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
gross i hate that form factor like the pre
@Atlantian
i have the perfect solution for you: don't buy it.
i personally like the pre form factor. the reason i don't have a touch screen is because i type a lot, and having to flip the phone sideways every time for typing coupled with the inaccuracies just wasn't very convenient for me. this seems like the perfect solution.
Ugly prolly name it the new pearl lol
This would be my next blackberry purchase. it's exactly what i would go for. I love blackberries, currently have a bold (over an iphone though i am a huge apple fan) it addresses the tiny screen on the bold. That with new software and a faster processor (storm 1 SUCKED!!!!!) may be a great product!
I wish more quality upcoming phones had this form factor (sliding portrait keyboards). My guess is that this phone will lack great screen resolution, but if it is WVGA, this would be my kind of phone.
What do you want out of a slider BB? It's not like you see radical designs, all BB's pretty much look the same and this is a Storm with a trackpad and slide out fretted keyboard. I wouldn't expect anything different.
If it's light and thin then this would be a great piece of hardware.
Also Landscape Keyboards are Worthless for One-Handed Operation. When I'm using my cell phone I don't wan to have to use two hands.
Perfect phone = BlackBerry Bold 9700 with touchscreen + choice of OS. Just saying.
Looks like my old Verizon XV6600 Windows Mobile.....the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Uhh...it has a trackpad...does that mean no touchscreen?
If so, whats the point?
Want.
Looks a whole lot like a more solidly designed pre :)
the second sign of the apocalypse. the first was the blackberry pearl flip. what seal shall RIM break open next?
I really don't understand why people hate a vertical slider. Everyone was so excited about the Droid when it's keyboard layout (not even how it types) sucks because it's off center. I hate horizontal keyboards I feel like they're too wide and I really don't want to have to switch my phone's orientation every time I want to type a message.
I don't see what's so ugly about it except maybe the double chome border.
I talked to my sources and they said this is the Storm# (business)model.It is looking at a late summer launch.Like I always say if you follow my comments you know that my sources have always! been right on point.
As far as the Blackberry line is concerned, I think they need to bring that old Magnum prototype back and simply give the high end Blackberry Tour/Bold a touch screen. Then you have the smaller, lighter, lower spec Blackberry Curve that will have a classic screen and sell at a lower price.
From there it gets a little tricky. I definitely don't think a portrait slider should replace the portrait candybar, and I'm not sure this should replace the slate touchscreen Storm either. Honestly, I think this should be a device all on its own. Take the best of both worlds (touch screen and Blackberry keyboard) and put it in one device.
And it saddens me to see the Pearl Flip is still around. I saw that leaked T-Mobile pricing release list with that on it and I'm like really? People actually buy that shit anymore? Hell, at this point I think the Curve needs to completely replace the Pearl line all together. There's just no need for it and I haven't seen those phones around in ages.
I wouldn't even consider a blackberry if Apple or HTC put a qwerty keyboard on one of their flagship devices...
This looks pretty nasty, good idea to make a blackberry more compact.. But isn't this just an attempt of a palm pre?
wow, Blackberry doing like Microsoft (you know, coping all)
I disagree that BB's have the best keyboards on the market.