BlackBerry 9670 flip spotted running OS 6.0, causes eyes to bleed, children to cry

According to BGR, we're apparently looking at the first shots of a phone numbered 9670 in RIM's BlackBerry parlance, a true QWERTY flip running BlackBerry OS 6.0 on a 480 x 360 display with WiFi, a 5 megapixel camera, optical pad (as is the case with every new BlackBerry these days), microSD expansion, and a huge external display that's eerily reminiscent of Moto's RAZR 2. The device is said to be running CDMA, which almost certainly means it's being shopped around to Sprint and Verizon exclusively among major carriers -- the only other big potential takers would be Bell and Telus, and they're in the midst of migrating to HSPA -- so we'll just sit back, relax, and see if this thing materializes at WES next week. Granted, we've got to see it in person and gaze at a few non-blurrycam shots before passing final judgment, but we're admittedly a little worried about the merciless beating the ugly stick may have delivered up in Waterloo this time around.

[kenny goo Posted Apr 20th 2010 11:36PM]

Storm meets Bold portrait slider? Good. The Magnum prototype, giving a touchscreen to the standard portrait QWERTY Bold? Good. Yet another shitty Pearl update even though the Curve line is so affordable? Bad, but excusable. This? This ladies and gentlemen is a fucking joke.

[waveslave Posted Apr 20th 2010 11:37PM]

wheres the carb on this thing?

[dreamer3kx Posted Apr 20th 2010 11:39PM]

That is pretty fugly, I have a tour and absolutely love it but that...that right there is...... bah.

[Johnny Rockets Posted Apr 20th 2010 11:55PM]

RIM is dying.

Once corporate adoption of Android (via Sense Exchange support) and iPhone (via OS4) starts up, RIM will flatline soon enough.

[crowl Posted Apr 21st 2010 12:13AM]

Some of the comments on here are just comical, rim don't have the one size fits all philosophy, so this one is simply another option in the range, the people that like flip phones will consider it and those who don't will look elsewhere.

One thing in the article that seems a bit wrong is the idea that they will be shopping the device to cdma carriers, the way rim works they will already have the phone signed up with either sprint or verizon or they wouldn't be making it.

[rkdiddy Posted Apr 21st 2010 12:25AM]

I think this was found outside in the garbage next to the bar the iPhone was found at.

[techtroll Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:03AM]

Why do they look so smudgy?

[Shoemeister Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:11AM]

Keepin' it real shitty: part WTF.

[zandman911 Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:17AM]

That design is terrible, there's so much unused space and awkward positioning...wtf!!

[palebluedot Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:20AM]

This is such a bad implementation of something I've actually wanted. So much damn bezel!

I find the BB wide width screens+wide thumb-boards comfy to use, but would prefer a larger (longer?) screen + slider (flip?) kb because the nav buttons and pointer pad or ball suffice for everything but typing. Like the Kin, but more BBish. My aging eyes would appreciate something other than tiny high res screens and tons of scrolling.

I'd be more excited by this clamshell if a landscape kb filled the bottom half and the nav buttons were on a same sized landscape screen attached on the right. And near zero bezel. Still compact, still very usable.

[Ninjacody11 Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:24AM]

This is why many people are switching fruits from Blackberry to Apple.

[Magster Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:24AM]

Goodness, I rarely say this about phones as most of them look identical these days, but this is one ugly phone.

[branchedout Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:32AM]

I signed up to post this.

Call me crazy, but I think this is a step in the right direction.
I love a flip phone for the soul reason of if I drop it, my threat of the screen cracking, essentially destroying the device because it's touchscreen-only, is almost gone. I love flip-phones.

It's what's keeping me from getting all these new android doo-dads. The screen is so unprotected.

And it's got a qwerty! A downfall of flipphones! My palm Centro has a nice keyboard. It's super tiny, also. So if this has a keyboard like the palm centro, I'd be a happy camper.


Hopefully this comes to AT&T, or the unlocked version doesn't cost an arm and a leg (~150-200?)

[koneill Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:50AM]

BB OS 6.0 = one step forward

BB ID/hardware design = countless steps back

[Wesscoast Posted Apr 25th 2010 4:55AM]

@koneill

hahahaa

[bLoodz0R Posted Apr 21st 2010 2:03AM]

bad design... way too ugly...

[UbiquitousGeek Posted Apr 21st 2010 2:11AM]

That's one fugly handset. Good bye, RIM. Rest in peace.

[eddybreezy Posted Apr 21st 2010 2:46AM]

Ohhhh so thats what they did with the RAZR.

Wait...no they just fished it out of the trashcan...

[Aku Posted Apr 21st 2010 3:35AM]

Wow.I love BBs for their keyboards and BBM. I've owned two Curves (still have one along side my HTC Desire) and Bold 9000. All of my BBs were excellent phones although not without their problems. OS 6.0 appears to address some of the issues (especially the horrible browsing experience) but still looks dated, which is ok I suppose.

That said, this is one fugly phone. There is so much wasted space, the nav button positioning looks awkward and keyboard looks more cramped than on regular Bolds. Looks very chunky too. Sigh. If this is the sign of things to come I am glad I made the move to Android. The slider that was floated a short time ago looked magnitudes better than this.

Advice to RIM, stick to what you do well and what made you the success that you are ... great keyboards, robust email and BBM. If you can't make decent touch phones, make sliders like Nokia/Droid ... giving people the BB features, bigger screens for browsing/applications and people will buy your phones.

Sigh.

[Calx Posted Apr 21st 2010 3:45AM]

Seriously? That's got to be the size of two 9000's strapped together.
And it looks like they had to put in on the floor to take the photo too, maybe there isn't a table loooooong enough.

[bingo bob Posted Apr 21st 2010 5:44AM]

It Is the most hideous phone I have ever seen. Even a madman armed only with green crayons could have designed s better device.

I can see it now, you get help up by some hood and he demands your phone! He is so shocked by you handy over that pig of a phone that he either stabs for the disrespect, it gives you his phone as he is so ashamed and embarrased for you!!

[Plazmic Flame Posted Apr 21st 2010 7:04AM]

I'm pretty sure this is a prototype that got stolen but it's definitely having the opposite effect on the interwebs, lol.

Actually, BB fansites are eating this shit up. They complain about Apple fanboys but damn, how could even the most hardcore BB person look this and be like, "Hellz ya!! Getting this day one, DAY ONE!!!"??

Really? Seriously?? Man...after seeing something like this, even if it is a prototype, I've learned two things:

1) RIM has money to blow!! Wow...they must make a killing through their corporate contracts because no other company can make crap and get away with it.

and

2) The creative Blackberry juices have definitely gone sour if this was even considered at ANY point in time.

Sad, sad times these are...

[ncarlin Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:41AM]

wow RIM

[redmaxer Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:56AM]

why would they make such an ugly phone. You can see that they were so cheap and keep using the bold keyboard skin on all their phones. The bold keyboard looks a hot mess with that clamshell design and they no it.

[akf2000 Posted Apr 21st 2010 9:21AM]

How dare one of you commentators compare this mention this thing in the same breath as a Startac. This thing isn't fit to lick the dirt from a Startac's shoe.

[ounkeo Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:09AM]

@akf2000

Startacs are legendary. They may not have sold as well as the Razr or newer phones after that, but I have much love for the Startac flip phones. I still have it (unused) and refused to pawn it off for extra cash (suggested by wife).

[akf2000 Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:42AM]

@ounkeo I'm a buyer at £25 mate

[CanadaNS22 Posted Apr 21st 2010 10:07AM]

The specs for the phone look decent other then the fact that it is CDMA and that it looks fugly.. also sorta hope that this is just a prototype and not the real deal for the look..
Also Bell and Telus have had their HSPA Network up and running since November of last year and have quite a few phones out now that are HSPA compliant(Bold 9700, HTC Hero,Motorola Milestone, Nokia N97 to name a few) so they are not in the "midst of migrating to HSPA". Even though they still do run their CDMA network as well.. just letting you people at Engadget know :)

[echoracer Posted Apr 21st 2010 11:15AM]

Oh god, it's horrible!

[jascop Posted Apr 21st 2010 12:37PM]

its really not that bad. yes it could be better but i have a pearl flip and its nice most of the advantages of a normal smart phone but i dont have to worry about puttin it in the same pocket as my knife or other stuff and i dont pocket dial. granted i will never go blackberry again unless it hits next gen soon but i like having a screen and a keyboard not exposed. and like the screen bein a slightly different angle than the keyboard. makes it more comfortable to type longer emails and txting all day like i usualy do it much nicer

[ProsumeThis Posted Apr 21st 2010 1:13PM]

Reminds me of Motorola StarTac. I didn't like StarTac.

[brendankerr Posted Apr 21st 2010 6:21PM]

aesthetically pleasing, it is not

[undisputed noob Posted Apr 21st 2010 6:28PM]

I bet the KIRF version of this phone will look better than the real thing, CHINA WE NEED YOU TO KIRF THIS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LiveFromThe215 Posted Apr 21st 2010 6:31PM]

Phone so ugly, just downloading or viewing the pic sets off my antivirus warning me to click away.

Phone so ugly, people run away when you try to enter their phone number in this thing

Phone so ugly, it scares away the 3G & Edge signals

Phone so ugly it only supports sad, angry, and crying emoticons

Phone so ugly the FCC approved it on the condition that it's sold & operated within a paperbag

[Neon Bible Posted Apr 21st 2010 8:35PM]

In the year two thousand, in the year TWO THOUSAAAAANNNNDDDD

[silverfang77 Posted Apr 26th 2010 12:56PM]

Function > form. True, it's not the prettiest phone I've seen, but none of the BlackBerries are. BlackBerries are about getting the job done, even if the phone is butt ugly. I'll be the first to admit that the iPhone has a cooler, newer look than any BlackBerry I've seen. But I would never get an iPhone, as they don't even support copy/paste or MMS. The BlackBerry natively supports basic functions that many other so-called smartphones lack. Until they catch up, I'll stick with my ugly BlackBerry, thank you very much.

[mrtnrwn Posted May 5th 2010 12:30PM]

OMFG that is so ugly