6 ms·

I'll be honest, my knee-jerk reaction was "BlackBerry is still in business?". Anyone on HN own one or know of someone who does? I can't recall the last time I

by smaili 8y ago

I'll be honest, my knee-jerk reaction was "BlackBerry is still in business?". Anyone on HN own one or know of someone who does? I can't recall the last time I walked into a store who actually carried BB products on their shelves.

BlewisJS 8y ago
They pivoted to making software.
vanadium 8y ago
They're much less a hardware business anymore.
da_murvel 8y ago
I own a KeyOne, released last year with Android instead of BB's own OS. I love it, only downside is that I had to import it as it isn't available in my country ... I'd mainly used Samsung flagship phones before and got really tired of all the bloatware as well as typing on a touchscreen. (Can't believe more people are questioning touchscreen typing on phones, I think it's horrible and I don't have the largest set of fingers in the world.) I bought it for roughly $500 and this is what I make of it after one year of using it: The camera on my KeyOne is superior to anything I've tried before, I'd even go as far as saying that it's up there and competing with the giants. The Sony Z2 Compact camera is a potato in comparison. The keyboard feels a bit cheap and some keys make a squeeking noise, but it's still better than touchscreen typing by far. I've dropped the phone on a number of occassions, it hasn't broken once. The backside tend to pop out, but it's easy to put it back in place again. My biggest complain about the hardware would be the screen, as I haven't access to any protective accessories my screen is pretty scratched by now. It doesn't affect what's displayed on the screen (yet) however, but yeah, I think it scratch too easily. Like I said, the OS is Android, and it's been fairly problem free for being Android. However, lately it has been a bit too agressive in shutting down apps in the background. But I don't know if that is BB's own build's fault or Android in general. There are some pre-installed "security" apps which gives the feeling of the phone being more secure than your other average Android phone. I don't use them though. My over all impression of the KeyOne is 8 out of 10 I'd say, and I think I'll keep it until it literally fall apart.
- Izkata 8y ago
  I also have a KEYone, got it a few months ago. When I was looking to upgrade and saw it on my provider's site I was like, "holy crap, Android with a hardware keyboard finally exists?" Really, I didn't even care that it was Blackberry, I've been getting so tired of the software keyboards that I couldn't even consider the others once I saw it. And for me, it was definitely worth it. Now I can actually touch-type again without having to pause between words to check I didn't mis-type anything - I can feel it, just like missing a key on a regular keyboard.
- captn3m0 8y ago
  How's the update cycle like?
  - walterbell 8y ago
    Monthly or faster (if BB issues an out of band fix). KEY2 is available in the US.
    - mdm_ 8y ago
      I just upgraded from a KeyOne to a Key2 and it's better in just about every way. Twice the storage and RAM, faster CPU, dual camera, more spacious keyboard, cleaner design, more solid construction, and the fingerprint sensor is faster and works better with sweaty fingers (i.e. while running/exercising) than my work-issued iPhone 7.
- NeedMoreTea 8y ago
  I know one person with one, and that very much seems to be his impression too. In other words it's the phone (Android + BB keyboard) they should have made years ago, and many were hoping for.
- superflyguy 8y ago
  People are seeing on touchscreen phones, which is faster than typing. I can't believe you're surprised people aren't using BlackBerries! Once paying for texts stopped being relevant teenage girls moved onto smartphones and that was the of BlackBerry.
Apocryphon 8y ago
QNX will let them transition into a car company https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2018/10/01/blackberrys-qnx-auto-bets-are-starting-to-pay-off/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2018/10/01/bl...
wenc 8y ago
BlackBerry is not only still in business, but they are profitable too. [1] Their handset business is almost completely wiped out. The catch is that they're making their money off enterprise software and services. They also still have their QNX business, but maintaining their lead in the automotive sector will be challenging. It remains to be seen how long their strategy will work. [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-results/blackberry-beats-profit-estimates-on-higher-margins-idUSKBN1H41NM https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-results/blackb...
jrgaston 8y ago
My spouse has a Blackberry and when it wears out he plans on replacing it with another Blackberry. Why? I dunno, something about it being Canadian and not from Apple.
- alpaca128 8y ago
  I too have a Blackberry(Passport) for three years now, and if it breaks I'm planning on getting another one. The reason is simple: The OS is amazing and still ahead of all competitors in aspects that are important to me, it does everything I need well enough and I love the device's and screen's dimensions. Honestly it made me lose all interest in any other phone.
  - afandian 8y ago
    Me too. I've had mine for ~4 years and it's going strong. Blackberry OS 10 is really nice, and I prefer it to Android and IOS. They seemed to 'get' what a mobile OS should be (i.e. a helper not something that takes over your life). Then again, it is frozen in time 4 years ago. In the past I have had to install a root CA (for AWS or LE, I forget which), I have to use FTP to get my pictures off, but the trade-off is worth it in my book. I always get an amazing amount of push-back (from astonishment to outright "you're wrong") from people who argue that no-one should ever want anything except what Apple and Google want to push. Well, some people do!

by smaili 8y ago

BlewisJS 8y ago

They pivoted to making software.

vanadium 8y ago

They're much less a hardware business anymore.

da_murvel 8y ago

I own a KeyOne, released last year with Android instead of BB's own OS. I love it, only downside is that I had to import it as it isn't available in my country ... I'd mainly used Samsung flagship phones before and got really tired of all the bloatware as well as typing on a touchscreen. (Can't believe more people are questioning touchscreen typing on phones, I think it's horrible and I don't have the largest set of fingers in the world.) I bought it for roughly $500 and this is what I make of it after one year of using it: The camera on my KeyOne is superior to anything I've tried before, I'd even go as far as saying that it's up there and competing with the giants. The Sony Z2 Compact camera is a potato in comparison. The keyboard feels a bit cheap and some keys make a squeeking noise, but it's still better than touchscreen typing by far. I've dropped the phone on a number of occassions, it hasn't broken once. The backside tend to pop out, but it's easy to put it back in place again. My biggest complain about the hardware would be the screen, as I haven't access to any protective accessories my screen is pretty scratched by now. It doesn't affect what's displayed on the screen (yet) however, but yeah, I think it scratch too easily. Like I said, the OS is Android, and it's been fairly problem free for being Android. However, lately it has been a bit too agressive in shutting down apps in the background. But I don't know if that is BB's own build's fault or Android in general. There are some pre-installed "security" apps which gives the feeling of the phone being more secure than your other average Android phone. I don't use them though. My over all impression of the KeyOne is 8 out of 10 I'd say, and I think I'll keep it until it literally fall apart.

Izkata 8y ago
I also have a KEYone, got it a few months ago. When I was looking to upgrade and saw it on my provider's site I was like, "holy crap, Android with a hardware keyboard finally exists?" Really, I didn't even care that it was Blackberry, I've been getting so tired of the software keyboards that I couldn't even consider the others once I saw it. And for me, it was definitely worth it. Now I can actually touch-type again without having to pause between words to check I didn't mis-type anything - I can feel it, just like missing a key on a regular keyboard.
captn3m0 8y ago
How's the update cycle like?
- walterbell 8y ago
  Monthly or faster (if BB issues an out of band fix). KEY2 is available in the US.
  - mdm_ 8y ago
    I just upgraded from a KeyOne to a Key2 and it's better in just about every way. Twice the storage and RAM, faster CPU, dual camera, more spacious keyboard, cleaner design, more solid construction, and the fingerprint sensor is faster and works better with sweaty fingers (i.e. while running/exercising) than my work-issued iPhone 7.
NeedMoreTea 8y ago
I know one person with one, and that very much seems to be his impression too. In other words it's the phone (Android + BB keyboard) they should have made years ago, and many were hoping for.
superflyguy 8y ago
People are seeing on touchscreen phones, which is faster than typing. I can't believe you're surprised people aren't using BlackBerries! Once paying for texts stopped being relevant teenage girls moved onto smartphones and that was the of BlackBerry.

Apocryphon 8y ago

QNX will let them transition into a car company https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2018/10/01/blackberrys-qnx-auto-bets-are-starting-to-pay-off/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2018/10/01/bl...

wenc 8y ago

BlackBerry is not only still in business, but they are profitable too. [1] Their handset business is almost completely wiped out. The catch is that they're making their money off enterprise software and services. They also still have their QNX business, but maintaining their lead in the automotive sector will be challenging. It remains to be seen how long their strategy will work. [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-results/blackberry-beats-profit-estimates-on-higher-margins-idUSKBN1H41NM https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-results/blackb...

jrgaston 8y ago

My spouse has a Blackberry and when it wears out he plans on replacing it with another Blackberry. Why? I dunno, something about it being Canadian and not from Apple.

alpaca128 8y ago
I too have a Blackberry(Passport) for three years now, and if it breaks I'm planning on getting another one. The reason is simple: The OS is amazing and still ahead of all competitors in aspects that are important to me, it does everything I need well enough and I love the device's and screen's dimensions. Honestly it made me lose all interest in any other phone.
- afandian 8y ago
  Me too. I've had mine for ~4 years and it's going strong. Blackberry OS 10 is really nice, and I prefer it to Android and IOS. They seemed to 'get' what a mobile OS should be (i.e. a helper not something that takes over your life). Then again, it is frozen in time 4 years ago. In the past I have had to install a root CA (for AWS or LE, I forget which), I have to use FTP to get my pictures off, but the trade-off is worth it in my book. I always get an amazing amount of push-back (from astonishment to outright "you're wrong") from people who argue that no-one should ever want anything except what Apple and Google want to push. Well, some people do!