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Where to buy the BlackBerry KEYone in the UK
The new BlackBerry KEYone won't be everyone's cup of tea. If you remember physical keyboards with a certain fondness, however, then the KEYone offers the latest version of Android, a respectable camera and the kind of battery life you want in a productivity machine. After launching exclusively at Selfridges last week, the KEYone goes on general sale in the UK today, not that you need to look much further than Carphone Warehouse, which is the only place selling the device on contact right now.
BlackBerry KEYone review: Vintage vibes and a modern OS
You've got to give BlackBerry credit for refusing to die. After the underwhelming launch and life of BB10, the company pledged allegiance to Android, whipped up a strangely cool slider phone, then farmed out production of all new BlackBerrys to external partners. The journey has been difficult to watch at times, but it seems like the transition is starting to pay off. After a pair of all-touch phones, BlackBerry and partner TCL have released the KEYone, heralding the return of the classic candy-bar-with-keyboard design. The Priv was an ambitious attempt at a flagship,and the DTEK50 and DTEK60 were barely recognizable as part of the line. The KEYone, however, is the first BlackBerry in years to feel, well, like a BlackBerry. Surprise, surprise: It's a pretty great little phone, too. Fans will be glad to know the KEYone is the best Android-powered BlackBerry to date, but I don't expect this to move the needle for many others.
BlackBerry KEYone reaches the US on May 31st
To say that the launch of the BlackBerry KEYone has been protracted would be an understatement. BlackBerry and TCL teased the high-profile phone in January, dished out proper details in February, and has left people wondering about a specific US release date ever since. At last, you can relax: BlackBerry and TCL have revealed that the keyboard-equipped Android phone will reach both the US and Canada on May 31st. Americans will be limited to buying the $549 unlocked CDMA or GSM versions at first, but take heart -- there will be carrier deals, including a Sprint launch sometime in the summer. If you thought the up front price was too much to swallow, you'll have a way of softening the blow.
BlackBerry made more cash from royalties than phones
Between antitrust fines and lawsuits, Qualcomm's patent strategy is already running into trouble... and things just got much worse. The wireless chipset maker has been given a preliminary order to pay BlackBerry $814.9 million in a dispute over royalty payments. The two went into arbitration in 2016 after BlackBerry claimed that it was overpaying royalties -- it argued that a Qualcomm cap on royalties applied to a licensing deal for device sales between 2010 and 2015. The final order won't be available until May 30th, but BlackBerry chief John Chen is quick to stress that he still sees Qualcomm as a partner.
Expect to see BlackBerry's name (and tech) on more devices
A few years ago we had all the jokes about BlackBerry and licensing, but yesterday the company reported a higher profit than analysts were expecting and says that its licensing program will expand soon. Right now, BlackBerry licenses its name and Android-based software for devices made by other companies. In December TCL announced it would be the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of BlackBerry phones in most countries, but now BlackBerry says it's pursuing "additional endpoints." That could include "tablets, wearables, medical devices, appliances, point-of-sale terminals and other smartphones."
MWC 2017 showed us the power of nostalgia
Millennials may recognize the Nokia 3310 from the "Indestructible Nokia" meme, but us older folks will more likely remember it as the first cell phone we ever used. Here at MWC 2017, Nokia revived the iconic handset, giving it a 2-inch color display, a "smart" operating system and a 2-megapixel camera. Yes, those specs are atrocious in this generation, but thanks to the power of nostalgia, no one cared.
MWC's best phones head-to-head: It's (mostly) about the display (updated)
While flagships may have been scarce at MWC this year, there were still more than a few notable smartphone announcements early in the week. We've put the biggest ones so far in a handy table so you can compare specs, features and more to decide which one might be your next daily driver. Who knows, we may be in for a few surprises now that the show officially started, but for now, here are the five handsets from Barcelona that you need to know.
Watch BlackBerry's KEYone event in under 5 minutes
Last night here in Barcelona, BlackBerry announced all of the details about its KEYone handset at an hour-long event. Since you likely don't want to spend around 60 minutes rehashing the important details about the device, we've done the hard work for you. Get all the specs, pricing and other tidbits in under five minutes. Just be sure to use that time you saved on something constructive.
BlackBerry's KEYone is an exciting return to form
With a global launch in the works and the hopes of diehards at an all-time high, the pressure was on BlackBerry and TCL to deliver on all that Mercury hype. We can't render an official verdict yet, but my gut tells me they're onto something. Say hello to the BlackBerry KEYone. Yes, "Mercury" was a better name, and yes, the capitalization is weirding me out too. No matter: Despite the nature of its creation, the KEYone feels like a pretty triumphant return to form for a brand in need of a boost.
BlackBerry's 'Mercury' phone is now the KEYone
What was once known as the BlackBerry "Mercury" is now the KEYone. (Yeah, I don't like the name either.) At a press conference in Barcelona, TCL -- the new steward of BlackBerry's hardware efforts -- introduced, or rather re-introduced, its first Android handset with a QWERTY keyboard. It's a tall, enterprise-friendly smartphone with BlackBerry's DTEK software dumped on top of the OS. You can expect a fairly clean version of Android, but with the BlackBerry Hub and a few other apps aimed at business types. Clearly, this is a niche device: Unlike the DTEK50 and DTEK60, which ditched the physical keyboard, this is a phone for the BlackBerry purists.
We're live from BlackBerry Mobile's MWC 2017 press conference!
And so it begins. The first big press conference of MWC 2017 is all about BlackBerry, specifically the so-called "Mercury." We were pretty big fans when we first met the QWERTY keyboard-packing phone at CES, a lot of you were too -- hopefully today's press conference sheds a lot more light on what's running inside of it and we can get our hands on one. With any luck, TCL and BlackBerry Mobile will have a few surprises for us, too, but we'll just have to wait and see: the event starts at 7PM here in Barcelona, 1PM Eastern and 10AM on the west coast. Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.
We're live from MWC 2017 in Barcelona!
It's the end of February, which means we're back in Barcelona once again. For the next few days, we'll bringing you coverage of Mobile World Congress 2017 as news breaks here in Spain. BlackBerry kicks things off with a press conference this evening before the likes of LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony and many more take the stage at the start of the week. To easily follow all the announcements as they happen, click the link down below. Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.
Get your BlackBerry MWC 2017 liveblog right here
It's February, which can mean only one thing: the MWC tanks are rolling into Barcelona. We're expecting to see a lot of new phones and tablets. The fun starts later today, with BlackBerry hosting a press conference, where we're expecting to see the final reveal of the "Mercury" phone we saw back at CES. There could be a few more surprises along the way, so be sure to tune in right here at 1PM ET.
BlackBerry's share of the smartphone market is virtually zero
BlackBerry may be hoping for a recovery in its smartphone business, but it's hitting rock bottom right now. Gartner analysts estimate that BlackBerry's once-dominant platform hit 0.0 percent market share in the fourth quarter of 2016. Yes, zilch. The company did ship 207,000 phones, but that gives it less than half the unit volume of the "other OS" category. This wasn't hard to see coming given BlackBerry's years-long decline, gradual shift toward Android and recent focus on services. It's still incredibly symbolic, however, and shows that the company's deal with TCL effectively amounts to starting from scratch.
BlackBerry Messenger Enterprise promises secure comms for business
Faulting BlackBerry for its lack of apps or antiquated design ideas was fair, but the firm's dedication to security spoke for itself. The company is going to take that reputation and use it to retool BlackBerry Messenger as an enterprise-level communications platform. Appropriately dubbed BBM Enterprise, the app offers end-to-end encryption for all communication methods; voice, video and text-based comms will all be secure.
iOS cracking tools reportedly used by FBI released to public
Last year, the FBI ordered Apple to help crack the iPhone 5c owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the 2015 attacks in San Bernardino. Apple refused, and the FBI reportedly worked with Cellebrite, an Israeli firm that specializes in mobile security. According to a statement from Celelbrite last month, a hacker breached one of its legacy servers. Now the hacker has released some of that data as a warning to the FBI.
BlackBerry will launch its 'Mercury' phone on February 25th
When BlackBerry and TCL unveiled their "Mercury" phone at CES, it was really more of a proof of life than anything. The two wouldn't shed light on the keyboard-toting Android device's core specs, let alone when you could buy one for yourself. You won't be left speculating for much longer, though: BlackBerry has confirmed that it'll formally unveil the device (presumably, including its final name) on February 25th, right before Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona. Neither BlackBerry nor TCL is providing clues, although there have been some hints of what to expect.
Giuliani as Trump's cybersecurity adviser is an unfunny joke
I had just finished hacking the Gibson when I heard the news: Rudy Giuliani, the guy who said he was gonna solve cybersecurity, had just been named Trump's cyber adviser. I hopped onto our hacker mafia's government-proof encrypted chat app to make sure everyone knew that we were in real trouble. When I got no response from Mr. Robot or Anonymous, I got my rollerblades on and got out of my mom's basement as fast as possible. I dialed our ringleader with a secret, anti-authority encrypted phone app while hacking all the traffic lights between here and his mom's basement as I raced over. When he picked up I blurted, "Stop hacking baby monitors and trying to crash the stock market!"
BlackBerry's 'Mercury' prototype makes a cameo on our CES stage
We knew a new BlackBerry was coming, and we were even pretty sure it would have one of those classic physical keyboards. Sure enough, when official word of the BlackBerry "Mercury" prototype dropped during the show, people nostalgic for the smartphone company's golden years swooned. But how did this happen? What did TCL, the company now in charge of making BlackBerry hardware, get right? And more importantly, when will TCL and BlackBerry let slip all of the really juicy details? Jason Gerdon, senior manager of communications for TCL America, joined us on the Engadget CES stage to take us through it all, and we've put together a quick little primer to sum up what we've learned.
Vote for the Best of CES People's Choice award!
We've announced our Best of CES finalists so now it's time for you to cast your vote for your favorite gadget at CES 2017! Just head over here (or below) to pick your three favorite items from our pool of finalists. You have until 6 PM ET tomorrow, January 7th, to get your votes in.
