Blackberry Is Back!
 

http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_passport-6457.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_classic-6458.php
http://crackberry.com/firs-official-...berry-passport
BlackBerry recently released the Blackberry classic and the BlackBerry passport. Both smartphones contain the standard high end smartphone specs but both also feature physical keyboards and the unique QNX based bb10 plus BlackBerry software features. The classic features additional design features that make it resemble a BlackBerry bold and lower end specs. I would prefer a slider, but the unique square screen form factor is an acceptable compromise. Very few companies offer devices with physical keyboards, if enough people buy these devices maybe more companies will. Plus BB10 offers a real true Unix alternative to Android.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Good to see some keyboard devices. Now we only need a landscape slider.

Go go Blackberry.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

+1,

However, BB seems never released a landscape slider, (I may be wrong), but I did saw some clues about a vertical slider BB10 some time ago, like Dell Venue Pro, but seems they ditched it.

I feel the next landscape slide will be Google's Project Era, they seem having the keyboard option, and TOHKBD if that takes into account.

Really hope BB release a (even vertical) slider, BB10 is just so suitable for it.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Black...ssport_id61356
http://crackberry.com/blackberry-q2-...k-road-success
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...urnaround.html
From a financial perspective, Blackberry is still in the red but should be returning to profitability soon. Blackberry's business strategy seems to be doing the opposite of what Nokia did and it seems to be working. I think it is great that Blackberry haters have been proven wrong.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

what do you mean by that exactly? As far as I know, BB10 is totally closed?

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Almost every mobile OS some closed source components, it is an inevitability at this point. Even though BB10 is closed source it is not however a "Walled Garden" in any sense of word and application sideloading is available without any hacking, so you are not limited to approved app sources. Rooting or other forms of hacking is possible as shown by the Playbook, but given the small and business oriented user base of Blackberry 10 users there is probably little desire for rooting or other forms of hacking. Having hacking or rooting is a matter of having a user base that desires it. What really makes Blackberry 10 unique is its architecture, it is based on QNX and is highly optimized. BB10 also has a nice ui and features like true multitasking.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Or even landscape clamshell, laptop (or Nokia Communicator) style.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Any feedback regarding Qt5 support ?

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Here is what I can find. QT is not built into BB10, but QT has been ported to BB10 and has a high level of quality.
http://qt-project.org/wiki/Qt5-on-BlackBerry10
http://devblog.blackberry.com/2014/0...blackberry-10/
http://qt-project.org/wiki/Blackberry
http://qt-project.org/wiki/QNX

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

I didnt wanted to say it, but I actually went from N900 to N9 to Blackberry Q10. My feeling about BB10 right now are:
Its incredibly user friendly. The type&go feature is awesome, the keyboard itself works pretty damn good, I actually like it better then the N900 one and the browser is awesome. With sideloading you can have all the apps you want and the screen is really big enough for me, ah and dont forget the hub. Just one thing: I would like to have the ability to tinker with it a little bit, but that seems pretty impossible.
I really can`t understand why the BB10 devices aren't working for more people out there... its a really nice os and the Q10 is a quality phone... Ah + Battery. I get 1 1/2 days easy with moderate - heavy usage.

edit says: Downside is the really lacking Blackberry maps. But thats it so far. Nokia here in the browser seems to be the best solution for that right now...

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Blackberry also working on "Rio" but it's very little info about it. Unfortunately it looks like no qwerty.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

They will also buy your iphone
http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/26/tech...ssport-iphone/


BlackBerry will pay $550 to iPhone users who participate in the so-called "trade up" plan.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Wonder why they don't buy android phones, maybe too many models to keep track of.

More discussion on slashdot http://apple.slashdot.org/story/14/1...iphone-for-550

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xWfopUNnrA
The Blackberry Z3 kinda looks likes a Nokia n9.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKSjmoNSrdg
The BlackBerry Passport with its square screen and physical keyboard makes the perfect gaming and emulation device. Most older games were written for square screens in mind. The square screen would also be perfect for strategy games. Hopefully openttd, freeciv and other open source libsdl games get ported to the BlackBerry 10. No platform is complete without emulators! Maybe a game gripper could be made for the passport.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Has anybody ever compiled an alternative OS for a BlackBerry device? Can it be done for BlackBerry Passport?

Best wishes. Thank you.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

I saw the BlackBerry Passport last week searching for a N900 replacement and that's the best there is right now IMO!

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Quite a slick-looking device. I wouldn't say it looks like the N9 though; the soft back and how the rest of the Z3's body is hidden under the front bezel contrasts with the N9's appearance (which is more rugged IMHO).

Is there any detailed review on the BB10 UI?

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Here is what I can find.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP6qydLxZz8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KebLf6ZSsP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zeJHAFrimk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MUiSjXnO68

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FolPkjj7R6Y
Blackberry 10 also runs the obligatory dosbox with Windows 95.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Blackberry 10 also has several applications from Sailfish/Meego/Maemo
gNewsReader From Nokia n9
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...countrycode=US
Supertux
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...countrycode=US
Another Port of Supertux
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...countrycode=US
Gpodder
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...countrycode=US
Tyrian
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...countrycode=US
Dosbox
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...countrycode=US

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Wow! Thank you! :)

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

I think it's a myth, next to impossible to get linux on a non-linux phone... and android isn't linux.. well not yet anyway

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

I am not a programmer, but I believe BlackBerrys, and that QNX, are locked down tight. No options for another OS.
[Typed on a Passport]

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

I think the issue is a lack of users and the type of users, Blackberry devices aren't as popular as Android devices so the hacking community will be much smaller. No security is impossible to get past provided there is a desire to do so. There is always a work around!

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

If anyone used openwhatsapp or wazapp on the Nokia n9, well it is available for BlackBerry 10.
http://openwhatsapp.org
edit also qgvdial from Symbian and Nokia N9
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...ode=US&lang=en

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

There are more of them:

- CascaRun (MeeRun)
- Fahrplan
- MeeCast
- FreierTag

And there is a calculator in MeeGo-Style: MeeCal

Best regards,

Jaracz

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CQsZQEWQeg
I made a parody of the Verizon and Motorola 2009 advert "Droid Does" for the Blackberry Passport. This was also done for the Nokia n900 by fans. The Blackberry Passport has many features that the iPhone and similar don't or often don't have. The Blackberry Passport is the anti-iPhone. Though these limitations aren't necessarily iPhone specific. Sorry for the lack of transitions, kdenlive has been giving problems. When other smartphones aren't enough Blackberry Passport does!

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

ha, nice vid!
True about the anti-iphone.. it's anti-android and anti-gnu phone too lol
Never seen the passport ad before.. impressive piece of kit!

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

There's a lot of nice things about blackberry 10, certainly more mature and stable than Sailfish but I prefer a more open OS. They deserve to be more popular as they are very strong on many technical areas and are friendly to people writing apps just not for me because the OS is more closed than Android or Sailfish.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

I would buy a Jolla phone if they sold in the United States, but they don't not even as an import and even if I could get one it wouldn't necessarily support US HSPA+ or LTE bands. Plus the Jolla phone has inferior specs to any BlackBerry device despite costing more. The Jolla tablet doesn't interest me because it lacks features I use on a tablet and I already have a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 that I am satisfied with. I don't need a physical keyboard on a phone, but is a feature I like to have and the TOH keyboard will take a while to get to market where as BlackBerry has devices today with great keyboards. Overall BlackBerry offers a better hardware and software package and one that can be easily purchased in North America.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Ain't that the f_ckin' truth!

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

which OS is 'more' open jolla's OS or BB's OS?
ie, develop for, side loading, etc

Which is more GNU/linux like?

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

another milestone reached. BlackBerry classic is now out of stock in North America. Seems like they received more pre-orders than they thought they will receive.
http://m.crackberry.com/blackberry-c...-north-america

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Sailfish is more open than Blackberry OS. Sailfish is a Linux distro. Blackberry 10 is QNX based.
Blackberry is friendly to side loading like Sailfish so is not unfriendly to you writing applications.
Just the OS itself has more closed components. That is not to say Sailfish is 100% open source.
Blackbery does have some git repos to look at open source pieces.
https://blackberry.github.io/
and let you look at say open browser components
http://us.blackberry.com/software/sm...omponents.html

Sailfish is built on Mer and Nemo which you may jump in and help improve. Lipstick and a few other components are closed, however you may replace the proprietary GUI. You cannot do that in Blackberry.

Blackberry is a great deal more mature than Sailfish and has a larger company behind it along with greater availability but more of the OS is closed. Unlike Apple iOS they are friendly to you writing applications and sideloading.

Of course this is leaving out Android and Ubuntu Touch.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

BlackBerry is more GNU-like, because it uses micro-kernel design.
Being closed-source is unfortunate, though.

Best wishes.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

http://www.puredtx.com/wp-content/up...blackberry.jpg
This needed to be inserted at some point.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dmhF1rqaZk
A Ronnie Corbett segment referencing Blackberry.

Re: Blackberry Is Back!
 

Nice to see a fair discussion about this subject. BB10 also has its shortcomings (like the inability to turn off Blackberry Messenger) but is surely a more mature OS - and a very nice one too. Having used it for a few days, I might get one as a secondary device to my Jolla one day (hardware keyboards rock :) ), but I still prefer openness, so I'd choose Linux distro over BB10 every time (note that I'm not considering Android a Linux distro) . But I totally respect people that have different priorities.

Why I joined the discussion:
Just to fix this...
https://github.com/nemomobile/lipstick
https://github.com/nemomobile/lipsti...r/LICENSE.LGPL

LGPL doesn't seem closed to me, not sure where this misconception is coming from.