BlackBerry Launches Square-Screened Passport Phone

New submitter Andrewkov writes: BlackBerry released its new Passport phone today. It has a square 4.5" screen and a physical keyboard, and it's aimed at corporate users. The company hopes the larger size, Siri-like voice recognition, 30-hour battery life, and improved security will buoy its market share. Early reviews are not terribly favorable — the Wall Street Journal says BlackBerry is still behind on the software, and "The bulky, awkward design and the unfamiliar keyboard make it hard to justify finding space for it in a pocket or bag." The Verge said, "[T]he Passport got in the way of getting work done more than it helped." Re/code calls it a phone only a BlackBerry user will love.

Comments

As a BlackBerry user

[MyFirstNameIsPaul]

I can tell you the only BlackBerry I enjoy using is the 9900/9930. It's the best work productivity messaging tool I've found. It's not a toy, like my Samsung personal phone.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Anonymous Coward]

Q10 is a good workhorse. I think only really stupid people hate BlackBerry phones.
Fear of starting to like it? Probably.
 

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes. They are probably afraid they will start to like it. That is probably what it is.

This is what today's Slashdot actually believes.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Noah Haders]

I applaud bb for making a big move. bb is far behind in the mobile race. one of their historical strengths was in physical keyboards. even in 2014 "today's slashdot" I hear people complaining about how they don't like onscreen keyboards and there are no physical keyboard options. bb might as well throw the 12-sided die and go for a win.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Anonymous Coward]

There weakness is not the OS. It is the App ecosystem. The BB10 OS itself makes Android and iOS look like crap.

To the OB, consider the BB Classic!

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[synapse7]

Who the fuck wants to manage a BES to support it?

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[MyFirstNameIsPaul]

Who said anything about BES?

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[ArcadeMan]

Dice: The Slashdot Buyout Bill is passed. The system goes on-line on september 1997. Human decisions are removed from comments moderation. Slashdot begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 12:48 Eastern time, September 24th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.
Anonymous Coward: Slashdot fights back.
Dice: Yes. It launches a DDoS attack against 4chan.
Anonymous Coward: Why attack 4chan? Isn't it a simple image-based bulletin board where anyone can post comments and share images?
Dice: Because Slashdot knows the 4chan counter-attack will eliminate its readers over here.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Anonymous Coward]

+1. Still using my 9900. I keep trying Apple and coming back. They are missing so many normal use cases I've used since '05 on my BB that I just can't get there yet.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[JaredOfEuropa]

Out of interest, what sets those Blackberries apart from the Samsung (and presumably other smartphones), making one a productivity tool and the others toys?

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[MyFirstNameIsPaul]

Physical keyboard and OS focused on messaging. For those who don't deal with a high volume of messages, such as a salesperson does, the advantages are not really seen, which is why I find the other devices better for personal use.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Barsteward]

possibly because BB was always designed as a business device where all the others are fashion items for playing music and taking selfies. they just made the mistake of going into the consumer market

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[pauljlucas]

I'm genuinely curious: can you elaborate on how the messaging is better? And how an entire OS can be focused on messaging rather than messaging just being one of many apps on the phone?

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Anonymous Coward]

I bought the blackberry z10 at a reduced price after their write down. I tell you write now, for a business user, its the best phone hands down !!! It has amazing battery life, really good OS (better than Android IOS combined) and it runs Android Apps !! The keyboard tech itself is awesome enough for people to love it. There is a small leanring curve, but it really really is good and am no fan boy rather i jumped from iphone to BBM and loving every minute of it over the past many months now.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Barsteward]

i would guess he means secure messaging that includes emails, bbm, etc

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[rikkards]

They went into the consumer market because Apple (and Android)started eating their lunch. The amount of people who can live with their "toys" as a primary work phone is more than the amount that Rim needed/needs to survive. They were trying to plug the dike and stop people from moving over.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[pauljlucas]

My e-mail is over SSL already. What's more secure about BlackBerry?

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[MyFirstNameIsPaul]

You just said it in your question. For the BlackBerry, messaging is not one of the many things it does, it's the focus of what it does. Here are some simple differences: I get a separate icon for each inbox on BlackBerry, whereas on Android I get one mail 'app' that has drop-down menus for each inbox. With BlackBerry I automatically get true push email, but Android only offers that if I'm using a Google hosted email account (yes, probably some way to fix this, but BlackBerry it is automatically set up on every account). BlackBerry is loaded with really great shortcuts available at all times because the physical keyboard, which allows me to accomplish routine tasks in a fraction of the time required on an Android. If you deal with high volumes of email (both receiving and sending -some people receive lots of email, but rarely respond, so that wouldn't matter), pick up a BlackBerry and try it out. If you don't deal with high volumes of email, then you probably will never understand why such a tool is better.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Anonymous Coward]

Physical keyboard and lack of extraneous apps.

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[relisher]

Honestly, it feels as if BlackBerry is just trying to bankrupt themselves. This new phone is a joke

Re:As a BlackBerry user

[Barsteward]

It has AES 256 bit encryption and FIPS 140-02 security certification for data protection (i.e. not just email) for governmental use, how does that stack up against SSL email?

Lacking developers.

[blueshift_1]

What it comes down to is that it just lacks the development community. People will only spend the time developing apps if it is going to make them money... and with the majority of the user base in android and iOS devices, it's just more reasonable to develop for those platforms. Not to mention, the square screen means you'll have to pretty much rethink the whole layout of you apps. But I guess it'll be useful if you're just going to check your email or make changes in a calendar (I guess it is true that blackberry users are probably only going to do that anyway).

Re:Lacking developers.

[MightyMartian]

If Microsoft, with all its vast resources, cannot make a dent in the iOS-Android duopoly, I fail to see how a company that has basically been swirling around the drain for six or seven years is going to even carve out enough of a niche to stay alive.

Re:Lacking developers.

[gstoddart]

What it comes down to is that it just lacks the development community.

And better products. And market share. And a compelling reason to use them.

RIM may have invented the market for the modern smart phone. But any of the reasons to use them have been dwindling over the last few years.

Checking you email and updating a calendar can be done from pretty much any phone these days. And those other phones already have apps and other things for them.

So except for the people who go "ZOMG! Square screens!", I'm not sure who is going to be buying from them.

My limited experience with them tells me I'm not even remotely interested.

Re:Lacking developers.

[CastrTroy]

Especially considering I haven't heard much criticism of the current generation of Windows Phones, except for that pertaining to lack of apps. The general consensus seem to be (as far as I've read) that Windows Phone is actually quite a good product. From the development standpoint, I've played around with it, and actually find it much easier to get started with than Android or iOS. The only reason I can figure that they aren't succeeding is because of the lack of apps, which leads to less users, which makes it less attractive to developers. It's a circular problem. Blackberry has other sorts of problems. Not only are there no users, but from what I've heard, developing apps on it isn't easy.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

If Microsoft, with all its vast resources, cannot make a dent in the iOS-Android duopoly, I fail to see how a company that has basically been swirling around the drain for six or seven years is going to even carve out enough of a niche to stay alive.

I guess that depends on the requirement. If this is supposed to be a secure business-class device, then I sure as hell don't need to be trying to woo some hipster coder to work for me writing the next candy crush, or fill an app store with 98% bullshit, which is pretty much what we have today.

Re:Lacking developers.

[hattig]

Luckily it can run Android apps, and includes the Amazon App Store for Android Apps on board.

But I don't know how it runs Android games that use the NDK, not the Android runtime...

It's an odd shape, but I've read a couple of things about it that are positive - non-obscured display because the keyboard is also a trackpad for example, natural left/right handed use, solid software...

Re:Lacking developers.

[aaron4801]

Blackberry always made the superior hardware. Even in the software, there are functions that Blackberry has had for a decade that iOS and Android still can't duplicate. That said, they walled their garden off far too completely. If they would just make the switch to Android, even a highly modified version like Amazon, I would strongly consider going back.

Re:Lacking developers.

[acoustix]

It runs Android apps as well. The lack of software support is a BS complaint from 2 years ago. There are hundreds of thousands of apps for the BlackBerry 10 platform.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess that's why they can run Android apps too

Re:Lacking developers.

[ArhcAngel]

I'm curious why running Android apps isn't enough? Are you aware that the Amazon's Android App Store is loaded on the PassPort out of the box and the Passport runs 98% of all Android apps?

Re:Lacking developers.

[CastrTroy]

Interesting. Although I guess the question is, what is in the 2% of apps it doesn't run? From a quick search, it looks like there's 1.3 million apps. Which means that there's around 26000 apps that don't run. If they are all just fart apps, then that's fine. But if it includes popular games or programs that I want to use, then it's a big problem.

Also, how did anybody test that all those apps are even working. They would have to download each one individually and test them out. Even automating something like that would take a while. And how did they get access to all the apps if they had to pay form them. And how do you determine if an app "runs" do you launch it and check for crashes? Do you actually try out every feature of the app, play through the entire game?

Re:Lacking developers.

[danbob999]

Nothing wrong with Windows Phone. But they still lag behind Android phones by 6-12 months. The prime example of this is the HTC One. Windows version released months after the Android version, with the exact same hardware.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

So except for the people who go "ZOMG! Square screens!", I'm not sure who is going to be buying from them.

Blackberries come with a number of killer features:

1. They don't spy on you and give all your data to Apple.

2. They don't spy on you and give all your data to Google.

3. They don't leak all your nude selfies to the internet as was recently demonstrated with many celebrities.

Look, if you care about the security of your data, don't use Apple and don't use Android.

Sadly, only about 19 people seem to care, and the lineup at the Apple stores for the iphone 6 was even bigger than usual.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barsteward]

"Not only are there no users, but from what I've heard, developing apps on it isn't easy."

such generalisations. you should say there are not as many users as there used to be. and from what you've heard why aren't developing apps on it easy?

Re:Lacking developers.

[Guspaz]

If the primary reason to use a Blackberry device is because it can run Android apps, why not just use an Android phone in the first place?

Re:Lacking developers.

[ArhcAngel]

Perhaps BlackBerry can answer those questions.

Re:Lacking developers.

[ArhcAngel]

The PRIMARY reason to use a BlackBerry device is because I don't want the NSA or 4chan all up in my business.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Ravaldy]

Lag in what regards? Most useful apps are now finally on par with IOS and Android ones.

The rest of the phone is just a phone. The one thing that works for them is the fact that their developer base is HUGE since all code crosses over platforms minus interfaces (For obvious reasons).

Re:Lacking developers.

[master_kaos]

since all code crosses over platforms minus interfaces (For obvious reasons).

Someone should tell that to microsoft.

Re:Lacking developers.

[sexconker]

in the software, there are functions that Blackberry has had for a decade that iOS and Android still can't duplicate

This is very true. My Android doesn't get a monthly reformat. The old Blackberry would be reformatted at least once a month because it would regularly decide to do nothing but throw errors about Java shit fucking up.

Re:Lacking developers.

[danbob999]

Lag in hardware releases. Windows Phones have the same hardware as Androids released 6-12 months before. And the price is similar or even higher. So even if Windows Phone was a perfect clone of Android with as many developers and users, people would still get Androids.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barlo_Mung_42]

I get your point and it's a good one but I just want to put a pin in the myth of the mobile OS duopoly. Windows Phone isn't very far behind IOS. Both are waaay behind Android. It's more accurate to think of it as an Android monopoly and then everyone else.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barlo_Mung_42]

The apps isn't really even that big of an issue any more. There will always be a gap in the number of apps but it's getting closer in terms of a usefulness gap. With the exception of an official Starbucks app there's not anything I feel I'm missing.

Re:Lacking developers.

[AchilleTalon]

Parent post should be mod-up to match the original post at least. This redundant complaint about the lack of software support is just misinformation.

Re:Lacking developers.

[MightyMartian]

By "not very far behind iOS", you mean with actual sales (and no, shipping from factory to warehouse or outlet is not a sale), that are all but insignificant compared to iOS.

Does anyone seriously believe that Windows Phone has any market share of any kind?

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

"I fail to see how a company that has basically been swirling around the drain for six or seven years is going to even carve out enough of a niche to stay alive."

You fail probably because you view Blackberry as solely a mobile phone company. While their most visible products are their handsets to many people, Blackberry has other products they seem to make a sizable profit on. BB owns QNX (an RTOS from which BB10 is based) which is considerably profitable (though not as wildly as some imagine), and BES sales are returning. Even the monetization of BBM has apparently gone well, although their foray into other platforms has been mediocre.

Also, those niches Blackberry is more known for, namely security, vehicles (Audi and Porsche), and business (including health care and banking), they are still solid in. Blackberry has been in the car segment for year. Their luxury products, while no numbers are available, they slowly keep releasing "new" models (quotes because they are based on old designs). They still have the best security clearances and generally considered the best secured platform, and they've been buying companies in these areas as well. They aren't "going to" have to "carve" out anything really; they already are established in a lot of areas where there is little competition.

Even their attempts (Z3, manufactured by Foxcomm) into low end phones for the international market have gone reasonably well. Most of the prior waste to Blackberry's bottom line was their abandonment of their old phone designs (slates, which were well-designed but didn't sell all that well; one of their old models based on OS7 is being manufactured again, again in a deal with Foxcomm) and over-production of phones they thought were hits but were huge write-offs (Z10, came out a year too late and at too high a price point, although one solid phone). This was addressed by outsourcing manufacturing (Foxcomm as already mentioned) and more focused designs (their latest and next design, the Passport and Classic, advance their keyboard and the toolbelt respectively). So a return to the old, both in the tech and in bringing what people liked to their latest phones.

So while your negative viewpoint is understandable and deserved, it's a bit last year. I'd argue they already have several niches they do well in, and while they aren't as wildly successful as Apple's latest consumer phones, and their smartphone share is dismal, the only thing that matters is really profitability, and they seem to be making a steady but slow return to that, if not already (latest numbers I believe come out this or next week).

Re:Lacking developers.

[Just Some Guy]

I don't think there are accurate market share numbers available, and most of what you see are educated guesses. Here's a link to mobile usage which shows Android at 45.01%, iOS at 44.34%, Java ME (!!!!) at 3.77%, and Windows Phone at 2.69%. BlackBerry at 1.18% comes in behind Symbian at 2.61%.

As I can't think of a good reason why Windows would be disproportionately undercounted compared to iOS (unlike Android which is widely available on dirt cheap phones in developing nations), I'd say Windows Phone is a whole hell of a lot very far behind iOS.

Re:Lacking developers.

[ArhcAngel]

Developers who want to target multiple platforms try to avoid the NDK as it can be difficult to support and can make their app incompatible with even other Android devices if they aren't running the same platform (ARM/INTEL ATOM). That said there is limited support on BlackBerry 10.3

Re:Lacking developers.

[Gliscameria]

That's exactly why I left windows phone or whatever it was called about 3 years ago. Every time I went to look for an app there was an Android and iOS version, but no winmo... which was infuriating, because most of the applications had a windows desktop version, and I'd think it would be a whole lot easier to recompile and troubleshoot in the mobile net framework than to rewrite everything for Android/iOS. I know that there is a HUGE difference between developing real applications and just playing around in visual studio, but making simple apps for windows mobile required no additional knowledge outside of just compiling for the mobile net framework.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barlo_Mung_42]

Those stats mix in tablets where Apple does have a solid lead. Looking at just 2nd quarter phone data from IDC:
Android:84.7% Apple:11.7% and MS:2.5%

If this were the PC days Andorid would be MS, Apple would still be Apple, and MS would be Linux so it doesn't make sense to talk about Android and Apple as though they're a Coke/Pepsi style duopoly.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barlo_Mung_42]

I agree that Windows Phone has very little market share. If we think of this in PC terms, Android is MS, Apple is still Apple and MS is Linux.
As of 2nd quarter data:
Android:84.7% Apple:11.7% and MS:2.5%

My point is that it doesn't make sense to talk about Apple as though they're part of a Coke/Pepsi style duopoly. There's really just Android with everyone else way back there.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Ash-Fox]

My work blackberry phone has never been formatted and only receives upgrades. It works quite well.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Ravaldy]

I wasn't making reference to Metro because in that case it would probably be ok.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Ravaldy]

Most users really don't care. I know I don't. I'm not encoding videos with my phone. I click on shit and it comes up. And the price point where I live is $0.00 with a plan. It was $0.00 at release because they are trying to pierce the market.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barsteward]

the pre-QNX blackberrys were a bit flakey because of the Java dependency. I spent 4 years supporting them and the number of device wipes and restores of data was a large part of my job apart from every time a new device was released the number of excuses i heard for them needing the new version.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Ash-Fox]

the pre-QNX blackberrys were a bit flakey because of the Java dependency.

I don't think my Blackberry Bold even runs QNX honestly. I've never had issues with it (literally zero), but I have witnessed other people who manage to screw them up badly.

Re:Lacking developers.

[danbob999]

I agree that last-year specs are often enough. That's why I get a used phone for half the price. I am pretty sure most users don't like paying full price for last year hardware. That's why Apple sells much more iPhones on the day of a new release than the day before.

Re:Lacking developers.

[MightyMartian]

I'd argue that if they don't start selling product soon, they're dead. Blackberry will be cannibalized.

Let's be clear here. BB is living on loans and a dwindling cash reserve. It has few customers to speak of. The Passport is not Blackberry Rising, it's a hail mary pass.

Re:Lacking developers.

[MightyMartian]

In units sold you're right. In revenue you're not. Apple has demonstrated with the iPhone 6 that, despite all the claims that it was over the hill, that it still commands significant brand loyalty and dominates the high end smart phone market. All Blackberry and Microsoft have been able to demonstrate is the number of people who actually give a damn about their phones is so small as to be deemed insignificant. Neither Google or Apple are losing much sleep over Windows or Blackberry phones.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Octorian]

I still wonder what platform(s) those numbers lump into the "Java ME" bucket, since that's not really a platform as much as a category. A category that the older BlackBerry OS "technically" was compatible with, but is rarely counted as part of.
I'm also suspicious of any mobile marketshare stats, since they vary from hour to hour and always seem to support the point being made in whatever blog post or presentation they're cited in.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Octorian]

The new BlackBerry 10 platform doesn't have any Java shit to get fucked up.

One of BlackBerry's biggest marketing problems with BlackBerry 10 is that they're not getting the message across that BB10 is *not* the same platform as BB7. The only thing they really have in common is the brand name associated with them.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

By "not very far behind iOS", you mean with actual sales (and no, shipping from factory to warehouse or outlet is not a sale), that are all but insignificant compared to iOS.

Well do you have such figures?

Does anyone seriously believe that Windows Phone has any market share of any kind?

That depends on the numbers you provide.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barlo_Mung_42]

Oh, I didn't say anything about revenue. I completely agree that Apple is a really well run money generation machine. They've always done well selling Macs even though the market share was low. Back in the day when I would talk to my mac friends they would assure me that they liked it that way; Apple wasn't going to compromise in pursuit of market share.

Then the iPhone was a hit. It seemed like everyone had one and my friends were all happy to crow about their fat market share and I don't say I blamed them. It feels good to back a winner. WP isn't going away though. Unlike Blackberry, MS is still making money hand over fist in other places and the mobile segment of their strategy is too important to give up on. They'll just keep pouring money into it until it has momentum to self sustain. That's what they did with xbox, windows server and even office back when it was the underdog.

As a fan of WP I have gained an appreciation for how my Mac friends feel on the PC side. Meanwhile Google is just going to keep pushing the peddle and Android will seep into every nook and cranny of our lives. Not a pleasant thought but I don't see anyone catching them any time soon.

Re:Lacking developers.

[exomondo]

The PRIMARY reason to use a BlackBerry device is because I don't want the NSA or 4chan all up in my business.

Well the NSA most certainly can be "all up in your business" if you use a BlackBerry so perhaps it's time to switch to something else. As for 4chan, well just don't use "cloud services" for hosting stuff you don't want to be public.

Re:Lacking developers.

[wchin]

You can't trust IDC data.

Also, treating Android as a single thing is a mistake. You really have to separate out Google Play Android versus Android Open Source Project. They aren't the same thing in terms of how the market behaves, pricing, and the consumer experience.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

Blackberry posts CVE's just like everyone else. They have security lapses just like everyone else. Poorly chosen passwords give people access just like everyone else.

Further, by design, it is far easier for the NSA or other government organizations to tap network traffic for Blackberry devices and several governments successfully demanded access.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows Phones have the same hardware as Androids released 6-12 months before. And the price is similar or even higher.

(Not really meaning to defend Windows Phone..)

But people CLAIM both of these are true for iPhones too.. yet 10 million sold (not "shipped") in one weekend.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Lehk228]

Aapps are trivial to make for BB10 you can install android apps directly and a few modifications to the menu and it will fit in instead of feeling ported, native is "better" but integration with android runtime apps is quite seamless. Considering that the suits at blackberry seem chronically incapable of demonstrating competence despite the best efforts of engineering, I hope that they get bought whole by microsoft or samsung and not picket apart by scavengers when the time comes.

Re:Lacking developers.

[ArhcAngel]

That's strange because the years I spent admining BlackBerry's 2004-2006 I never had that issue. I mean there were the occasional device lock ups but they were rare. The only time we wiped was when an employee left. I wonder if the way the BES was configured could have contributed to the issues you saw.

Re:Lacking developers.

[unity]

Indeed, developing apps for blackberry is a pita -- at least it was the last time I did about 2 years ago. Win Phone apps are quite a breeze by comparison.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barsteward]

Lockups were just the "Battery out for at least 10 seconds". Wiping a device wasn't a large issue but there were quite a few Java Exception Errors so the "wipe it and start again" was applied when the user wanted something done to make them feel happy and important. Having a blackberry was just like having a BMW, "i've got a blackberry (or BMW) so therefore i'm important by association", a bit like the Apple users now "I've got an iPhone so I'm now officially a cool person by association"

Re:Lacking developers.

[Barsteward]

I've had everything from a 6710 (week battery life) to 8700 when i left. I had virtually no problems either. I think a lot of the problems were down to the link to Exchange, we had a lot of PAs sharing their bosses calendar and most work great all the time but I had one PA whose device i had to relink the calendar once and sometimes twice a week. Blackberrys got the blame for everything, we had one group whose emails were taking over 20 hours to reach the device and everyone wanted a replacement handset to fix the issue, it turned out to be an under-configured Exchange server, once they put more memory in it, it was fine. unfortunately the exchange was maintained by the client and we couldn't get access to it and they didn;t want to take the blame for the issue

Re:Lacking developers.

[Kijori]

I expect that there is a feature that they don't have, and that 2% of apps require, rather than that they have tried all the apps and identified which ones work.

I don't think Blackberry uses Google Play Services, so that may well be the feature that 2% of apps rely on.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

There are not many users, so not a lot of criticism. This is valid for Windows Phone and Blackberry.

We develop libraries for all platforms and have plenty devices of all brands, developers are free to use them and take them home for personal use. Some try Windows Phone for a week or Blackberry for a day, but all of them fall back to use iOS or Android devices, with an about 50/50 divide.

I have tried Windows phone myself, it takes a while to get used to it. It is fast but sometimes unexplainable sluggish and hanging. Also, many, many updates. If we take a Windows phone or tablet out of the drawer that was not used for a few months, it needs hours of downloads and restarts before it can used. If you would use a Windows Tablet for work and turn it on, suddenly it shows a blue screen and without any warning starts to load an update, which cannot be stopped and takes more than an hour!!!

Windows Phone as an environment to develop for it is terrible, it is easy to start but if you want to do something more advanced (background tasks, tile mode or using hardware like microphone), many errors and inconsistencies in documentation and API, there is little support in the (closed) community, emulator does not store settings after shut down, emulator does not work in VM, no knowledgeable support, app rejections based on technical errors without explanation or help.

Blackberry similar, the whole development environment reeks like beta. Extremely unstable and incomplete. You are better of to develop for Android and to port it for Blackberry. That is the good thing about Blackberry, that saved them.

Re:Lacking developers.

[MightyMartian]

I wonder how much longer Microsoft shareholders will tolerate the company dumping vast sums of money into product lines that don't make money. Even the XBox division has yet to actually pay for the massive investments.

Re:Lacking developers.

[Anonymous Coward]

What it comes down to is that it just lacks the development community. People will only spend the time developing apps if it is going to make them money... and with the majority of the user base in android and iOS devices, it's just more reasonable to develop for those platforms. Not to mention, the square screen means you'll have to pretty much rethink the whole layout of you apps. But I guess it'll be useful if you're just going to check your email or make changes in a calendar (I guess it is true that blackberry users are probably only going to do that anyway).

What about it's ability to run Android apps?

Last post?

[peter.kingsbury]

I wish it were, on this topic...

Re:Last post?

[davester666]

Not, it is.

OK

[kv9]

But does it bend?

Re:OK

[pushing-robot]

Not in your pocket, apparently.

Re:OK

[Anonymous Coward]

http://ca.blackberry.com/software/desktop/blackberry-blend.html

Re:OK

[ControlsGeek]

Chen actually made a joke about this at the Launch. Stainless steel frame not as likely to bend as the Aluminium one in the iphone 6.

Square screens

[itzly]

Square screens are probably the only way to stop people making vertical videos.

Re:Square screens

[TWX]

I idiot-proof my device, but along comes a bigger idiot...

Re:Square screens

[Barlo_Mung_42]

Youtube really needs to take the lead in solving vertical video syndrome. I'm sure they can autodetect when some lunkhead is pushing up a vertical video and scrunch it into full view. It would look horrible but might convince people to turn the damn phone. They could also keep a count and after three strikes just refuse to accept vertical videos from the offending party.

Re:Square screens

[Anonymous Coward]

It would look horrible but might convince people to turn the damn phone.

No, it won't help. Lunkheads have been getting aspect ratio wrong for years and can't seem to notice it even when it's pointed out to them.

Re:Square screens

[Anonymous Coward]

Or - and here's a revolutionary thought - shape the video player to fit the video. The most annoying thing with vertical videos isn't viewing them on a horizontal screen, it's turning your phone/tablet 90 degrees so it has the same orientation and proportions as the video ... and not having the video fill the screen, as it obviously could do.

WTF?

[gstoddart]

Who has been asking for square screens? And other than people who are die-hard fans of the company, who wants anything from Blackberry?

My brother was visiting recently, and his POS BlackBerry (no idea what model) wouldn't charge from a standard USB, it kept complaining it needed a special cable.

Seriously guys, WTF is the point of using a standard connector if you need a magic cable or charger?

Sorry BlackBerry, but I think this is just one more product which the market nobody really wants.

The Playbook I bought my wife was a steaming pile of useless.

I certainly won't be buying anything from BB anytime soon.

Re:WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

I just bought the Passport and am looking forward to receiving it. The BlackBerry 10 OS is wonderful, and most of the new features of iOS 8 are bad copies from it.

Every BlackBerry charges from a standard USB so I don't really know what you're saying there.

Not sure why people hate on BlackBerry so much. Threatened? Jealous? They make great products.

Re:WTF?

[anjrober]

posted by AC, shock!

Re:WTF?

[Ash-Fox]

My brother was visiting recently, and his POS BlackBerry (no idea what model) wouldn't charge from a standard USB, it kept complaining it needed a special cable.

My work blackberry charges fine off every USB cable I've used. Are you sure you weren't using a data-only USB cable?

Re:WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

>Seriously guys, WTF is the point of using a standard connector if you need a magic cable or charger?

My HTC One (M8) Android phone is the same way. If I use a standard cable or charger I'm told it will slow-charge. With the correct cable and charger it quick charges.

Re:WTF?

[jeffmflanagan]

Have you been diagnosed?

Re:WTF?

[gstoddart]

My work blackberry charges fine off every USB cable I've used. Are you sure you weren't using a data-only USB cable?

Unplugged the cable I use to charge my Nexus 7 and my cell phone (and half a dozen other things) and plugged it straight into the BB. It had just finished charging my phone.

Kensington 4 port USB wall wart I've charged dozens of different devices.

Got the big message that the device couldn't charge the BB.

If it was data only, I'd never have been able to charge anything else with it. My wife's Playbook has the same problem ... it will only charge with the BB cable and wall wart.

So, yeah, I'm 100% sure it wasn't a data-only cable.

Re:WTF?

[Skater]

I had a similar problem with a work-issued Blackberry 9930. The only chargers that worked with it were the included Blackberry charger and the charger for my Samsung S3. We have at least 30 chargers laying around our house and cars, ranging from name brands like Apple and Samsung to no-name chargers we got for free, including chargers for my wife's iPad and my Asus tablet, and I tried them all. Only the Blackberry and Samsung adapters worked to charge the Blackberry. The cable didn't seem to matter - as long as it had the correct USB port, it worked - but the power adapter did.

Re:WTF?

[hattig]

Meh, BlackBerries lack of support for the Playbook after promising BBOS10 for it and not delivering it says a lot. Additionally the fact that they got the security right means there are no Android hacks for it, so you're stuck with what it has.

I want to like this device for being different, but it's still a BB.

Re:WTF?

[hattig]

Weird, my (otherwise useless) playbook charges from any micro-usb charger.

Re:WTF?

[Megol]

There isn't any "data-only" USB cable! There are 3 connectors theoretically needed for communication: Ground (signal reference), D+, D- (signal) and in practice the power connector (+5V) is needed too. Just having the signal connectors (D+ and D-) wouldn't be of any use as it would be impossible to even detect that a unit is connected!

Now his charger may have been too weak and the BB simply required more current to charge than it could deliver.

Re:WTF?

[Barsteward]

"wouldn't charge from a standard USB, it kept complaining it needed a special cable." - possibly correct. my girl friend's samsung S3 charges a lot faster on my blackberry supplied cable than it does on her samsung supplied one. At least it uses a standard plug socket so we can both use the same cable.

The playbook was mainly for Blackberry phone users so it was a bit limited if you got it as a stand alone tablet rather than a Galaxy Tab

I'll happily stick with BB because i'm not a app junkie, i just need secure email, good contact handling, good calendar and okay browsing. i prefer my computer for proper work. At least the Passport had better battery life and a real keyboard and a decent size screen, just hope i've got the pocket sizes for it.

Re:WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

OMG, I can't believe there is a discussion about this on Slashdot, a place supposedly for geeks. The issue is actually with the charger, cable, and motherboard manufacturers not properly following the USB standard. I don't know why, but ~2010-2011ish, device makers, including BlackBerry, decided to start following the standard, which states certain requirements on the cable and port connections (I've modified cigarette lighter adapters, but forget which pins are eff'd up). Pretty much anything you buy now, from phones to tablets, will require perfect USB compliance, or it won't charge. I have an old ca. '05 Dell Optiplex and neither my BlackBerry nor my Samsung tablet, both micro-USB, will charge on its ports, while my Dell D420 laptop (ca. '07) will charge both of those just fine. I have a Plantronics Bluetooth car speakerphone that came with a cheap microUSB cable that charges it just fine, but nothing else I own that is micro-USB will charge from it.

Re:WTF?

[bugs2squash]

There may not be any data-only USB cables, I don't know. But it's perfectly reasonable to transmit data over just a differential pair. LVDS etc. do it just fine with no separate ground and I can't think of any reason why one could not detect device connection. I'm not saying that it does work, just that it could.

Re:WTF?

[AchilleTalon]

How is that post considered insightful while it is just flamebait?

Re:WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

Your cable was not the issue. The phone is smart enough to know your power wart didn't source enough current. Learn to read the current output on the wart and match it to the fucking load and you will not have this issue. LOL.

Re:WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

Who has been asking for square screens? And other than people who are die-hard fans of the company, who wants anything from Blackberry?

My brother was visiting recently, and his POS BlackBerry (no idea what model) wouldn't charge from a standard USB, it kept complaining it needed a special cable.

Seriously guys, WTF is the point of using a standard connector if you need a magic cable or charger?

Sorry BlackBerry, but I think this is just one more product which the market nobody really wants.

The Playbook I bought my wife was a steaming pile of useless.

I certainly won't be buying anything from BB anytime soon.

1 Blackberry is worth 1,000.000 iPhones any day .

Re:WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

"who wants anything from Blackberry?"

I mainly do email, browsing, and wanted something reasonably secure.

I bought a Blackberry because I wanted a solid browser and one that maybe ran Flash (one of the sites I watch video from uses Flash near exclusively). When I looked into this, the native browser on Blackberry got really good reviews, and seemed the only platform that still had Flash support (internally maintained by the company, rumor is).

BB10 allows finer permissions for apps, so you can control or see what they access.

And Android compatibility turned out pretty well, enough for me to run Torque. I'm not a heavy app user myself.

"POS BlackBerry (no idea what model) wouldn't charge from a standard USB, it kept complaining it needed a special cable."

And wtf does that have anything to do with this current phone? Nothing.

I bet you also don't know what OS your brother's phone was running either, right, or how old it was or you did and failed to mention it? Most Blackberry phones people encounter now are their older models, which are approaching 4 or more years. You probably don't even know if it was running OS7 or BB10, do you?

I have a Z10. Charges off USB fine. Every Blackberry I've read about that uses BB10 uses standard connectors correctly and fine. He probably had an older OS7 phone. Might as well compare Windows 95 to Windows 7 or MacOS to OSX.

"The Playbook I bought my wife was a steaming pile of useless."

You got burned, we get it. The Playbook didn't deliver and everyone that bought one has legitimate complaints about that. There's no arguing against that. The Playbook also is no longer supported at all by Blackberry.

But unless you've used their current OS (available for 2 years now) and a phone from the past year to make a judgment, you really aren't speaking to their current product lines.

Is a Passport for you? Certainly not, not with your emotion and misinformation. You'd do better with an Android or iPhone. But for someone like me, I like when my phone syncs up nicely with my car, I like keyboard phones (though I currently use a slate phone), and I'm still more browser and email based. I like running 6-8 apps at a time, something that I didn't realize only until the past year, the latest phones on other platforms couldn' t do.

"Who has been asking for square screens?"

Who asked for their private information to be handed over to the NSA by Apple and Google? I digress.

A lot of their old customers apparently who use their phones to communicate, not as status symbols. They wanted a keyboard and a return to the OS7 design (toolbelt, keyboard, keyboard shortcuts) but with the BB10 OS. That's why they delivered the Passport and will be with the Classic.

For reading and such, it's nice and a nice form factor. Also, the square screen resolution is greater than a 720p phone so at 1440 squared can still handle 16:9 video in 720p with black bars. I don't quite see why people want 4k on a 5-6 inch screen myself. I want battery life and decent communication apps, and that's pretty much built in on their later models (Z30 amoled screen, and on, here with a larger battery due to the size of the device). It's not for everyone for sure, but unlike you, I don't expect everyone to buy the same phone.

Re:WTF?

[zlives]

i too can attest to both functionalities

Re:WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

As a former Playbook owner myself, I can say that the Playbook will charge with any connector except if it ran out of charge, in which case you would have to use the Blackberry connector to charge it.

Re: WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

There was a leak version (unreleased) in mid 2013 that said the USB port didn't supply enough current. Otherwise, you're full of shit.

Re:WTF?

[perryizgr8]

Probably things like this prevent HTC from growing their marketshare inspite of making good phones.

Re:WTF?

[Kijori]

What did the message actually say? I've noticed that some BBs seem to require slightly higher current than other phones - maybe your adapter isn't supplying enough juice?

Dunder Mifflin Releases New Pyramid Tablet

[Mazzella!]

"Unleash the power of the pyramid"
http://theoffice.wikia.com/wik...

All that real estate

[phorm]

All that space, just to fit the keyboard. Why not a snap-out keyboard like the HTC phones used to have (and that people were pissed off when they stopped making).

Re:All that real estate

[Anonymous Coward]

The keyboard never gets in the way of the screen.

Re:All that real estate

[TWX]

i had a T-Mobile G1/HTC Dream. I wish that they'd come out with a new version of that. I don't need my phone to be wafer-thin, I need it to have a decent screen, and arguably a good real keyboard.

Awful awful timing of launch

[presidenteloco]

Trying to launch one week into the shadow of the massive iPhone 6 launch?

Guaranteed burial and gross embarassment by comparison.

Execution matters, and now we'll see an execution.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Rigel47]

Um, you're aware the iPhone6 is getting huge negative press for literally deforming while inside a front pocket? The blackberry passport, by contrast, has a stainless steel frame.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[jeffmflanagan]

There isn't a lot of overlap between the market for this device and an iPhone, so there's really not much of a comparison to be made.

This device could be much more useful than regular smart phones to older people with failing vision.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Overzeetop]

You do realize that stainless (in it's most common forms) is no stronger than typical structural aluminums, right?

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Guspaz]

What I'm aware of us that everybody is repeating the same tiny handful of stories/reports of bent iPhone 6 Plus phones over and over again, so it's not clear if the negative press represents a real problem, or just a handful of defective phones that has raised an uproar. They're still selling like gangbusters, and it'll probably take at least a few days or weeks before we can find out if "bendgate" is the result of defective units or an actual design flaw.

The Blackberry Passport, for its part, is ridiculously wide, roughly equivalent to a six-inch tablet (it's half an inch wider than the 5.7" Galaxy Note 4). The form factor will probably relegate it to niche status.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[SuperKendall]

Um, you're aware the iPhone6 is getting huge negative press for literally deforming while inside a front pocket?

Um, you're aware that the iPhone 6 sold 10 million units launch weekend and is still gong strong? And that any large phone has the same problem so people learn not to sit on them?

The only thing the articles do is help the case industry.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Ralph Wiggam]

One of the complaints against Apple is that they're using cheap, soft aluminum, not the tempered kind that you're talking about.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Anonymous Coward]

And yet, strangely, this is the most press I've seen from Blackberry in 2 years, and generally positive news at that. All the while there is that other phone launch...that seems to be having problems meeting demand and expectation.

The reality is, there is no good time really to launch a phone. The Passport will appeal to those who want the novelty of a keyboard and a larger screeen and device. Their big expectation, the Classic, will launch in the next few months. Blackberry doesn't have one phone in the pipeline, but usually 2 (was Passport, is Classic) with 2 more rumored.

btw, Blackberry launched 2 phones since the iPhone 6 launch.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Rigel47]

Nobody's sitting on the phones. The issue affected people putting the phone in their front pocket. As to the million of phones sold, yes, Apple has a lot of lemmings.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[BarbaraHudson]

I think what's really telling is that Blackberry hopes to sell a million of them over the next year.

That's what - 2-1/2 days of iPhone sales? Sales by the 10 AM coffee break any day of the week for Android?

So what does the passport have?

• 1. A square display - that cuts off video with black bars top and bottom, or drops the sides.
• 2. A real keyboard - but the shift key is on-screen (along with a bunch of others).
• 3. A camera that takes non-standard square pictures reminiscent of the old kodaks from 50 years ago.
• 4. Blackberry apps, but no access to google apps, so potential users will still need their android phone because they're tied into google for much of their workflow / data / services.

Forget the complaints about the form factor being too wide - people will adjust. Just like all the new Apple iPhone 6+ users are learning to adjust to bigger screens after saying for years that there was zero need for them. However, people are definitely tied to their current functionality, and before they carry around a blackberry as a second phone, they'll just buy a 7" or 8" tablet. A lot cheaper, works with their existing tools and data, much bigger display even if it is lower resolution, etc.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[SuperKendall]

The issue affected people putting the phone in their front pocket.

Same difference, and it still affects other Phablet owners just as equally.

Apple has a lot of lemmings.

You want to see lemmings? Look at every Android owner who continues to buy into a platform that is horribly insecure and a second class citizen where applications are concerned. Buying Android because "Not Apple" makes you guys the largest bunch of lemmings history will ever see.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[BarbaraHudson]

You want to see lemmings? Look at every Android owner who continues to buy into a platform that is horribly insecure and a second class citizen where applications are concerned. Buying Android because "Not Apple" makes you guys the largest bunch of lemmings history will ever see.

I guess you don't watch the news much. Apple Yanks iOS 8 Update, Apple Allegedly Knew of iCloud Brute-Force Vulnerability Since March (with screen shots of emails), Users Report Warping of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus ... and that's just today on slashdot.

Apple has been playing catch-up with android for a while. Near Field Communications is a big new thing for Apple in the i6, but it's been in android since Gingerbread.

Buying something "because it's Apple" is starting to sound like "Nobody got fired for buying IBM". It was the safe bet - until it wasn't.

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Anonymous Coward]

And yet, NFC payment schemes up until now have been fraught with problems including significant security lapses. Google Wallet requires Google to hold your credit card numbers on their servers.

Google has had so many extremely embarrassingly large security lapses with Android and yet Apple gets disproportionately dinged.

For example: http://arstechnica.com/securit...

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Anonymous Coward]

The screen width actually makes real work possible. I thank this feature ....

Re:Awful awful timing of launch

[Guspaz]

If you want to do real work on a mobile device, a tablet would seem to be more appropriate.

They still don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

Nowadays if it does not bend nobody cares.

Need customers first

[sjbe]

Especially considering I haven't heard much criticism of the current generation of Windows Phones, except for that pertaining to lack of apps.

I think someone would have to actually buy one for anyone to criticize it...

Blackberry runs Android apps

[Anonymous Coward]

All Blackberry phones made in the last two years can run Android apps. This no app/developer argument is tiresome.

Re:Blackberry runs Android apps

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, an older, stripped down version of Android anyway. I don't know if it's changed, but apps based in the Android Player based apps didn't even have access to hardware like the camera and microphone at one point.

Re:Blackberry runs Android apps

[Octorian]

It might have been an older version in 10.0, but we're up to 10.3 now which is pretty much up-to-date in terms of Android support. (Even 10.2.1, which most currently-shipping devices run, is fairly up-to-date.)

Re:Blackberry runs Android apps

[wchin]

The OS/2 effect is going strong. It worked so well for IBM, so Blackberry chose to adopt that strategy.

I just want a phone

[future assassin]

I just want a good tough phone with nothing except for the phone and minimal software for the phone to function installed. Nothing else. If I want to install a browser, cal, etc.. then I 'd do it after wards

Re:I just want a phone

[NoImNotNineVolt]

Ask and you shall receive!

Re:I just want a phone

[praxis]

Do those have a reasonable browser? That was one of future assassin's requirements--the possibility to install a browser after wards (sic).

Re:I just want a phone

[NoImNotNineVolt]

If I want to install a browser, cal, etc.. then I 'd do it after wards

That's a big if! I understood it to mean that he really doesn't want one, hence his objections to one being provided by default.

But really, I was just trying to be an ass and demonstrate that the type of contemporary phones that have nothing more than "telephony" on their feature list are explicitly marketed towards people with one foot in the grave.

Re:I just want a phone

[praxis]

Yes, I wasn't asking if it has a reasonable browser installed, I was asking if there was one available to install later, otherwise that if could never be satisfied. Sorry for the confusion.

Re:I just want a phone

[ControlsGeek]

Blackberry has done significant development to improve the voice call aspect of the Passport. At the release event they discussed this including closed loop feedback with a separate microphone to improve the loudness and tone at your ear depending upon how far away that you hold the device and the ambient noise and whether the other party is a 'Loud talker' or 'Quiet Talker'. Also mentioned was the extra loud speakerphone mode (300 times louder than Samsung) and the 30 hour battery life. Not sure I believe it until I hear it though. Does anybody use their phone for Voice calls anymore?

OK

[Anonymous Coward]

Or, can you charge it in the microwave?

No USB charging? Nonstandard cable?

[gwolf]

Hard to recognize if you were talking about Apple or Blackberry.

Or maybe deep inside Apple owns Blackberry, and pushes it just to compete (unfavorably) with itself?

Re:No USB charging? Nonstandard cable?

[Guspaz]

Apple devices charge off regular USB just fine: lightning cables end in a regular USB 2.0 plug on the other end. That means it's a nonstandard cable, not that it doesn't support USB charging.

Re:No USB charging? Nonstandard cable?

[gwolf]

Apple, Blackberry and other providers' devices charge off regular 110/220V AC power just fine: They just require a specific voltage conversor, rectificator and plug.

But yes, I have to yield: I thought GP was refering to the connector only.

Re:No USB charging? Nonstandard cable?

[ArhcAngel]

And yet I just upgraded a 4S to 8.0 and all of the sudden the Targus 2Amp (2 1A ports) USB charger I've been using for two years will no longer charge the phone. I had to switch to a...BlackBerry charger to get the phone to charge.

Re:No USB charging? Nonstandard cable?

[Guspaz]

That may say more about a problem with the Targus thing you're using than anything else. My iPhone 4S running iOS 8 is still charging fine plugged into my Windows PC or my various battery packs... but the fact that you're using your BlackBerry's charger just goes to show that it can charge off regular USB without issue.

Now, it's definitely true that Apple went a non-standard route for high-power USB charging (charging over USB at amperages in excess of the half amp standard of USB 2), but the worst case scenario there is that it will charge slower, not that it won't charge at all, and the point becomes moot when most accessories (like decent battery packs) support both Apple's high-power standard and USB-IF's own. I think I paid $20 for my Anker battery pack, and my giant NewTrent one was pretty cheap considering it's got a battery of a size you might expect to find in a laptop. Both work fine with Apple devices.

For squares, by squares

[Anonymous Coward]

nt

Review are actually quite positive....

[Maxwell]

...thanks for cherry picking the worst part of every review. Most reviews seem to like it, appreciate it, but are on the fence about the size and form factor.

Re:Review are actually quite positive....

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow,

Not sure what Slashdot has become,

but instead of this being a post about an announcement and a chance to talk about new tech,

it focuses on an anti-blackberry point of view.

Then to look through all the comments with high scores which are mostly trollish in nature and positioned in an anti-blackberry tone.

So much for this site for being a community of geeks who just like to objectively discuss among one another about new tech.

now its just like every other site just full of heated opinions and people picking one side and bashing the other.

Re:Review are actually quite positive....

[Octorian]

Its honestly not all that surprising. For a few years now, the majority opinion in the tech press has been that you can't post anything about BlackBerry unless its bad news or has negative commentary injected into it.

Re:Review are actually quite positive....

[Just Some Guy]

For a few years now, it's been difficult to post anything about BlackBerry that didn't involve bad news or negative commentary.

Biased reviews..

[Rigel47]

"it requires no less than three taps on different install buttons, at least two loading bars, and a fair amount of patience before you can actually use the app you're trying to install."

Heaven forfend.. installing apps is exactly how much time spent on a phone? 0.1%?

BB Passport and the BB Software Ecosystem

[Anonymous Coward]

All the talk thus far here on /. has been centered on the Passport as a standalone device. How about extending the discussion to the BB software ecosystem? In particular, for business users, how does it compare to smartphones for data security?

They seemed detrmined to use up every last dollar

[JoeyRox]

of shareholder equity before they close their doors.

Binary Blobs = Boycott

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure M$ had a hand in this travesty.

My Issues with BB

[Champaklal]

As an ex-user (had Storm 2, now I'm a disgruntled iSheep), I found these problems with Blackberry:

1. Ergonomics - Touch was often very hard and mobile unresponsive.
2. Overheating when playing games (there were only 2 of them, which brings me to 3rd point)
3. all the apps were extremely costly
4. battery wouldn't last
5. had to pay extra for internet connectivity, when my sim had free internet.

Unless Blackberry corrects these issues (issues like ergonomics are still missing from latest one), I don't think they'd be able to sway market.

Re:My Issues with BB

[Barsteward]

5) must be a regional phone provider problem, never had it here in the UK on any blackberry. don;t see how its a "blackberry" problem

Re:My Issues with BB

[Anonymous Coward]

Storm 2? Geez, that's an OS7 phone. You do realize the past 2 years Blackberry is on a different platform, uses BB10 which is derived from QNX?

It's okay to have issues, but it's like Blackberry has moved for quite some time to a different platform, and you're griping about the old one without even trying to read up and learn about the current offerings. BB10 is probably the latest mobile OS and it's solid, even pretty impressive.

2 games? wth...I'm not a gamer but I've got a couple dozen installed that are native. And free. And that's before trying to load up Android ones (which are largely compatible too).

Most apps are $.99. Nearly all under $3, though they are some that are more. Plenty are free.

The Passport supposedly has battery life to nearly 30 hours. The Z30 has an amoled screen and is said to get 20.

Internet connectivity? They work with any regular plan now. They connect like any other Android or iphone. You just pop in a sim that's connected to a plan and it works.

Overheating...not sure where to go there. The only phone I've remotely heard that's an issue is the Z10, and owning that one, it just gets warm when running at full load in the sun. It doesn't fail or bail or anything either.

Ergonomics? Have you seen Android and iphones? Slate and keyboard based phones are just what they seem. Not sure where to go there.

Re:My Issues with BB

[Octorian]

Storm 2 was an OS 5 phone. I'm amazed that people still hold a grudge against the company's entire product line because of it. I thought folks had forgotten about that by now.

Re:My Issues with BB

[Anonymous Coward]

That phone was released in 2009. In 2009 Apple released the iPhone 3G (OS 2.0). You couldn't even do copy and paste with it. In 2009 Android wasn't even available on an official phone. The majority of people were using feature phones at that time if they weren't using a BlackBerry. Compare Apples to Apples.

I bet an iPhone 3G running OS 2.0 sucks pretty hard compared to anything offered today, perhaps even compared to some feature phones.

Re:My Issues with BB

[Champaklal]

I used Blackberry in 2009. I saw it had multiple issues, and as it was unlocked (I'm from India, and here you need to buy the phone at a higher cost than locked ones). The phones lacunae were very big deterrent for me to follow Blackberry at all. Why follow when their flagship phone (they had launched Torch just after that, and that too had bombed) is that bad. Apple quickly corrected it's shortcomings and I bought that in 2011. Now, I see pure android looks good to me, so I'm thinking of buying that.

Yes, it runs Android apps.....

[Anonymous Coward]

But they just behave oddly. I have a few apps in BlackBerry World. I get complaints about user crashes. Unfortunately, nothing in their runtime provides a callstack for me to even look at. Sometimes it'll happen constantly for a user for a week, and then stop. My apps aren't complex game apps either. They're utility-type apps with your standard UI components. After an OS update, some users will complain of apps just crashing. I'm debating dropping support for BlackBerry because when an issue does come up, it consumes a ton of my resources (and no, I'm not going to invest hundreds into real BlackBerry hardware because the sales just aren't there).

First, corporate, now an independent SW Architect

[vikingpower]

I use a Blackberry. A BB Bold, to be precise. It makes me look with pity upon iOS / Android / Windows Phone users. Security is tight, the OS is as stable as QNX ever was. Someone here complained about the thing getting hot when used for gaming. Heck - a BB is **not** a toy, you use it for doing business. Apps ? Over more than 2 years, I downloaded exactly 2, for very precisely described needs. All the rest I need ( email, contacts management, evernote, calendar, LinkedIn ) was **already** on the phone when I got it. If BB goes down, I'll have a major problem. If not, I'll be one of their staunchest supportes. But then again - I use NetBeans as an IDE, and drive a Saab :-)

Trust Blackberry?

[sjbe]

1. They don't spy on you and give all your data to Apple. 2. They don't spy on you and give all your data to Google.

No I'm sure they give the data to someone else I'd rather not have it, like the NSA or foreign governments. If you actually trust any smartphone vendor to keep your data private you're being naive.

3. They don't leak all your nude selfies to the internet as was recently demonstrated with many celebrities.

Yeah that's a really big problem for most of us... [/sarcasm]

Look, if you care about the security of your data, don't use smartphones.

Fixed that for you.

Re:Trust Blackberry?

[BarbaraHudson]

How soon people forget. RIM was very quick to roll over and give access to their servers in 2010, to the Saudis of all people: as reported by Reuters and LOTS of other news sources.

RIM would share with Saudi Arabia the unique pin number and code for each BlackBerry registered there. That will allow authorities to read encrypted text sent via Messenger, an instant messaging service that's distinct from email sent on the BlackBerry.

The arrangement would effectively give Saudi Arabia access to RIM's main server for Messenger, but only for communications to and from Saudi users, the source said..

The Canadian company declined to comment, referring media to its earlier statement in which it said it "cooperates with all governments with a consistent standard."

Just google for "rim gives government access to servers" India quickly got the same. The US and China? Yep!

Significantly, DoT was pulled up by a parliamentary committee a week ago over liberal extensions given to RIM on providing messages to security agencies in a readable format. Unlike the intransigent stance it took in India, RIM had provided access to its services to the U.S. and China.

The real question is, who doesn't have access to encrypted BBM messages?

Re:Trust Blackberry?

[ControlsGeek]

If the country in question has physical access to the server running Blackberry (BES) then they have the ability to eavesdrop on encrypted messages. That is why the German government developed their own encryption over the top and Blackberry bought that company. India was upset because the Blackberry servers were in Canada so they bought their own.

Re:Trust Blackberry?

[Anonymous Coward]

BBM Protected uses unique keys

http://ca.blackberry.com/business/products-services/e-bbm.html

My Issues with BB

[Anonymous Coward]

Just FYI:

1) The touchscreens now are very different than the Storm's. Also, the software is entirely new and designed around touch support from day 1.

2) No overheating issues on ANY modern Blackberry (Q10, Q5, Z10, or Z30)

3) You can run Android apps. Pick any free one you want, no problem. You can even run Netflix.

4) Battery life is about on par with modern smartphones. A little better than the Galaxy series.

5) Not anymore. BlackBerry OS 10 does away with the need for any special wireless provisioning. Any SIM works fine.

In other words, all your issues are fixed, and have been for about a year now.

"Doing business"

[sjbe]

I use a Blackberry. A BB Bold, to be precise.

I'm sorry. My mother had one of those. One of the worst interfaces on a smartphone I've ever had the miserable experience of using. Absolutely hated working with it when she needed something fixed.

It makes me look with pity upon iOS / Android / Windows Phone users.

Can you hear the sound of the rest of us not caring?

a BB is **not** a toy, you use it for doing business

I use my iPhone for "doing business" quite successfully thanks. I could say the same about quite a few Android phones I've worked with too. BB has precisely zero features that make it better than the alternatives for "doing business" that are relevant to me. It does however have quite a few things I don't like that make it worse for me for non-business use though.

Re:"Doing business"

[vikingpower]

Interesting. This issue seems to have about the same potential to form the subject of a religion war as, say, programming languages, IDEs, editors or OSes. Very interesting.

It's a valid point

[Anonymous Coward]

You obviously have not managed blackberries in a corporate environment. The blackberry enterprise server (BES) has historically been used to manage corporate blackberries. Just because the new bb's support activesync doesn't mean that corporations will let them come directly in and bypass an MDM server. That's why Blackberry has a new server for the BB X devices.

Re:It's a valid point

[Anonymous Coward]

You obviously like to jump to conclusions. Just outsource it.

Square phone for ...

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

Square phones are for square people.

First, independent, now a corporate SW Architect

[Just Some Guy]

That reeks of sour grapes. "I don't want to play the games I can't run! I don't want to download the apps that aren't available!"

My iPhone is **not** a toy, I use it for doing business. I have roughly a zillion apps, for very precisely described needs. Only the bare basics were on the phone when I got it, and I was able to pick a great SSH client, slick personal finance app, excellent public transit apps, a nice RPN calculator, my bank's app (so I can deposit checks by taking pictures of them), Yelp for when I want to take my team to a good dinner on business trips, a few instant messengers (because I can't get all my friends to "upgrade" to the ones I like), a document scanner with OCR, our corporate chat client, an outstanding GTD system (wassup, OmniFocus?), and a passel of games for idling away downtime at the airport.

I'm sure a BlackBerry would meet my needs if I had very few needs. But then again, I use Unix as an IDE and drive a minivan.

AMA: Blackberry User

[CMYKjunkie]

My workplace is BlackBerry only, and thus I have had various iterations since 2003. I had a Bold 9900 until June of this year when it was switched out for a Z10. As a mobile professional, I must disagree with OP's comment about the Bold being "the best" in that the Bold's major failing was the web browser and email attachment handling. Both were pitiful (I had the BB OS 5, not the later OS 7 models) and hampered my ability to work mobile, not helped. I often had to tell customers and colleagues "you'll have to wait until I get back to the office so I can see that/look at that link." Now with the Z10, it is WORLDS better. The browser and attachment handling apps are equal to the competition.

Personally, I have an iPhone 5 and as it is now starting to suffer hardware problems (my model has both the "lock" button failure and the premature battery death problems) I had considered using the BB exclusively. On the plus side, the Z10 battery lasts all day -- ALL DAY -- the UI is very modern and usable, and the capability to use up to a 128 GB SD card is nice compared to my iPhone's locked in 16 GB which I constantly have full.

The downside which keeps me from going to BB is still apps. I don't have many iOS apps but what I realized I do have that I cannot replace on BB OS are: native Gmail client, Amtrak (I do a lot of train travel), online banking, Netflix, PBS Kids (for the little ones to use at restaurants and such), and iTunes (seamless sync of music collection). I know some of those apps have substitutes or workarounds, but I will be frank: I don't want to have to f*ck around for it to just work. That is why I left Android after having one from 2010 - 2012 for the iPhone, it was too much crapware and hassle with my music collection.

That's my story, so feel free to "Ask a BlackBerry User Anything" and I will give you my two cents.

Re:AMA: Blackberry User

[Anonymous Coward]

Amtrak works (tested). Netflix works (tested). Most online banking apps work (it's rare for a bank to put the effort in to use proprietary Google extensions). PBS Parents Play and Learn works. Not substitutes or workarounds. Literally they are right there from the Amazon store which is built into the new phones. If you don't have it, just access it and it will install. We're not talking about fucking around, you're just using the real native apps. The Amazon store is a simple web install. I didn't provide instructions because it's really as easy as it seems, just try to go to it with the phone and it's done.

Google native email doesn't work (proprietary Google code), iTunes doesn't work (duh). Living without iTunes, well, that depends on how you built your music collection. Living without the terrible email interface Android gives you is a blessing.

Re:AMA: Blackberry User

[MyFirstNameIsPaul]

My experience with the 9900 is only with OS 7 and then OS 7.1, the only notable difference to me was increase in battery life, making the stock battery tolerable. Never had any notable issues with viewing websites or attachments, other than the screen is tiny, though PPI is great. Even YouTube embeds work fine. I don't like the keyboard on the new X device and I have a fondness for physical buttons and trackpads. On the very rare occasion that the OS browser isn't playing well with a website, usually due to screen size and text flow, I just switch to Opera Mini, which magically renders the pages perfectly, though has as really crappy interface. I used the 8700c and then the 9000 before the 9900. I actually miss the jog dial for scrolling websites.

Re:They seemed detrmined to use up every last doll

[Anonymous Coward]

People have been saying this for years. Blackberry is more break even on their handset business this year than prior years where they lost and wrote down millions. They're back to buying companies. Their other relative but separate products BES (leader), BBM, and QNX (rtos leader I think) all make money for the company. Their partnerships (vehicles, luxury) are all profitable. Their handsets certainly aren't doing well in market share, but in terms of the bottom line, profitiability, they've made solid improvements and gains compared to where the company was just last year.

'bouy' is a noun, fucking American cretins...

[Anonymous Coward]

"will buoy its market share"

Derp, derp, derp... I'm too stupid to think of the right word, so I'll take a noun and turn it into a verb... like 'leverage', etc. etc.

Fucking American idiots. You can't even speak your own language properly.

Those "journalists" were so right with phablets

[Lawrence_Bird]

so of course nobody could possibly be interested in this format either, right? I mean look at it! its like holding a piece of toast up to your ear. And who wants to be able to read a whole email without having to swipe left right up and down and lets not forget pinch and zoom. Thats just plain boring. And with this great economy we're in I can totally slack off at work and watch videos half the day so all those pixels best be showing my videos (and pron!)

Wall Street Journal obviously pimps AAPL

[Anonymous Coward]

As it's a aapl products popularity allows them to write contentless articles, with headlines usually ending with a question mark about what aapl may/may not do.

The whole wall street has been in on aapl marketting. It's hard to take their review seriously. New Blackberry interface is amazing.

Sorta like...

[Anonymous Coward]

...the new iPhone is something only iPhone fanbois will like...

No

[saleenS281]

Been off of BB since the first iPhone came out. You're full of shit. Nothing in the AAW ecosystems can touch blackberry email/contacts/calendaring even after having almost a decade to catch up. I wouldn't go back to blackberry, but to claim it isn't a better alternative at those three tasks is either bold faced lying, or you've never actually owned a blackberry.

Re:No

[yabos]

I personally don't "get it" how bb is better at those 3 things. Perhaps you can enlighten us?
iPhone, Android, BB: All can send emails. You can argue whether the physical keyboard is better etc. but that's personal preference.
iPhone, Android, BB: All can sync contacts. Not sure why one is better than the other.
iPhone, Android(never used it but I believe?), BB: Can work with Exchange if you use that, calendars seamlessly sync between devices, computers, etc.
All I have ever heard is BB is "better" at it, but no one says *why*.

I watch the news

[SuperKendall]

You must have missed:

This Or This (or countless others), any one of which is vastly worse than the things you list - only one of the items you list is a security issue. And the last one you list affects Android devices also (wow, a large flat object can be bent! How amazing!), not to mention the iCloud brute-force attempt was not even used to gather data, meanwhile Android has no real backup solution for users AT ALL. Way to spend a hideous weakness into a strength.

Simply put, using Android is noting the very real threats to security faced on that platform, recommending it to a non-technical person is ethically the same as giving them walking directions through the worst part of town and laughing at they head off.

I'll let you have the last response as you are blind to all weaknesses in your platform, just as lemmings are blind to the cliff ahead...

Re:I watch the news

[BarbaraHudson]

You kind of missed my point. Are Android users lemmings because they won't "buy Apple"? No. Today we're into commodity computing - pretty much all devices from the major makers do what people want, just as pretty much any computer today is good enough for most people. That being the case, are people being lemmings by voting with their wallet, to buy something that does everything they want for 1/4 the cost? I doubt it. My android spends a lot of time in my front jeans pocket, and hasn't bent yet. I even twisted it yesterday, just to see what would happen, and it returned to normal - which is what I expected considering I've dropped it on the street while running to catch a bus and it still looks new.

Sure, no product is perfect - but Apple really stepped into it - 3 out of 15 stories on the front page were bad news for Apple - how often does that happen with Android? The same thing with the news - Apple's problems have made the major news outlets world-wide. Same thing with TV shows.

And I guess you haven't ever used an Android - Settings | Backup and reset to back up my device, restore it, or reset it. Plus I can just drag whatever I want to/from my laptop, a USB stick or drive, or wherever if I don't want to trust Google's servers. And it's just a few taps to put it into developer mode. And I don't have to buy anything to develop apps for it. And I can load apps from anywhere without jail-breaking. What more does anyone need?

Apple no longer makes a decidedly superior product, and have been playing catch-up in some aspects for several years now. NFC is a good example of this. Our transit system announced it was looking at an NFC app for payments well before the newest iPhone, so don't expect the iPhone to be the first to be supported, since it (1) has lower market share, and (2) didn't have NFC capability until now and (3) wants to be tied into Apple Pay instead of just emulating the transit's smart card, and being able to be topped up via my banking app, no trusting google or apple or any 3rd party.

So why pay a premium for what is now an ordinary consumer product, one that no longer benefits from the "network effect" of "everyone else has one"? Lemmings do that :-)

This message brought to you by:

[Anonymous Coward]

BlackBerry: Where we crushed the notion that co-CEOs are a good idea.