Leaked Photo Shows Touch-Screen BlackBerry 10 Phone

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Leaked Photo Shows Touch-Screen BlackBerry 10 Phone

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday September 4, 2012 @06:21PM from the finally-arriving-at-their-own-party dept.

alancronin tips this quote from CNet: "A new leaked photo of the BlackBerry 10 smartphone, or the 'London,' promises a completely different looking BlackBerry than the world is used to. According to the BlackBerry news site N4BB, a photo of the device (which is designed by Porsche) shows a slender touch-screen phone that is the color 'gun metal.' Several apps are shown in the photo, including Facebook, BBM, and DocsToGo. ... The London is the first BlackBerry 10 and is slated to have a TI OMAP dual-core CPU running at 1.5GHz, as well as 1GB of RAM, 16GB storage, and an 8-megapixel camera."

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Irrelevance and mediocrity by LordLimecat · 2012-09-04 18:28 · Score: 4, Interesting

The entire reason I loved my blackberry was its keyboard-centeredness. Why the heck do I want a business phone that has a crappy touch keyboard? Theres android and iPhone for that.
I guess we still get the BES stuff, but which users are actually going to want a blackberry? If youre going to mandate a business phone, why mandate one that sucks at being a business phone?
I mean, I guess what they had wasnt selling phones, and their market share was shrinking-- seems logical to make a change, right? Except they just killed 80% of what made blackberry so popular to begin with. Being just another touch-device clone isnt really the way to claw your way back into the game.
1. Re:Irrelevance and mediocrity by Eyeball97 · 2012-09-04 19:31 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Been using touchscreen BB since the storm. Truly a horrible machine, hardware-wise, and the storm 2 wasn't much better. But, and I suspect I may be in a minority, I still prefer my storm 2 touchscreen to my SGS2 for one simple reason - the hardware "click". I've lost count of the number of times I've cursed at Android for following a link (i.e. picking up a 'click') when I'm actually just trying to scroll. Never happened on the BB, not even once.
  As for bb and "keyboard-centeredness" I came from a Bold 9700 to the Storm, and if I had a time machine and could go back, I'd give up the keyboard in exchange for display real-estate again in a heartbeat, despite the shortcomings of the storm. I did curse, throw fits and desperately miss the physical keyboard for a couple of weeks but after that, I became accustomed to the touch keyboard and now don't miss the physical keyboard at all...
  I'm not convinced the keyboard alone accounted for "80% of the popularity". For me I could care less - it's BBM and Push/Notifications that make it my choice of 'business' phone.
2. Re:Irrelevance and mediocrity by kye4u · 2012-09-04 22:28 · Score: 2
  
  The entire reason I loved my blackberry was its keyboard-centeredness. Why the heck do I want a business phone that has a crappy touch keyboard? Theres android and iPhone for that.
  I guess we still get the BES stuff, but which users are actually going to want a blackberry? If youre going to mandate a business phone, why mandate one that sucks at being a business phone?
  I mean, I guess what they had wasnt selling phones, and their market share was shrinking-- seems logical to make a change, right? Except they just killed 80% of what made blackberry so popular to begin with. Being just another touch-device clone isnt really the way to claw your way back into the game.
  This is the classic innovator's dilemma. It is how once great companies can miss the boat on new markets. They are constrained and encumbered by the demands and wants of their current customer base, which are responsible for the huge profits. Satisfying current customer demands can result in not allocating enough resources needed to develop technologies for emerging/new markets. It is easy to ignore new markets as they do not initially provide the profit opportunities that the companies current market provides.
3. Re:Irrelevance and mediocrity by mbourgon · 2012-09-05 04:19 · Score: 2
  
  My one major complaint about the 9900 is the battery life. Even with wifi turned on (which, if you're in range of wifi all the time, lengthens battery life), I'm lucky if mine lasts 24 hours. Granted I get a crapload of mail, but it was really nice to charge 2-3 times a week.
  That being said, the 9900 is pretty nice. The keyboard is big enough, screen resolution is nice, touchscreen is pretty nice, my only other complaint was they got rid of the "Reader" function in the web browser (but I guess that's what Readability/Instapaper is for). For work, with the nice keyboard, profiles, filters and the ability to set different rings for different events or different subjects/people depending on the situation, it's a lifesaver. I wouldn't mind a work iPhone - but without profiles, it's not worth it.
  
  --
  "Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples
Wrong product name by JoeyRox · 2012-09-04 18:30 · Score: 5, Funny

They should call it the Blackberry 12, since it'll be released one chapter after Chapter 11.
1. Re:Wrong product name by blind+biker · 2012-09-04 22:05 · Score: 2
  
  They should call it the Blackberry 12, since it'll be released one chapter after Chapter 11.
  RIM is a profitable company. You know, they're adding money to their bank account quarter after quarter. That's not the best way to approach bankruptcy.
  
  --
  "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
2. Re:Wrong product name by acoustix · 2012-09-05 04:19 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  RIM has no debt. Has over $2B in the bank. They will be fine.
  
  --
  "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
Re:android clone by symbolset · 2012-09-04 18:51 · Score: 2, Interesting

Apple and Microsoft have a patent cross-license deal since 1997. Microsoft agreed to not copy Apple's UI in the deal (which involved a lawsuit about Microsoft Windows copying the Apple UI). That's why Windows Phones don't look like iPhones, and it's why Microsoft is losing in mobile. Apple screwed them on this one, a rare case of the devil overestimating his bargaining power. It's also why despite rampant patent lawsuits Apple isn't suing Microsoft, or vice versa. They have a mutual "all patents" license and for the purposes of mobile patents are on the same team.

--
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Re:is this good? by symbolset · 2012-09-04 18:53 · Score: 2

For 2011, yes. For the 2013 launch date, no.

--
Help stamp out iliturcy.
The photo was cropped ... any rounded corner? by Taco+Cowboy · 2012-09-04 18:57 · Score: 4, Funny

Unfortunately the photo was cropped and all I could see is a rectangular thingy.
Anyone saw any "rounded corner"?

--
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
1. Re:The photo was cropped ... any rounded corner? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-04 19:53 · Score: 2
  
  That line is getting REALLY tired...
  But it never gets old. Makes me laugh every time, heheheh!
2. Re:The photo was cropped ... any rounded corner? by Tapewolf · 2012-09-04 20:55 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  That line is getting REALLY tired...
  Normally I'd agree, but Apple's recent behaviour has made legal action over similar-looking devices very much a legitimate concern.
3. Re:The photo was cropped ... any rounded corner? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-04 23:08 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  The trap is that phone manufacturers are forced to gravitate towards the iPhone design.
  Apple has created their own closed ecosystem of hardware and applications. All the devs are building applications designed with the iPhone in mind: rectangular multitouch screens; a single hardware button.
  Phone manufacturers want applications on their devices too. Devs want to be able to port their applications easily without having to redesign and recode for other handsets.
  It doesn't make sense to stray too far from the design the applications are built for.
  Let's hope the same uncreative minds aren't bickering over augmented and virtual reality devices.
4. Re:The photo was cropped ... any rounded corner? by bitt3n · 2012-09-05 02:17 · Score: 2
  
  Unfortunately the photo was cropped and all I could see is a rectangular thingy.
  Anyone saw any "rounded corner"?
  That line is getting REALLY tired...
  then perhaps you will enjoy this joke.
  Q: Why is the corner rounded?
  A: Because the line was REALLY tired.
  "
  
  --
  how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
Slated for 2013 by Taco+Cowboy · 2012-09-04 19:13 · Score: 2

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-tegra-4-wayne-arm-a15,15261.html
By 2013, NVidia's Tegra 4 gonna be out.
It's rumored to have a Kepler GPU and run 10 times the performance of Tegra2, more or less the equivalent to the TI-chip the Blackberry is based on.

--
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Doesn't tell you much by Animats · 2012-09-04 19:22 · Score: 2

Does everything have to be a rectangular grid of icons? With a shiny screen?
The video seems to be a video of a phone playing another video showing the battery replacement procedure.
"Gun-metal color"? Right. If they actually made the thing out of Parkerized steel, it would be a great industrial-strength design. But what we're probably seeing is the usual scheduled consumer electronics color rotation from black to white to grey and back to black. Yawn.
With keyboard as well by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-04 19:24 · Score: 4, Informative

RIM have already announced there will be a version with a physical keyboard and a 720*720 screen, for "real" BB users. The BB on-screen keyboard as on the PlayBook is, in my view, better than others, but I agree: as someone who uses a BB for messaging, I am waiting for the keyboard version. Preferably the slider.
Currently the meme is that RIM is dying and I suspect this has its origins in the large and well staffed Apple and Microsoft PR departments. But consider: the difference between a BB phone and Android/iOS is that the BB doesn't phone home all your private information to Google or Apple. A lot of "apps" are basically Trojans for privacy violation. What message do you think that RIM is addressing to corporates, right now?
1. Re:With keyboard as well by somersault · 2012-09-04 22:12 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Currently the meme is that RIM is dying and I suspect this has its origins in the large and well staffed Apple and Microsoft PR departments
  Um. Okay. Nothing to do with Blackberrys being shit to use, and requiring a third party server add on to work effectively, then?
  
  --
  which is totally what she said
Missing from description by BuypolarBear · 2012-09-04 19:48 · Score: 2

They left out the best part: QT
It's not only the hardware by erroneus · 2012-09-04 21:53 · Score: 3, Insightful

Sure, the hardware is a thing. But it's only a thing that supports better software and performance. The main thing is the things people can do with it.
The "wow" about iPhone, and later Android, was "look at all the things I can do with it! And the number of things I can do with it is growing like crazy!"
The thing about Android is "look at all the things I can do with it! with fewer restrictions! and cheaper!"
What does Blackberry bring? Developers? Apps? Freedom?
They bring business maturity. That's about it. Is it enough?
Personal experience by Kupfernigk · 2012-09-04 22:43 · Score: 3, Interesting

Indeed. It is noticeable that when I send emails from my phones, both of which have physical keyboards, the reply from iOS and Android users tends to be either very short, or a phone call. I recently had a message from a BB user on behalf of an iPhone user, presumably because the iPhone user didn't want to have to type two sentences on an iPhone.
Speech is all very well, but there are many circumstances when it is inconvenient - for the hearing impaired (there are rather a lot of us), in meetings/lectures/seminars, or where ambiguity or being overheard must be avoided, as with user names, passwords etc.

--
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
1. Re:Personal experience by Minwee · 2012-09-05 03:18 · Score: 2
  
  Our department works under the premise that if more than a couple of emails go back and forth over a topic, we get on the phone. Especially if it's sensitive or urgent.
  Good thinking. That way, there's no paper trail and none of you can be blamed when everything goes wrong. It also ensures that you can't escalate a problem to anyone who hasn't been involved from the start without having to explain it all over again, so everybody wins.
Have you actually tried one? by Kupfernigk · 2012-09-04 22:54 · Score: 4, Informative

Are you comparing like to like? Like to like is a Bold 9900 versus an iPhone, not a corporate 2010 model versus a 2012 phone. The last generation of BlackBerries are actually not hard to use, very configurable for business use (different notifications for different classes of incoming message, auto clock mode in dock, powerful security certificate handling), and the "third party server add on" is a messaging server - how well does your corporate iPhone work without one? Exchange is a third party add on from a phone point of view. I assume you mean that the BES is an add on to your Exchange server, but does your Exchange server provide secure XMPP or an equivalent out of the box?
Apple and Google have very carefully shifted the grounds away from considerations of message security and integrity, messaging flexibility, and privacy to - ooh shiny! Angry Birds! But I suspect that eventually people will realise that it's panem et circenses to keep the mass buyers happy. A phone is always a compromise as a media device, which is why screen sizes keep creeping up, and a media device is always a compromise as a phone (too big, battery life too short).

--
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
1. Re:Have you actually tried one? by somersault · 2012-09-04 23:06 · Score: 2
  
  I've had to support Blackberry users several times in the last 10 years, and the configurations options on the phone are just organised really badly. I'm sure the interface is fine for using if it's set up correctly, but it's not like iOS or Android are hard to message with either.
  I'm happy with HTTPS security, I don't work for a government agency.
  I don't see Exchange as a third party add-on, because we already used Exchange for years before ActiveSync DirectPUSH came out. It's not "third party" because it works directly between Exchange and all good phones. I think even BBs can use ActiveSync accounts these days..
  
  --
  which is totally what she said
2. Re:Have you actually tried one? by StuartHankins · 2012-09-05 02:42 · Score: 2
  Anecdotal remark...
  All members of our department were given or offered BlackBerry Bold 9000-series phones... 3 of us tried to use them but gave them back, 1 didn't accept it to begin with, 1 was the dept head and he's sick of it and waiting for the iPhone 5. Only one person kept their BlackBerry, and that person is the BES admin... and he's consistently frustrated with it.
  
  So, in our world you have:
  
  1 with a BlackBerry Bold 9000 (or newer): Not very happy but can hardly switch since he recommended the BES setup.
  1 with a BlackBerry Bold 9000 (or newer), hates it, waiting for the iPhone 5
  1 with an iPhone 3GS, waiting for the iPhone 5
  1 with an iPhone 3GS, not sure if / when he will upgrade
  2 with different Android models
  In addition, we have more than 50 salespeople and managers which were offered BlackBerries, and many have chosen either to turn it in or decline the offer with a BYOD instead. We are seeing lots of Androids and iPhones, so far I don't think any of the BYOD's are Blackberries.
  
  What made all the difference for us was upgrading from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2010. The iPhones and Androids no longer have to use IMAP; the calendaring functions are available now and the sync is very fast. There are fewer and fewer reasons to want to use the BlackBerry anymore for us. Remote wipe is one of them, although that does get murky with BYOD's and our relatively generous policies. With more critical mass on iPhone we will probably implement policies; I've tested adding VPN setup and alpha passcodes along with some other options and although it was a little cumbersome, the end result was easy to implement. Of course Android requires a different setup...
Legitimate business people... by mevets · 2012-09-05 00:37 · Score: 4, Insightful

What makes one a legitimate business person?
Is that a euphemism for prostitutes and drug dealers?
If you have to write 50 emails a day from a mobile device, you have made a serious vocational error.
1. Re:Legitimate business people... by LordLimecat · 2012-09-05 05:30 · Score: 2
  
  If you have to write 50 emails a day from a mobile device, you have made a serious vocational error.
  Theres this profession called "IT consulting". The more successful you are, the more emails youre writing, and quick access to them is pretty fundamental to getting things done efficiently.
Re:android clone by Ostracus · 2012-09-05 00:50 · Score: 2

That's why Windows Phones don't look like iPhones, and it's why Microsoft is losing in mobile.

And here we thought it was because the inertia of the poor history of Microsoft phones in general.

--
Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
Re:I do work for a government agency... by LordLimecat · 2012-09-05 05:18 · Score: 2

Unsecured email access is how massively expensive leaks and intrusions occur. They tend to be a LOT less likely with remote wipe capability, built in device memory / storage encryption, and effectively (for all meaningful purposes) uncrackable transport security.
HTTPS is fine, as long as you are super confident in all of those trusted root authorities, or if youre not using a self-signed cert. Both of those are remarkably unsafe assumptions.