Desk Report
Publish: 03 Jan 2022, 06:35 pm
Classic BlackBerry Phone || Photo: Collected
BlackBerry has already bitten the
dust in the smartphone market and lost its charm as even its devoted fans are
nowadays perhaps using an iPhone or an Android handset. But still, as some
people might be using a BlackBerry phone, the Canadian company has reiterated
that its devices will no longer be able to support legacy services over
cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity starting next week. The company initially
announced the move in September last year but extended its service as “an
expression of thanks” to its loyal customers and partners. The update is
notably not applicable to BlackBerry phones based on the Android operating
system.
As of January 4, devices based on
BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS
2.1 and earlier versions, will no longer be able to “reliably function,” the
company said in an updated note on its website.
This means that there will be no
guarantee that BlackBerry phones on cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity will be able
to allow data access, make phone calls, send text messages, and even the
emergency 911 functionality.
It is not surprising as
BlackBerry had lost its ground in the early 2010s.
The Waterloo,
Ontario-headquartered company tried hard to regain attraction. In 2013, it
brought BlackBerry 10 as a replacement of the aging BlackBerry OS to appeal to
Android and iOS users. The company also finally moved to Android in 2015 and
brought BlackBerry Priv as a new slider phone to take on the flagships of Apple
and Samsung. All that, however, did not help it gain any success.
In 2016, BlackBerry ultimately
brought licensing partners including TCL Communication for global markets and
Optiemus Infracom in India to retain its brand name with third-party devices.
The licensing partners introduced models including BlackBerry KeyOne and Key2.
However, TCL in February 2020
announced that it would no longer produce BlackBerry phones. Other brand
licensees have also maintained silence since October 2018 — following the
launch of BlackBerry Key2 LE which came as the last phone brought under the brand.
Texas-based startup
OnwardMobility in 2020 teased to launch a 5G BlackBerry phone in 2021. That model
has not yet emerged, though.
The departure of legacy services
from BlackBerry phones doesn't mean that the brand BlackBerry is dead
altogether. The company is currently busy developing its security software and
services for various enterprises and governments around the world.
BlackBerry as a company even beat
Wall Street estimates for its third-quarter revenue last week and reported a
net profit of $74 million. That was significant in comparison with a loss of
$130 million a year earlier.
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Topic : BlackBerry Android operating system
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