You can consider our minds completely and utterly blown tonight, as we've just stumbled upon these photos of what appears to be a new BlackBerry device... a vertical slider. The source (
BlackBerry Leaks) doesn't seem to be able to confirm the legitimacy of the photos, but we're mostly convinced that this is
some variation of a RIM device. While
BB Leaks speculates on the possibility of this being the
Storm 3, Kevin Michaluk over at
CrackBerry suggests this might not be a device headed to market, rather an early version which has been scrapped, similar to that
Magnum handset that floated onto the internet recently (though Kevin suggests that our friends in Canada may very well have plans for
something in this form factor). What we can say with assurance, however, is that this device coupled with those new
BIS 3.0 Gmail integration upgrades, that forthcoming RIM
WebKit browser, and a rumored
new OS would help push things into the territory of that dream smartphone
we pleaded for back in 2008. Coincidence? We think not.
posted March 2nd 2010 8:46PM
Ugly.
@ChickenGod well if it is indeed what the article states, i think its copying some other phone
@emopoops
...because the portrait-style sliding keyboard is a patented technology.
@radio2 who knows! its copying the freakin pre thats been out for a while
@ChickenGod
Jesus, if it doesn't redefine sexy it's trash?
I'm sorry but I enjoy my blackberry's industrial design. It looks professional, neat, tidy and the form meets the function. Perfect. No extra crap I have to shell out for.
And what's up with all the blackberry haters? I've had the Hero and the TouchPro and while both operating systems have their pluses (android is extremely fun to play with in my opinion) neither can match the day in day out 100% "just works" of my blackberry. If I register at websites or sign up for a newsletter it's rare for me *not* to feel my berry buzzing as soon as I hit the submit key. And after trying out the gadgets and gizmos on other phones nothing really matters if your phone doesn't work. And sure, the app world doesn't have billions of apps, but it has everything I need... and everything everyone else needs. (*hint* Nobody needs games *hint*)
@Fruzion I have to agree. I owned a slider (a Samsung Rant) as a personal phone, and it was a nice phone. But the freezing up, the lack of a good screen and the fact that it was a near-smartphone (a.k.a dumbphone w/better features) meant that things didn't just work. The Bolt Browser was a pain to use on the Rant; it was also hard to use on the WinMo phones my former job provided to me for business. And the WinMo phones, while beautiful because of their flexibility in app use, often just didn't work (unlike my Vista-based laptop which, despite all the hate for Vista, just does the job).
I've toyed with Android phones; most are just plain ugly (save for anything from HTC that isn't called G1 or Nexus One; they are the bomb in terms of design). The apps are cool, but I don't use many apps save for Bolt, Wordpress and UberTwitter; most of the apps are just toys to me and sort of meaningless (and the key word here, is for me; I greatly appreciate how others are in love with apps). The iPhone always seemed more show pony than workhorse to me (I also hated the lack of cut/copy-and-paste). As for the Pre: Undoubtedly beautiful, but the keyboard just plain sucks; the keys are way to small for even my long, thin piano-player fingers.
The Curve, which I just got two weeks ago, is the atomic bomb. The design is sexy but not fussy; the keyboard is great for one- or two-hand typing; the screen is neither too big nor too small for my tastes; and the OS works like a business-oriented phone OS is supposed to work. I haven't been this excited about a smartphone ever (and I even considered buying a Pre and an iPhone when each initially came out) -- and haven't been as excited about a phone since I got the Rant (which, among the feature phones, remains better than the Rumor/Exclaim crap out there).
The browser needs work (this is why I have Bolt) and I do wish RIM would allow for apps to embed on the MicroSD instead of the phone (better memory allocation). And I can understand why some would want RIM to push for more app development and redesign the UI (the OS is perfect). But RIM isn't meant for fun. It's for getting things done. Fun is why I own a Flip Mono, an iRiver, an iPod Touch and an XBox 360.
@ChickenGod what is so wrong with this design? i like vertical sliders and i love blackberry keyboards. am i missing something?
I think so too that this has a resemblance with the leaked BB Magnum. More: http://bit.ly/blackberry-mangum-compiled-leaks
I think I’ll reserve judgement also until it comes out and see what it brings to the table.
@ChickenGod
well, it does look monstrously huge.
@Fruzion
i concur, i luvz my tour :)
@emopoops I don't know about copying the Pre. It's the standard BB keyboard, just slides in and out.
@d889
i'm beginning to love mine less: trackball sucks trying to scroll right (and only right, makes brick breaker not worth playing lol) and i get awful lag time when messaging in iffy coverage.
@ChickenGod
holy crap that looks like shit
@Fruzion This is not in any way a tidy or simple design. It's fugly. Nobody expects rim to redefine anything anymore, but it doesn't mean they should go backwards either. This is hideous.
@ChickenGod I have never to date found a good looking Blackberry device... I am sure they are great at what they do but, oh boy!, this things give me nightmares :P
@ChickenGod
Well i like it.
@emopoops The Pre looks more like the Audiovox XV6600 of old than this thing looks like the Pre. Design begets design, whether it be good or bad. But I probably wouldn't call it copying.
Ill PRE on that......
@brolin
actually looks more like an HTC Blue Angel to me
http://pdadb.net/img/i-mate_pda2k.jpg
@brolin: There are only so many ways that you can make a portrait slider with a decent sized touchscreen.
@JeremyBenthem ^ My thoughts exactly
Now, how nice would it be if this is true! Best of both worlds for Blackberry users and future users.
could be better looking. but the concept is spot on.
@Poot
agreed. i have the tour and just absolutely love the keyboard, nothing like it out there (that isn't a BB). i have entertained the thought of going for the pre plus but i just can't seem to let go of the tour keyboard's form and function...this will give me exactly what i'm looking for. here's hoping for more details soon and an even sooner release!
i think it say Blueberry
@nwhat
Maybe it says, Blockberry?
@logicbombde haha blockberry!
At least the Palm Pre looked attractive. This just looks like a Samsung Flight, with a side order of an archaic OS. ^Sighs.
@RockNStuff
The BB isn't even active. For all we know, it COULD be rocking a new or updated OS.
@radio2 Now thats funny. Can you imagine an updated Blackberry OS?
It is really hard to be excited about a BlackBerry, anymore. But thank you for trying, Engadget.
I hope that's the prototype.
A Pre and a Storm 2 walk into a bar...
@Nitesh \and the pre slipped something in her drink ..
rest is history..
@brolin
I think the Pre would be the girl
@yulebellow His comment would still apply if it was the girl, date rape drug works both ways.
@Nitesh
And the girl rapes the guy....
Highly unlikely, no?
@SolidSnake Less likely than the man doing so, but it does happen. With date rape drug its entirely possible. Even without it, there are situations where it happens.
Awesome! Especially if its a touch screen. Amazing blackberry keyboard + sleek multitouch screen = perfect phone.
@kenboy127
Completely agree.
BB has the absolute best keyboards on the market, but you don't need a keyboard all the time, so being able to hide it away is truly the best of both worlds.
I honestly do not think this is anything but a prototype that will probably never reach the market, but it would be awesome if it was.
@Hazdaz
I disagree that BB's have the best keyboards on the market.
Both the Touch Pro 2 and the Envy3/ Envy Touch have much better keyboards. Granted they are both landscape keyboards, but they are superior.
@New Reformation For landscape sliders, the TouchPro 2 is great. But sliders are often too bulky for most people and just a pain to use when all you want to do is quickly e-mail or text someone while on the go. So the Crackberry beats out the TouchPro2 and the Envy on that count. Besides, sliders, unfortunately, look like kiddie toys/their child's featurephone to most people.
poisonberry..
Reminds me of a sliding version of the Samsung Magnet for some reason
so if its a Storm 3 im guessing that is a touchscreen. but that would make the optic pad pretty unnecessary. either way this is pretty slick. can't wait for that new OS
@kojo87 Much like the Cliq, eh?
@kojo87
Trackballs/trackpads are fantastic for navigation in landscape view and typing messages. If I'm typing a message, I can continue using my left hand to type and use the right thumb on the pad/ball. It's fantastic for navigation in general (especially on a BB with all its menus) as well as for gaming (whether that will ever happen on a blackberry is a tossup).
@radio2 i have a Bold 9700 and i love the optic pad. i just think it is odd to have both the optic pad and touchscreen as the previous Storm models didn't have optic pads or trackballs. but i guess why not? get the best of both worlds i suppose.
@kojo87 As someone pointed out at Boy Genius, having a second input makes sense when you consider that you can't always do touchscreen when you are editing text. And some of us don't care for touchscreen anyway. The optical pad offers a second option some will actually want (and currently can't get elsewhere).
@kojo87 as pointless as how next to every android phone has a fairly pointless track ball on them?
@TerrorX the Samsung Moment and Nexus One are the only that i can think of. and i don't believe i ever used the word pointless. unnecessary and pointless have different meanings.