Blackberry

Some might look at it like the Galaxy Note 7 all over again, though this time thankfully with less dangerous consequences. The BlackBerry KEYone allegedly had a very week, almost no, adhesive binding the screen to the rest of its body, resulting in the screen popping or falling off with very little force involved. In a statement to CrackBerry, BlackBerry Mobile somewhat admits that there might issues with adhesives, but also limits it to a "small handful" of affected units.

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It's been a while since we've seen something break at the hands of JerryRigEverything's Zack Nelson. OEMs have become a bit smarter and have recently avoided being inducted into the YouTube channel's shelf of shame. Even the fragile-looking Samsung Galaxy S8 turned out to be quite the unyielding beast. It seems, however, that TCL didn't get the memo. That's because while the premium BlackBerry KEYone won't scratch so easily and feels solid in your hand, it will easily stop working even with very little force applied.

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Fans of the unmoving physical QWERTY keyboard in the US might have trouble sleeping tonight. Not out of worry but out of excitement. Unless they are subscribed to one particular carrier. TCL has just announced that its own-made BlackBerry smartphone is finally landing in stores tomorrow. The BlackBerry KEYone, which could be the first and last BlackBerry-branded QWERTY phone this year, will be available in unlocked models compatible with most US carriers save for Sprint.

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BlackBerry has been making an effort to make its suite of apps compatible with Android devices, but if your phone has been left out in the cold, your options have been fairly limited up until this point. Rooting is always an possibility, but a lot of people don't want to do that to their device. Luckily, XDA Developers is highlighting a new option called BlackBerry Manager, which will let you install BlackBerry's apps without needing to root your device first.

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Smartphone makes go through a lot of prototypes and not all of them see the light of day naturally. Some, however, reach a point where they're almost ready to come out of the woodwork, only to be pulled back in, never to be heard from again. One such prototype is the "Ontario", which would have been the partner in crime of the BlackBerry Passport. Seeing the near final prototype, however, we can see why the company shelved the idea until it was too late.

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The phoenix metaphor is overused in a tech world where brand recycling has become commonplace, so let's just call the BlackBerry KEYone a QWERTY comeback. You'd be forgiven for dismissing it for not one but two reasons, after all. First, for packing a physical keyboard in an age where more flexible, programable touchscreen interfaces are the status-quo. Second, for its attempt at resurrecting a nameplate that long ago lost its shine.

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The BlackBerry KEYone, first revealed at Mobile World Congress back in February, is certainly interesting as far as Android devices go. As you'd expect from BlackBerry, the handset has a physical keyboard, which is sure to get some heads turning. If one of those heads belongs to you, then you might be pleased to know that BlackBerry has finally announced a release date for the phone.

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Qualcomm just can't seem to catch a break. Which is probably the price to pay for being such a successful and high-profile company. While it is still in a tug of war with Apple, it has just announced its loss to BlackBerry in a different but eerily similar case. The two companies have announced that an arbitration panel is requiring Qualcomm to pay BlackBerry $814.9 million. All because BlackBerry says it has actually overpaid Qualcomm some patent royalties.

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With all the fuss and attention being showered on the Samsung Galaxy S8, it's almost too easy to forget that there are other flagship smartphones that have yet to launch as well. Take, for example, the BlackBerry KEYone, formerly known as "Mercury", perhaps the last QWERTY BlackBerry we will be seeing in a while. Initially promised to launch this month, the company has revealed they are pushing back the date by a good month. Officially, it's to better meet the unexpectedly high demand. It probably won't hurt either that it will be steering clear of the Galaxy S8's launch as well.

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Despite all the long-running jokes about the death of BlackBerry, the company still manages to live on, even releasing the occasional new smartphone. Or, more appropriately, new smartphones are shipping with the BlackBerry name on them. It turns out the company's decision to license its name, with TCL acquiring the exclusive rights to the brand late last year, was a good one business-wise, as they've reported higher than expected profits.

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It was just a few weeks ago that TCL and BlackBerry formally launched the first BlackBerry phone of the year, the QWERTY-bearing BlackBerry KEYone. Now the second BlackBerry of the year has also broken cover, but with less fuss and fanfare. The BlackBerry Aurora claims a few “firsts”, like the first BB phone with dual SIM support. But, for many BlackBerry fans, they will probably see the Aurora as the first BB in recent times that won’t be available to the global market.

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It may seem ironic at first brush that there might actually be more BlackBerry smartphones released after BlackBerry itself decided to stop making its own smartphones. That is, of course, also an expected consequence since the production of devices is no longer dependent on BlackBerry’s capabilities. The year may have kicked off with the BlackBerry KEYone, previously the “Mercury”, but 2017 may see at least 5 new BB phones launched. One from BB Merah Putih in Indonesia, might actually be closer to launch.

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