With BlackBerry having its fair share of triumphs and disappointments over the past years and the fact that they are no longer in control of designing their Smartphones, QWERTY fans are now preparing to say goodbye to physical buttons. But this sad note was turned upside down when CEO John Said that BlackBerry still has one last bullet in their arsenal, and it involves the iconic keyboard.
According to Techno Buffalo, Chen reiterated that while third party names are now at the helm in terms of designing and manufacturing, the public, especially their avid followers, will still see several devices with the BlackBerry logo. Some of these, Chen added, will bring back the QWERTY keyboard.
On the other hand, Yahoo! Tech wrote that the keyboard feature "won't be exactly the same as the QWERTY keyboard we know and love from BlackBerry", considering that they are no longer in charge of its hardware and manufacturing. To add to the piling question, there's no exact word when the new device will be released. It could be soon, or in this case, "anywhere from a few months to a few years".
Long before iPhones and Android-based handhelds became a fad, the physical keyboard setup gave us a promise of an enduring feature that will test the course of time and innovation. BlackBerry became an icon among QWERTY jotters; the mere feeling of physical buttons made texting easier, and it even came to a point that the ticking sound was almost hypnotic. But then again, Smartphones with virtual keyboard initiated a revolution, and it spelled the end of BlackBerry.
Last year, Chen admitted that the company would need to sell somewhere around 3 to 5 million devices in order to maintain its finances and profit. But to compete alongside Samsung and Apple, and to please those who are no longer interested in physical keyboards proved to be the final stand of BlackBerry. It was a bitter finale for a company who once ruled the industry with flair and prominence.
Still, there is one glimmer of hope to look forward. CEO Chen's announcement will, in some ways than none, come as a modest re-entry to the already fierce Smartphone arena. It may or may not appeal to vast the majority, but at least they tried something, even if it means for the last time.
