BlackBerry cancels OutwardMobility’s license and sells off its mobile patents
According to sources, OnwardMobility’s 5G BlackBerry took its design cues from the Priv
The BlackBerry Storm was the Canadian company’s first touchscreen phone and offered a unique twist; tapping on the screen would allow the glass to depress slightly mimicking the feeling of tapping on a real keyboard. In late 2008, the device was launched and was quickly panned. BlackBerry had failed to place enough sensors to cover all of the QWERTY causing issues when typing.
While it was a big seller for Verizon, almost every unit (including mine) had to be returned for repair. Sadly, the sequel was produced correctly and might have been a big hit if not for the Motorola DROID and Android. Over the subsequent years, BlackBerry tried to compete with the big names like Apple and Samsung, and even replaced BlackBerryOS with Android to keep a freezer full of popular apps.
The chances of seeing a 5G BlackBerry are practically nil
Eventually, the company gave up and sold a license to TCL allowing the electronics manufacturer to produce phones under the BlackBerry name. Early in 2017, it appeared that TCL had delivered a competitive BlackBerry phone with a physical keyboard when the KEYone was launched. Not only did it have the physical QWERTY, but it also had outstanding battery life as well, another tradition from the early days.
Those in the know say that OnwardMobility’s 5G BlackBerry was designed to resemble the Priv. That was the first Android-powered ‘Berry and was the last one produced by BlackBerry before it decided to license its iconic name. It featured a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
Again, based on information revealed by sources, BlackBerry gets most of the blame for shutting down the project because it pulled its license from OnwardMobility. Besides the supply-chain shortage, CEO John Chen’s decision not to put the BlackBerry name on another phone was perhaps the major reason why the project was canceled.
Now that the company has sold off its mobile patents, the chances of seeing a 5G BlackBerry handset are close to nil. And if we can riff on Freeda Payne’s song Band of Gold, all that’s left of BlackBerry is a Bag of Gold.
