# BlackBerry to release Android phone



## mwgdrwg (Aug 20, 2015)

So it looks like BlackBerry's next phone will run Android.

Personally, I like the slider design. I just hope they keep the excellent hub from BB10, I can't live without it now.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Aug 20, 2015)

A rahther sketchy gif has leaked:


----------



## Fez909 (Aug 20, 2015)

RIP Blackberry then.

From the only smartphone in the village to...

Giving up messenger to other platforms which made them a big draw to teens,
Giving up their operating system which had a reputation for security,
Still carrying on with keyboards when even the most vocal hardware keyboard fans have moved on.

Their phones don't even look nice, so I'm not sure what their appeal is to anyone now?


----------



## editor (Aug 20, 2015)

They join the likes of Amiga and Palm - great products and a loyal user base but ruined by the clueless fuckwits at the top.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Aug 20, 2015)

Fez909 said:


> RIP Blackberry then.
> 
> From the only smartphone in the village to...
> 
> ...



I'd probably agree with this, except for the looking nice bit. I recently held a 'Classic' and it had amazing build quality and looked like a thing of beauty to my eyes.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Aug 30, 2015)

More leaks...


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Aug 30, 2015)

Fez909 said:


> RIP Blackberry then.
> 
> From the only smartphone in the village to...
> 
> ...



They are good phones - although perception of looks is an individual thing.  I couldn't imagine being without mine now - I use it a lot more heavily than the laptop day to day, and the unlimited data is a bonus.


----------



## editor (Sep 18, 2015)

Here it is:



Looks kinda neat.


----------



## maomao (Sep 18, 2015)

The latest OS is android anyway. It behaves like my android tablet and if Ican get an apk I can install it. Can even get standard android apps from amazon store, just not google play. I will be loathe to give up my keyboard even though I touchscreen trained now (it took a while)


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 18, 2015)

editor said:


> Here it is:
> 
> 
> 
> Looks kinda neat.




I thought the battle between onscreen and physical tiny keyboards had now been  won seeing how much better modern screens are. Couldn't imagine typing faster then my Note with SwiftKey on a mobile device.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Oct 16, 2015)

Looks like this will be launched very soon. It looks really nice too:


----------



## joustmaster (Oct 16, 2015)

This thread has reminded me of this ridiculous thing


----------



## mwgdrwg (Oct 30, 2015)

This looks pretty slick indeed. I wish I could afford one!


----------



## mwgdrwg (Nov 6, 2015)

The reviews are out, and very favourable on the whole (shock, horror!). It might finally tempt me back to Android...maybe. I have  my doubts it will sell well though because everyone loves to laugh at the one-time leader being last. Anyway, looks good:


----------



## hash tag (Nov 6, 2015)

I gather it's expensive and about 2 years behind the smartphone pack and out in a day or two. That said, we are looking for one to replace a Q10.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Nov 7, 2015)

hash tag said:


> I gather it's expensive and about 2 years behind the smartphone pack and out in a day or two. That said, we are looking for one to replace a Q10.



It's expensive, but the specs are top of the range.


----------



## teccuk (Nov 12, 2015)

I still miss qwerty keyboards from phones like the g1, droid, and HTC Z ive had... Love my cheap work BB too...

In fact Priv looks PERFECT. But. £500!


----------



## hash tag (Nov 12, 2015)

out tomorrow, not yet convinced


----------



## hash tag (Nov 14, 2015)

We went, we saw, we played. Offered a good deal, it arrives Monday


----------



## hash tag (Nov 23, 2015)

It is a beautiful thing. It feels well made, looks good, feels good and so far so good.


----------



## hash tag (Dec 1, 2015)

An android phone but it's got no radio 
If radio required, will have to rely on streaming!


----------



## mauvais (Dec 1, 2015)

hash tag said:


> An android phone but it's got no radio
> If radio required, will have to rely on streaming!


Most Android phones don't have FM radios any more.


----------



## hash tag (Dec 3, 2015)

I didn't know FM was dying out, what a shame.
The Priv continues to delight everyone who comes in contact with it. Something really neat; you can move whats showing on the screen around by moving a finger over the physical keyboard!


----------



## editor (Jan 7, 2016)

Bad news for BB10 fans: BlackBerry is going Android only for 2016, say goodbye to BB10 - Pocket-lint


----------



## hash tag (Jan 7, 2016)

It might not be that bad. The Priv has the security of blackberry and a keyboard with an android operating system. Combining the best of each. It is still proving brilliant.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jan 13, 2016)

editor said:


> Bad news for BB10 fans: BlackBerry is going Android only for 2016, say goodbye to BB10 - Pocket-lint



This is not unexpected, but it is a real shame. BB10 is easily the best mobile OS, and it's going the way of the dinosaur. BlackBerry will continue to support existing devices with security updates for quite some time though.

I recently tried an iPhone for about 6 months, but still went back to my Z10 because I missed the hub, the software keyboard, true multitasking, and apps like Password Keeper and BlackBerry Travel. Since this announcement I have decided to give Android another go (Sony Xperia Compact), and even though the processor is twice as fast, everything takes twice as much time to do. I think it's because the OS design is all over the place. Menu buttons and swipes vary from app to app so much, it's so unintuitive (though material design has made it better than the last time I tried Android). Notifications suck too, as does the lack of true multitasking. But, I have to move where the apps are  In particular I need some banking and train apps for when I go abroad.

I'd love a Priv, but it's too expensive, so I'm looking forward to seeing cheaper Android phones from BlackBerry this year.


----------



## editor (Jan 13, 2016)

mwgdrwg said:


> This is not unexpected, but it is a real shame. BB10 is easily the best mobile OS, and it's going the way of the dinosaur. BlackBerry will continue to support existing devices with security updates for quite some time though.
> 
> I recently tried an iPhone for about 6 months, but still went back to my Z10 because I missed the hub, the software keyboard, true multitasking, and apps like Password Keeper and BlackBerry Travel. Since this announcement I have decided to give Android another go (Sony Xperia Compact), and even though the processor is twice as fast, everything takes twice as much time to do. I think it's because the OS design is all over the place. Menu buttons and swipes vary from app to app so much, it's so unintuitive (though material design has made it better than the last time I tried Android). Notifications suck too, as does the lack of true multitasking. But, I have to move where the apps are  In particular I need some banking and train apps for when I go abroad.
> 
> I'd love a Priv, but it's too expensive, so I'm looking forward to seeing cheaper Android phones from BlackBerry this year.


I don't share your Android experience at all, and of course you can customise just about every part of the user experience, including notifications. Can't say I find my Xperia slow in any way either.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jan 13, 2016)

editor said:


> I don't share your Android experience at all, and of course you can customise just about every part of the user experience, including notifications. Can't say I find my Xperia slow in any way either.



It's my experience though. Videos take half a second more to buffer (1st world problem), and I hate watching a YouTube video then getting an alert....video stops playing when you leave the app to check it. Or if someone posts some music on Urban, I can't listen to it then go back to browsing the forum. Lack of multitasking is shit.

Also, the fucking podcast app, forgets where I am in the podcast if I decide to listen to something different and later go back to the podcast.


----------



## editor (Jan 13, 2016)

mwgdrwg said:


> It's my experience though. Videos take half a second more to buffer (1st world problem), and I hate watching a YouTube video then getting an alert....video stops playing when you leave the app to check it. Or if someone posts some music on Urban, I can't listen to it then go back to browsing the forum. Lack of multitasking is shit.
> 
> Also, the fucking podcast app, forgets where I am in the podcast if I decide to listen to something different and later go back to the podcast.


Eh? None of this happens to me (apart from no tbeing able to play music off a web page and do something else - and even that is fixable). And there's plenty of decent podcast apps out there.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jan 13, 2016)

editor said:


> Eh? None of this happens to me (apart from no tbeing able to play music off a web page and do something else - and even that is fixable). And there's plenty of decent podcast apps out there.



Happens to me with the YouTube app...stops playing when I open Twitter, Chrome, or Whatsapp to check a message.

Also, The built in "Music" app has a Podcast section. If I listen to half a podcast then decide to listen to a few album tracks, when I go back to the podcast within the same app it plays from the start. Ok therre may be other apps available, but still irritating. I'm guessing that "Music" is an app by Sony or Google?


----------



## hash tag (Mar 1, 2016)

I see that Blackberry are following up the Priv with the Vienna First look at the BlackBerry "Vienna" - the company's second Android phone!


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jul 28, 2016)

And their new Android phone looks, well, just like a million other Android phones:


----------



## mwgdrwg (Sep 15, 2016)

I've had a DTEK50 for a week, and I couldn't be happier.

All the things I love about BlackBerry (hub, software-keyboard, password keeper, calendar etc.) and all the apps in Google Play is a sweet combination.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jan 4, 2017)




----------



## hash tag (Jan 16, 2017)

mwgdrwg said:


> And their new Android phone looks, well, just like a million other Android phones:



Not to mention there is no keyboard


----------



## hash tag (Jun 8, 2018)

Well the wifes old Priv is starting to expire, coupled with the fact that it is no longer going to be supported, so time to start looking for a replacement.
I see they released a key1, which has not gone down very well and an updated key2 is due out soon.
It doesn't look like a premium build, but at nearly £600 its a lot of money.
Anyone got any thoughts about either of these?
BlackBerry KEY2 - BlackBerry Mobile - Official website


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jun 8, 2018)

hash tag said:


> Well the wifes old Priv is starting to expire, coupled with the fact that it is no longer going to be supported, so time to start looking for a replacement.
> I see they released a key1, which has not gone down very well and an updated key2 is due out soon.
> It doesn't look like a premium build, but at nearly £600 its a lot of money.
> Anyone got any thoughts about either of these?
> BlackBerry KEY2 - BlackBerry Mobile - Official website



I would fucking LOVE one of those. But I really can't afford it. Just got myself a Nokia 6 2018 version for £200 , a third of the price.


----------



## hash tag (Jun 8, 2018)

I really don't feel the love for phones with keyboards.


----------

