BlackBerry pulls license from OutwardMobility killing hopes for a 5G 'Berry

Two years in the past, BlackBerry lovers were devastated after TCL, the enterprise that licensed the BlackBerry name and produced a few fashions including the KEYOne and KEY2, introduced that it will enable its license with BlackBerry to run out on August 31, 2020. however simply days earlier than TCL's license was to expire, BlackBerry lovers' prayers seemingly have been answered. On August 19, 2020, a company called OnwardMobility partnered up with Foxconn's FIH cell restrained to announce that they'd unlock a new BlackBerry mobile in 2021. now not most effective would this be the first 'Berry to guide 5G, it additionally would maintain the actual keyboard which had been synonymous with the BlackBerry name. while no longer all BlackBerry telephones had one of these function, the enormous majority of them did.

BlackBerry cancels OutwardMobility's license and sells off its mobile patents

while OnwardMobility introduced the hiring of a eu enterprise head and a director of executive income a 12 months ago, by the time the ball dropped in times square to usher in the new yr, the final analysis changed into that 2021 came and went devoid of a new BlackBerry model introduced. while the enterprise kept promising that a new 5G BlackBerry changed into still coming, the undertaking is now useless.

according to sources, OnwardMobility's 5G BlackBerry took its design cues from the Priv

according to Kevin Michaluk, founding father of CrackBerry (which has rebooted), and Android Police, the 5G BlackBerry undertaking has been killed off. And BlackBerry has revoked the license that it had given the OnwardMobility group. BlackBerry itself doesn't seem too eager to revisit those prior days when it was a smartphone manufacturer, mainly after it just concluded a fire sale for its last cellular patents (for which it acquired $600 million). The end of the road for BlackBerry begun on that fateful January day in 2007 at Macworld when the late Steve Jobs held the touchscreen Apple iPhone aloft in entrance of a captivated audience. It isn't a reach to claim that the area changed on that very day. due to the fact that the iPhone changed into unique to AT&T at the moment, Verizon turned into extremely open to an iPhone challenger from BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry Storm become the Canadian company's first touchscreen phone and offered a distinct twist; tapping on the screen would permit the glass to depress slightly mimicking the sensation of tapping on a real keyboard. In late 2008, the machine turned into launched and became right away panned. BlackBerry had did not area ample sensors to cowl the entire QWERTY causing considerations when typing.

whereas it turned into a huge vendor for Verizon, essentially each unit (including mine) needed to be again for repair. regrettably, the sequel turned into produced appropriately and might were a big hit if not for the Motorola DROID and Android. Over the next years, BlackBerry tried to compete with the massive names like Apple and Samsung, and even changed BlackBerryOS with Android to maintain a freezer crammed with universal apps.

The chances of seeing a 5G BlackBerry are virtually nil

finally, the business gave up and offered a license to TCL permitting the electronics manufacturer to provide telephones under the BlackBerry name. Early in 2017, it regarded that TCL had delivered a competitive BlackBerry cellphone with a physical keyboard when the KEYone become launched. now not best did it have the physical QWERTY, but it surely additionally had fabulous battery existence as smartly, a different way of life from the early days.

these within the be aware of say that OnwardMobility's 5G BlackBerry become designed to resemble the Priv. That was the primary Android-powered 'Berry and became the ultimate one produced by BlackBerry before it decided to license its iconic identify. It featured a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

once more, according to counsel revealed through sources, BlackBerry gets many of the blame for shutting down the venture since it pulled its license from OnwardMobility. besides the deliver-chain shortage, CEO John Chen's determination not to position the BlackBerry identify on an additional cellphone turned into perhaps the predominant reason the task turned into canceled.

Now that the enterprise has bought off its cell patents, the probabilities of seeing a 5G BlackBerry handset are close to nil. And if we are able to riff on Freeda Payne's song Band of Gold, all it really is left of BlackBerry is a Bag of Gold.