The BlackBerry is the world's most secure and coolest smartphone.
The BlackBerry OS is no longer supported, and TCL had licensed the production of various Android-based BlackBerry models to TCL, but that licensing agreement has expired.
While we thought BlackBerry was going to die, in August 2021, " Onward Mob ility" announced a licensing agreement with BlackBerry and announced that they will release a 5G compatible BlackBerry.
BlackBerry users were overjoyed to hear that FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group (鴻海科技集團) that also owns a stake in gaming device maker Razer, would be participating in the project.
However, there was no movement within 2021, and we wondered if the project had disappeared. However, in 2022, the company announced on its website that the project was "not dead yet.
After a short period of relief, OnwardMobility is now officially "dead " with the announcement of its closure.
OnwardMobility is closed and no longer in development.
OnwardMobility's official website states the following
We are writing to inform you that OnwardMobility will be closed and will no longer proceed with the development of secure smartphones with physical keyboards.OnwardMobility
OnwardMobility, which was in charge of the project, has been closed, and development has been terminated without being taken over by another company, suggesting that BlackBerry has indeed come to an end.
Incidentally, the site has only a brief announcement on the top page, and all the pages that had been open to the public in the past have been deleted.
Even if you access the pages that were previously open to the public, you will get a Page Not Found (404 error) without being redirected to the top page.
Linkedin page also closed?
The official LinkedIn page has also already been deleted.
Posts are still barely viewable, but going to the company page results in an error.
The postings have received comments with various thoughts.
Facebook and Twitter still have accounts, but they are not specifically mentioned in this announcement and may be left as is.
What does the future hold for BlackBerry?
BlackBerry, the world's number one smartphone OS, has been dominating the enterprise market in the security field for quite some time now, and its in-car OS "QNX" has been installed in many cars.
Recently, it was announced that QNX technology has been licensed to BMW Group, and 23 EV (electric vehicle) manufacturers have adopted QNX.
According to the official QNX website, QNX has been installed in 195 million cars, and with the recent EV boom, BlackBerry seems to be dominating the software side of the market before we know it.
Incidentally, the company's last smartphone OS, BlackBerry 10, was also based on QNX.
In this sense, there is little merit in going all the way into the smartphone market, where there is a fierce competition for market share, despite the fact that BlackBerry holds a market with high potential and overwhelming superiority.
What should BlackBerry seekers do?
With the closure of OnwardMobility and the confirmation that no new models will be released, BlackBerry users must be in trouble.
It is difficult to buy a new one, and it is recommended to buy one in as good condition as possible at second-hand stores such as Janpara and Iosys, auction sites such as eBay and Yahoo! Auction sites such as eBay, Yahoo! Auction, PayPay Flea, and Rakuma.
Finding a replacement model...
If you are looking for a non-BlackBerry model, the "Unihertz Titan" comes to mind as a smartphone with physical QWERTY keys, but it is heavier than the "BlackBerry Passport" and quite difficult to use.
The "Unihertz Titan Pocket" is about the same size as the BlackBerry Classic, which may be just right, but it is still not a BlackBerry and has a different concept to begin with.
"BlackBerry users should just have physical QWERTY keys, right?" It is not just that.
Expect other companies to come forward instead...!
OnwardMobility was still a startup and would have only raised seed funding.
The financial stamina to commercialize the product after obtaining the license, as well as the fact that BlackBerry sold its patents related to mobile devices and wireless networking on January 31, made commercialization even more remote, and even if they forced to create a 5G-compatible BlackBerry and bring it to market in such a situation, it would not be expected to be a winner. In such a situation, it is likely that there was no chance of success by forcibly creating a 5G-enabled BlackBerry and launching it in the market.
On the other hand, if a company comes along that wants to use the BlackBerry brand to develop a smartphone with a physical keyboard and the same level of security as a BlackBerry, it is still a possibility. There is still a possibility, however.
It is not impossible to make a BlackBerry that is Android-based and close to the UI/UX of the BlackBerry OS, as is the case with the NitroKey with Android-based GrapheneOS, although it is in a rather difficult situation.
(I know it is difficult in some aspects since the patents have been sold off...)
We hope that FIH Mobile will come forward, or SHARP, a member of the same group that made the RoBoHon and other sharp cell phones, will take the plunge and become a white knight to revive BlackBerry.
I'm putting my money on BlackBerry HQ...!
Now all we can do is hope that BlackBerry will re-enter the market themselves...I know it's pretty tough....
This was a sad announcement, but there are all sorts of information floating around on the Internet that we don't know if they are leaks or hoaxes.
It was obviously a suspicious image and source of information, but I am inclined to hope for the best.
I have faint hopes that there will be more BlackBerry smartphones in the future, but until then, I would like to look for a "bridge" smartphone.