Blackberry "Venice" Android slider phone rumors grow louder

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in mobile on (#HVW4)
story imageFamed phone leaker @evleaks is at it again, this time with a few more shots of BlackBerry's forthcoming Venice handset. Venice is a slider phone that sports a large touchscreen display and runs Android instead of Blackberry's proprietary BB10 operating system. It slides up to reveal a physical QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode, giving owners of the device the best of both worlds, or so BlackBerry hopes. The Canadian outfit has been struggling for the past several years, and is hoping Venice will change that. The company built a reputation that was based in part on excellent hardware keyboards, and though the mobile market has moved to touchscreens, there are still many users who prefer the feel of a physical plank. Venice will give users a choice between the two input methods. Venice has been "confirmed" to launch in November on all four national U.S. wireless carriers -- Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

As one who loves BlackBerry hardware but not the software, I'm excited about the potential of a proper QWERTY phone with Android apps. Because these are leaks, the details are still up in the air. Nonetheless, it's looking more and more likely that BlackBerry will be launching an Android phone sometime this year. It's also becoming increasingly clear that the device will probably be a slider, and that it will possibly run Google Play services.
Reply 9 comments

Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by billshooterofbul@pipedot.org on 2015-08-19 18:28 (#HW5N)

Those were the reasons why I liked Blackberry. As a personal tech advisory to some big wig, I was tasked with getting a new (free) phone for my client due to a problem with his existing one. It wasn't about money as it was a principle thing. So I had the un-enviable task of working my way through tech support as long as I could without name dropping. I only got to tier 2 before I had to go nuclear. But as soon as I did, the phone was in the mail. Never really called them before or since for anyone else. So maybe that was just the name that got action. In any case, it was the best experience with Tech support I've ever had.

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2015-08-19 20:13 (#HWDS)

This reminds me of the Torch, the last slider I think they made, around 2010 or so. It was a really thick/heavy phone to hold or carry in your pockets, and a lot of people who were assigned one at work were envious of teh lighter candybar formfactor. I still root for Blackberry, but I don't find this device form very appealing. Samsung is going to release (in Asia only, sadly) a flip phone Android device, on the other hand, and that interests me a bit more (not sure why, but I really loved flipphones, if only because when closed they provided natural protection for their screens).

Secondly, for what it's worth, when I heard 'slider' I got excited, thinking it would be landscape mode, not portrait mode. I always liked those side-sliders that came out in the early days of Android.

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by billshooterofbul@pipedot.org on 2015-08-19 22:24 (#HWT1)

Droid was the only good one I played with. The others were pretty terrible. They tried putting them on cheaper phones and skimped on quality. The logic was a bit insane. Not having a keyboard is better than having a crappy one.

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by hapnstance@pipedot.org on 2015-08-20 12:37 (#HYHR)

Samsung Epic 4g and Motorola Photon Q were both decent sliders with good keyboards (IMHO). I still use my Photon and probably will until there is a revival in the slider market (or my Photon dies).

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by elf@pipedot.org on 2015-08-21 08:01 (#J18X)

These things are all good for business customers but even here times are changing. People no longer want 2 phones at work, they want to bring their own phone and have access to work data as well as their personal data on a single device. The physical keyboard on a mobile phone is never going to be big (in my opinion) because the amount of keys you need for typing is far greater than for using a phone as a phone and this large requirement for keys means the keys will actually be very small and that doesn't suit a lot of people.

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by hapnstance@pipedot.org on 2015-08-21 13:11 (#J22P)

I think there are two things that are possibly being overlooked. A virtual keyboard on a phone is not going to be significantly bigger than a physical keyboard on a phone and also it will reduce the available screen for display of information. So saying the keys will be small would also apply to a virtual keyboard. And the second thing is with the increasing size of phone screens it seems there would be a matching increase in keyboard size for a physical keyboard on a slider phone. I have seen bluetooth keyboards that were as small as the bigger phone screens we have these days. I think with the increasing screen size, now is the time to have a return of the slider keyboard because it can be comfortably sized.

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by elf@pipedot.org on 2015-08-21 13:25 (#J23X)

I think the difference with a virtual keyboard is you can limit the keys and can change the keys depending on what is being selected on the scree. With Physical you have to cater for every situation ahead of time.

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by hapnstance@pipedot.org on 2015-08-21 15:15 (#J2EM)

That's actually something that drives me nuts about virtual keys. If I am trying to type something with a good mix of alpha and numbers it's such a pain to switch back and forth from alpha to numeric. And besides, on physical it doesn't have to cater to every situation; that is what the shift/ctrl keys are for. I think there are probably benefits to virtual as well as physical but for me the physical benefits are more to my liking.

Re: Hardware keyboards, security, customer support (Score: 1)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-08-21 18:44 (#J32Z)

The physical keyboard on a mobile phone is never going to be big (in my opinion)
The downfall of tablets and the rise of Chromebooks seems to be directly related to keyboards, so they seem to be of significant importance.
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the keys will actually be very small and that doesn't suit a lot of people.
I don't see what alternative you are proposing. Phones are small therefore people... shouldn't ever type on them...?

Also, we had this discussion a few months ago: http://pipedot.org/3NZG