BlackBerry gave up producing its own smartphones a few years ago, and instead began working on partnerships with third-party companies to manufacture and sell phones under the BlackBerry name that come with BlackBerry apps and services installed. Earlier this year BlackBerry’s biggest partner pulled the plug, which means we won’t be seeing any more TCL-made […]
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TCL pulls the plug on BlackBerry smartphones
BlackBerry hasn’t actually made any smartphones in years. The BlackBerry KeyOne and Key2? Those were both made by TCL. Now BlackBerry has announced its partnership with TCL is ending. That means that after August 31st, 2020 there probably won’t be any new BlackBerry-branded smartphones unless the company can find another hardware partner. While BlackBerry was an […]
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Unihertz Titan will be a crowdfunded BlackBerry clone (for $199 and up)
Smartphones with physical keyboards may be an endangered species, but you can still pick up a BlackBerry-branded phone if you really want one. Soon there may be another option. Unihertz plans to launch a crowfunding phone for a BlackBerry clone called the Unihertz Titan. There’s no word on the release date or retail price, but […]
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Lilbits 361: Chromebooks with numeric keypads are a thing now
Last week Acer unveiled the first Chromebook with a number pad on the right side of the keyboard. A few days later HP joined the party by introducing the new HP Chromebook 15. It’s a 15.6 inch laptop with a full HD display, a metal cover, a metal keyboard deck, and a backlit keyboard. The […]
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BlackBerry Messenger is shutting down on May 31st (update: not really)
There was a time when BlackBerry Messenger was a key selling point for BlackBerry phones… and it was exclusively available on BlackBerry devices. But in 2013 the company launched BBM for Android an iOS. A lot has changed since then. BlackBerry doesn’t make its own phones anymore. BlackBerry OS is pretty much dead. And now […]
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BlackBerry Key2 LE coming in September for $399 and up
So you want a modern Android phone with a physical keyboard, but don’t want to spend $650 on a BlackBerry Key2. TCL has you covered. The company has just unveiled a cheaper model called the BlackBerry Key2. It has the same keyboard, display, and physical design. But it has a less powerful processor, less RAM, […]
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BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X launch (in India)
There are two new BlackBerry-branded phones ready to hit the streets. The BlackBerry Evolve and BlackBerry Evolve X are mid-range phones with big batteries, dual rear cameras, and they’re both set to ship in mid-September. While the two phones look a lot alike, the he Evolve is the cheaper of the two, priced at about […]
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BlackBerry Key2 goes on sale in the US July 13th, pre-orders open June 29th
BlackBerry and TCL’s latest Android phone-with-a-physical-keyboard goes up for pre-order in the United States next week, and it’ll be available in-stores two weeks after that. The BlackBerry Key2 is a $649 smartphone with a 4.5 inch display, a QWERTY keyboard, and dual rear cameras. It looks a lot like last year’s BlackBerry KeyOne, but the […]
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BlackBerry Key2 smartphone launches for $649
Touchscreens and virtual keyboards have taken over the smartphone world in the decade since Apple launched the first iPhone. But there’s still a small but loyal group of physical keyboard fans… they just don’t have a lot of choices if they want to buy a smartphone with modern specs. Now they have one more though: […]
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BlackBerry Key2 leaked (again)
BlackBerry and TCL are set to unveil their next phone on Thursday, June 7th. But Evan Blass didn’t want you to have to wait until then to get a good look at the BlackBerry Key2. In a series of tweets, Blass shared some renderings that give us our best look at the upcoming smartphone to […]
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BlackBerry Key2 is coming in June
The next BlackBerry phone is coming soon, and in case you had any doubt that the next new phone would be a follow-up to last year’s BlackBerry KeyOne, this tweet from BlackBerry should make things pretty clear: 🔑2⃣ 👀 pic.twitter.com/t4ZF9yGfhH — BlackBerry Mobile (@BBMobile) May 11, 2018 Yup, it’s the Key2 (or 🔑2⃣ , I guess). Either […]
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This could be BlackBerry’s next phone with a keyboard (leaks)
Most modern smartphones have touchscreens and virtual keyboards. But BlackBerry (and its hardware partners including TCL) are keeping the physical keyboard dream alive. Last year the companies launched the BlackBerry KeyOne with a QWERTY keyboard below the screen and a design reminiscent of a classic BlackBerry device (but with modern Android software). Now it looks […]