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Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

Summary: There has been a lot of armchair quarterbacking taking place for RIM and if they can get a device like the one rumored at CrackBerry.com then they may still be in the running for the 3rd smartphone platform.

Matthew Miller

By for Smartphones and Cell Phones |

I enjoyed using the BlackBerry PlayBook and thought the hardware was excellent, but without a companion BB smartphone the experience was a bit lacking. Kevin over at CrackBerry.com just posted an image of a possible BlackBerry 10 phone that looks like a miniaturized PlayBook. If RIM can actually get something like this out with their services, the QNX UI, and high quality then I think they may continue to be a player in the smartphone space.

I'm sure one of the first things people will say when they see the image is that it is just like an iPhone with a BlackBerry logo. There are still many reasons that companies and government agencies use RIM for their mobile devices, security being a major one, and the ability for RIM to get a truly competitive full touchscreen device with a modern OS on it is pretty compelling. I know that I would certainly take another look at RIM if I saw a QNX-based BlackBerry smartphone like this, wouldn't you?

Topics: iPhone, Hardware, Mobile OS, Mobility, BlackBerry, Security, Smartphones

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37 comments
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  • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

    You aren't serious are you? Do you honestly expect RIM to stay solvent long enough to create this? You think Apple are just going to "stand still" and wait for this? You don't think Android or WP7 have a better chance?

    Based on what exactly? A photoshop picture of a phone that doesn't exist?

    Please.
    jeremychappell
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

      @jeremychappell how sure are you it doesn't exist, what proof do you have it can't be done ? Let's consider Apple for a moment, posting a big profit at the moment and that's great (I'm not an Apple fan-boy OK) , Apple is a tech giant, hands down. Check the tech reports lately ? The Kindle Fire, regarded (wrongfully so) as an iPad 2 competitor, comes out, and what ? Market share for other Androids is disappearing at an alarming rate. Don't get me wrong, we're not in denial of RIM's current state. But just think, should they pull they off (like you said ,if they stay solvent enough-that's not a state we currently have any faith in right now), then what ? Like they say, keep your salt shaker close on this one. Cheers !
      blue787
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @blue787
        It's clearly nothing more than a "wouldn't it be awesome if Blackberry made this" 3D mock-up.

        Let the poor buggers die in peace, will you?
        Englishmole
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

      @jeremychappell "Do you honestly expect RIM to stay solvent long enough to create this?" Funny, and true! LMAO.
      paul613
      Reply Vote

  • Nobody is investing in RIM

    Without investors, RIM goes further into debt and then liquidate in bankruptcy. Or the sell out like Palm and go away. That's the more likely scenario.

    RIM was good for the industry. They had a great run. Time to move on.
    People
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

      @People RIM doesn't make money from investors selling other investors their stock.<br>ANd tell me, how much debt is RIM carrying now?
      Hint - none.
      People shouldn't get all their "news" from bloggers' opinions.
      radleym
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

      @People <br>They need to exit the hardware market, and concentrate on BES and BES clients - new app based ones for IOS, WP7, Android, and their recovery will start.<br><br>Until the penny drops that in competition with Apple, Samsung, hardware is a game for suckers, they are on a downward spiral.<br><br>Even the once mighty Nokia have fallen, on smartphones, but they qare selling dumb S40 phones by the bucketload still.

      iMessage is a going to help kill it with teenages with iPhones or iPod Touches. For business there are a couple of good secure Messaging App alternatives on your BYOD.
      neil.postlethwaite@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

    BlackBerry has a very dedicated following and while many have tried other phones, they would likely return if the Phone is Solid.

    Personally, I loved a lot of things about the BlackBerry but, the Browser and constant battery pulls really made the phone a challenge to want to keep. If they fix those two things and improve upon the UI then it could have a comeback left in it.

    I mean, crud, Apple had less than 1/4 of the cash that RIM has when MS bailed them out (don't start shills, MS recommiting themselves bailed Apple Out) so why isn't it possible!
    slickjim
    Reply Vote

    • RIM's valuable demographic left for iPhones 3 quarters ago.

      @Peter Perry The vast majority of BBs are sold in emerging markets and to US teenagers, not exactly the must lucrative market segment. Assuming this device makes it to ship (a [b]big[/b] if considering the way RIM has executed lately) it's ASP is going to be crappy, and if it doesn't cause the last few people who are long on RIMM to sell they're employees or Basiliie's grandmother.
      matthew_maurice
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @matthew_maurice Like it or not, it is still the corporate phone of choice for many...

        As for the quality, QNX is easily the fastest mobile OS on the market! Believe me, anyone who tries the phone will see this.
        slickjim
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @matthew_maurice You don't know what you are talking about. BBs niche has been the corporate enterprise not so much the consumer market.
        DevGuy_z
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @DevGuy_z

        Most of my college junior daughter's friends have blackberries, not iPhones or Androids.

        I have found the Blackberry battery life to be much better than most Androids.
        bb_apptix
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @matthew_maurice
        UMMMM US teenagers are a huge target market most device makers want to get as thats the money makers not the 40 years olds lol. Kids now adays are spoiled and umb little mommies and daddie buy them useless shiney iphones at way overblown prices lol
        Fletchguy
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @matthew_maurice European businesses are still in there, too.
        radleym
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

      @Peter Perry I loved my BlackBerry Storm except for the fact that the hardware sucked. I hate Android because of a constant issue with e-mails not downloading...and when I finally notice it hours later, I have to reboot the phone to get my e-mail to download. By then I have missed responding to some of these messages in a timely fashion. BlackBerry's forte is the enterprise and I never had an issue receiving e-mails on a BlackBerry...never. The only reason I use an Android phone these days is because of the screen size available. The image depicted in this article would definitely cause me to consider switching back to BlackBerry if RIM were actually able to get this phone to market and the phone had good performance and good reviews.
      malcolm@...
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @malcolm@... I've owned a Blackberry as a work phone, currently use an Android based phone (Samsung Fascinate on VZW), and also accessed my exchange email via my iPhone 4 (testing out the iPhone for possible conversion to iPhones throughout the company) and out of the 3 the iPhone was always the first one to receive any email. I too have issues with my fascinate as far as getting email in a timely fashion - I find if I turn on airplane mode, wait for a few seconds, and turn it back on I'll get service and usually 10-20 missed emails. I NEVER had this issue with either my Blackberry, my iPhone or even my old WM device.
        athynz
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

      @Peter Perry IF Blackberry can produce this device and a modern decent OS then I might have to ditch the Samsung and go back to Blackberry!

      BTW it was not a bailout but a payment of a fine in a court case Microsoft lost. Sorry but it's true.
      athynz
      Reply Vote

  • Likely not.....

    They call it Crackberry for a reason. It would have to be waaay more.<br>Btw - the iPhone falls into Crackberry Jr category.<br>Andoid so far has not - its more than just email central.<br>WP - have to wait till they can get a toe into the enterprise.<br><br>Till then I'll just watch..... and use my LTE Android...
    rhonin
    Reply Vote

    • You are right ..... Android is more than just email central

      @rhonin It is crapware central.
      wackoae
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Sleek BlackBerry London smartphone could challenge the iPhone

        @wackoae At least it works the way it should! That is way more than I can say for your phone of choice!

        By the way, have you ever owned an Android Smartphone?
        slickjim
        Reply Vote
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