The new BB10 phones - Z3, Classic and Passport

[Lloydbm41]

John Chen just showed off the future of Blackberry today, by showing off the Classic and Passport phones which will be released in Q1 of 2015.

The 'Classic' might as well be called the Bold² (as it looks like a slightly more rounded corner Bold 9900) and the Passport is well, a square shaped Phablet with a rumored 3gb of RAM and a 13mp rear camera. Nothing else is known.

The Z3 remains unchanged as far as I can tell, and will simply be sold in more 3rd world countries.

I can see BB moving a few units of the entry level Z3 in places like India and Indonesia and I can see BB moving quite a few of the Bold² aka Classic (because it really is the phone BB purists have been asking for), but the Passport?!? I'll be surprised if it sells 1000 units worldwide. Not sure who wants a big square phone with pointy corners which will dig into the palms of your hands while you type?

 

[12vElectronics]

BlackBerry is still alive?

 

[MRU]

BlackBerry is still alive?

Hanging on in there Kitty ....

 

[Jessica Lares]

Love the new keyboard. They actually figured out how to use one with a bigger screen!

 

[Switchback666]

This thing's sell pretty good here, even the old school models.

 

[iHackPro]

Love the look of the Classic, and just Blackberry's in general. The Bold 9900 easily is in my top five list of best looking phones, up there with the M8 and 5S to name a few.

 

[cube]

The Z3 has been already been well received in the first country, Indonesia, for around $200.

It is launching in 8 more countries next, it seems June 25 in India.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I have this feeling BB will eventually create a phone that will knock WP out of it's place.

 

[Lloydbm41]

I have this feeling BB will eventually create a phone that will knock WP out of it's place.

Unlikely for one main reason: No licensing fees to use WP on devices under 8".

This creates a secondary effect where numerous OEM's have now committed to building for WP. This equates to more marketshare.

 

[Oohara]

Looks like the Passport will take over the grand title of "Least pocketable phone of the century".

 

[Robster3]

Looks like the Passport will take over the grand title of "Least pocketable phone of the century".

Perfect for the back pocket, that's what everyone wants a big ass screen

 

[Nabooly]

FY '15.....so October 14? Hopefully it comes in October at the latest. By the time summer comes to an end there'll be a crazy amount of competition [presumably].

S5, G3, Note4, iPhone 6, Moto X2, M8 & m8 mini, and the possibility of: nexus6, one plus one, Galaxy F... as well as any Windows phones coming out (not sure if there are any).

I know BB is for a specific audience, so this is just my 2 cents.

 

[cube]

FY '15.....so October 14? Hopefully it comes in October at the latest. By the time summer comes to an end there'll be a crazy amount of competition [presumably].

S5, G3, Note4, iPhone 6, Moto X2, M8 & m8 mini, and the possibility of: nexus6, one plus one, Galaxy F... as well as any Windows phones coming out (not sure if there are any).

I know BB is for a specific audience, so this is just my 2 cents.

The CEO said Passport for September, Classic targeted for November.

 

[0dev]

The Passport is very interesting. Apparently the keyboard is a giant touchpad. With the Amazon Android app store being built into the next version of the OS I am very tempted right now. We'll see what these things are actually like when they come out.

Also interested that BlackBerry as a company made a profit on their quarterly results yesterday. I was beginning to think BB was failing for sure but maybe this new guy really will turn them around. I hope he does, even if I never end up buying another product from them, more competition is always good for the customer.

 

[cube]

The Passport is very interesting. Apparently the keyboard is a giant touchpad. With the Amazon Android app store being built into the next version of the OS I am very tempted right now. We'll see what these things are actually like when they come out.

I was thinking the square screen would be better than changing orientation on the Z10, but as the screen would be shorter, I don't think I would like it.

Also, if it doesn't fit in a normal shirt pocket, it's a no go for me.

And I don't need a physical keyboard anymore, given that BlackBerry's virtual one is so good (the best, but it still needs more layouts and more than 3 concurrent languages).

It seems the Z10 will be discontinued soon. It's even cheaper now.

 

[0dev]

I was thinking the square screen would be better than changing orientation on the Z10, but as the screen would be shorter, I don't think I would like it.

Also, if it doesn't fit in a normal shirt pocket, it's a no go for me.

And I don't need a physical keyboard anymore, given that BlackBerry's virtual one is so good (the best, but it still needs more layouts and more than 3 concurrent languages).

The screen is a very strange shape but honestly it wouldn't bother me. The size is certainly enough and that's all that really matters. I wouldn't be watching videos on it - I don't find any smartphone really suitable for that, except perhaps the Note - so I wouldn't even notice it once I've owned the phone for a month.

I put my phones in my jeans so the bigger the better, bring it on... except those 7 and 8 inch ones, that's just being silly.

I still really finding myself missing physical keyboards personally. When I use them I feel like I'm home. Touchscreen keyboards have certain advantages, like swiping, but the reason those features are needed in the first place is because typing on a screen is always going to be less accurate than using a physical keyboard you can get a feel for. Physical keyboards are a little slower but a lot more accurate, IMO anyway.

So yeah, a QWERTY phablet with decent specs is exactly what I've been waiting for, even if it does look absolutely crazy. If the software is decent and it runs Android apps as well as BlackBerry fanboys claim I may very well buy one for my next phone. Why the hell not? I like powerhouses, I like novelties, and I like underdogs.

 

[aneftp]

In this day and age. It's pointless to make people wait 3-6 months for a new phone.

Unless it's like a totally new category (iphone announced Jan 2007 and not released till 6 months later). Or ipad making people wait 2.5 months.

Even the Blackberry Playbook took 6 months from announcement.

But those were new product categories. These updated blackberry phones are just that. Updates. Why show them off when they aren't going to be released in the next month?

Either they know current sales suck already so it won't affect current models. Or they feel they just need to show the world they are still making new phones.

 

[0dev]

In this day and age. It's pointless to make people wait 3-6 months for a new phone.

Unless it's like a totally new category (iphone announced Jan 2007 and not released till 6 months later). Or ipad making people wait 2.5 months.

Even the Blackberry Playbook took 6 months from announcement.

But those were new product categories. These updated blackberry phones are just that. Updates. Why show them off when they aren't going to be released in the next month?

Either they know current sales suck already so it won't affect current models. Or they feel they just need to show the world they are still making new phones.

You act as if BB is the only company that announces phones in advance. Just because Apple doesn't do it doesn't mean no one in the industry does. Just today Nokia teased a new Android phone that's not yet released, and they do this for their Windows Phones all the time. Samsung did it with the S5 and the S4 and probably more too.

 

[aneftp]

You act as if BB is the only company that announces phones in advance. Just because Apple doesn't do it doesn't mean no one in the industry does. Just today Nokia teased a new Android phone that's not yet released, and they do this for their Windows Phones all the time. Samsung did it with the S5 and the S4 and probably more too.

Not really. Nokia announced the Nokia X in February 2014 and released it the next month. Nokia announced another new phone today set for June 24th announcement. That phone will probably be available very soon after announcement as well.

Samsung has gotten really good with 4-6 weeks between announcement and launch of their S4-s5 phones.

Rim won't launch a those phones for 3-6 months. That's a way too long in this market.

Even Amazon Fire phone will be available end 3rd week of July.

 

[0dev]

Samsung has gotten really good with 4-6 weeks between announcement and launch of their S4-s5 phones. .

6 weeks = 2 months. Not really much of a difference.

I don't see what time between announcement and release has to do with the success of the actual product. It's no secret BB isn't exactly the most successful smartphone company but this quarter they made a profit, the stock price went up, and the Passport is certainly an interesting device which I can see people buying.

I hope they do well. Like I said, more competition can only be good for the consumer.

 

[aneftp]

6 weeks = 2 months. Not really much of a difference.

I don't see what time between announcement and release has to do with the success of the actual product. It's no secret BB isn't exactly the most successful smartphone company but this quarter they made a profit, the stock price went up, and the Passport is certainly an interesting device which I can see people buying.

I hope they do well. Like I said, more competition can only be good for the consumer.

6 weeks is not 2 months. Regardless Blackberry is looking at a 3 month time frame for one if it's phones and up to 6 months for the other.

Blackberry phone sales were down close to 20%. Their revenue are down as well. I wish blackberry the best. And you are wrong about BB not exactly he most successful smartphone company. They were the most successful smart phone company in the North America regions.

However in this day and age. 3-6 months is an eternity to wait.

It's obvious they don't move hardware well any more. What's left as they lose more lucrative business contracts?

 

[Lloydbm41]

6 weeks = 2 months. Not really much of a difference.

I don't see what time between announcement and release has to do with the success of the actual product. It's no secret BB isn't exactly the most successful smartphone company but this quarter they made a profit, the stock price went up, and the Passport is certainly an interesting device which I can see people buying.

I hope they do well. Like I said, more competition can only be good for the consumer.

The only reason they reported a profit was from real estate sales and tax refunds. That simply stopped the leak with a cork. BB won't have any write-offs for next quarter, so we'll see if the make any money. The underlined section below shows why this quarter gave them a small profit, but it is little more than smoke and mirrors.

From the BB fiscal report on 19 June:
The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $3.1 billion as of May 31, 2014, compared to $2.7 billion at the end of the previous quarter — a net increase of $429 million. Excluding receipt of a tax refund of $397 million and proceeds on the sale of real estate of $287 million, the Company used $255 million in the first quarter. This represents a decrease from $784 million used last quarter, after excluding proceeds of $250 million related to convertible debt issuance. Purchase obligations and other commitments amounted to approximately $1.8 billion as at May 31, 2014, with purchase orders with contract manufacturers representing approximately $317 million of the total.

 

[Oohara]

Perfect for the back pocket, that's what everyone wants a big ass screen

Ba dum-tish!

I don't mind the size though, but those sharp edges would hurt.

 

[FFR]

The only reason they reported a profit was from real estate sales and tax refunds. That simply stopped the leak with a cork. BB won't have any write-offs for next quarter, so we'll see if the make any money. The underlined section below shows why this quarter gave them a small profit, but it is little more than smoke and mirrors.

From the BB fiscal report on 19 June:
The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $3.1 billion as of May 31, 2014, compared to $2.7 billion at the end of the previous quarter — a net increase of $429 million. Excluding receipt of a tax refund of $397 million and proceeds on the sale of real estate of $287 million, the Company used $255 million in the first quarter. This represents a decrease from $784 million used last quarter, after excluding proceeds of $250 million related to convertible debt issuance. Purchase obligations and other commitments amounted to approximately $1.8 billion as at May 31, 2014, with purchase orders with contract manufacturers representing approximately $317 million of the total.

Yup, smoke and mirrors indeed:

" (on smartphone sales) which included shipments made and recognized prior to the first quarter and which reduced the Company's inventory in channel."

This has been included in the financials since bb10 was launched. I don't believe they sold any bb10 handsets this quarter, hell they stopped making bb10 handsets sometime in October.

As for the blackberry Quasimodo:

Not interested. Can't imagine anybody actually buying that monstrosity. Perhaps they will launch it in time for Halloween.

 

[thecurryman]

honestly can't wait for these phones! Rocking a Q10 right now but the passport looks like my next non-iphone cell phone!