB dropped BIS is the day I believe they began to really lose customers in many developing economies, once that was dropped I saw no point in keeping BBs around.

A BB that I liked after all that was the Priv, the design was great, pity it was given poor hardware. I also loved its spiritual predecessor the 9810 Torch, I think those QWERTY vertical sliders were really cool and the form factor had a lot more potential, I was generally a big fan of QWERTY vertical sliders like the HTC TouchDual, the WP DELL Venue Pro and Palm Pre, I actually wanted the Palm Pre to kill off Android lol.

Looking forward to what Onward Mobility bring, I hope they can revive this brand and make it something people aspire to own, we need something new and exciting.

One cannot be a Mobile Device enthusiast without having a little part of them that found BB interesting in some way I believe, there was a bit of a charm in these devices, I just hated how RIM didn't work harder to get better hardware in those devices, I remember using the 8900 Curve alongside my Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and Nokia N8-00, the BB felt so archaic and years behind, take note I was a university student at that time so my phones were not just used for email but also IM, Social Media, 3D Gaming, taking pictures/videos and consuming Media, so the BBs felt very lacking to me.

a real BB lover, like it

[idssteve]

I am still using my ancient Blackberry Bold 9650, but Verizon is throwing me off their network at the end of this year because 3G. I am on a family plan of three Bold 9650s and none of us want new phones, we only use for calls, texts, and emails, maybe the calendar. (In 10 years, none of these phones has ever not worked, they are tanks, although some of the keyboard keys are a bit worn, but who cares?)

(Btw, now that my phone is so ancient, whenever I take it out, people gather around it and most say how much they loved that phone.)

I am probably going to take all three Bolds to T-Mobile. I went to a store and they said they will support GSM 3G, but are not sure for how long. ATT said they would support and the guy at the store said "Heck, we just got rid of 2G". It seems it is not only 3G phones, but all sorts of other devices that VZ would be tossing off their networks that other providers will be happy to take on.

That said, I want to be prepared for the inevitable, so my question is what is the oldest Blackberry phone that's 4G, has a removable battery, BBOS, and NO (hated) touchscreen? I would like it to be the size of the Bold, I don't use or need apps or watch videos on a phone, I want a phone that fits in my pocket. Is this too much to ask? It appears so ;-)

Suggestions appreciated!

9650 represents the ultimate achievement in non-touch proficiency. Imo. It's THE device my thumb performs fastest wpm typing! Even slightly faster than on the famed 9900! If 9650 didn't demand such prolonged reboot time after battery swap, I'd still be using 9650.

I power my Bolds exclusively with battery swaps. The usb port on this 9 year old 99 hasn't been plugged in for so long that it's pretty packed with pocket lint! Lol. True wireLESS freedom!!

9900's 1.2GHz processor demands less than 3 minutes after batt swap till I can return a call interrupted by a drained to shutdown event. Lol. Zero to 100% charge in under 3 minutes!! NOthing touches that "charge rate". Afaik.

Draining to shutdown is something I still do even on "huge battery" K series. Even on my 9900 with its 5000mAh monster extended battery. Lol. I frequently get fully invested in client service to the exclusion of invasive handset distractions... Like drained batts... Lol. Or touch screen silliness!

I still frequently employ an in-house butchered app that locks 9900's touch screen. Just to eliminate that silly distraction. An app I've set my very "shaky", very elderly, father's 9900 up with. He LOVED his touchless 9650 until it died and VZW refused to activate a "new" 3g 9650. ATT at least activated several 9900's for us about a year ago... Once these fade as 3G fades, I guess poor old dad will be stuck with some awful flip phone. He frequently expresses that he's simply too "shaky" to be in the same room with a touch anything... Lol.

Sure wish I could offer a suggestion for replacement. There is none. Too little incentive in an industry deriving such profit thru popular addiction to glorified "Tamagotchi Pet" touch screen oxytocin generators... Lol.

[bakron1]

Sure wish I could offer a suggestion for replacement. There is none. Too little incentive in an industry deriving such profit thru popular addiction to glorified "Tamagotchi Pet" touch screen oxytocin generators... Lol.

Unfortunately that’s the way the Industry went based on what the consumer wanted.

[idssteve]

Unfortunately that’s the way the Industry went based on what the consumer wanted.

Yep. And that's as it should be. Supplying consumer demand is what producers do. Producers need tools that assist that production, tho. Consumer targeted products aren't necessarily always optimal for producers' needs.

It's an extremely rare industry where pros find consumer level tools adequate for pro level jobs. Few consumers might ever justify SnapOn tools for occasional diy home repair. Yet SnapOn survives. Afaik.

The absolute absence of adequately "pro grade" communications tools just doesn't "feel" natural. Imo. If the newer, "better", stuff truly did EVERYthing better in a win-win way, ubiquitous homogeneity could be explained. Since newer stuff demands uncompromising compromises from many use cases, I can only concluded that some market force some where seems unnaturally biased. Imo. Fwiw.

Perhaps airwave space limitations prove inherently anticompetitive? ?? Lol.