BlackBerry Venice Android-powered curved-display slider(?) tipped for AT&T

[Aniallation]

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/3/8889621/blackberry-venice-android-phone-att

 

Competition for the S6 Edge? Wonder what specs and price will be like. The most interesting thing is that it's rumored to be a slider? Return of the Torch? I'd love an Android phone with a portrait slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Also, unlike the previous BB10 devices that were "compatible" with some Android apps that were sideloaded, the Venice seems to have full Google app support, including the Play Store.

 

We've expected for a month or so that BlackBerry is working on an Android phone with a "dual curved display" that slides up to reveal a physical keyboard underneath. It is supposedly based on a device that was originally announced at Mobile World Congress back in March, and back then the best image we had to go off of was a low-resolution snapshot of the device being held up on stage. Now, Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) has posted a high-resolution render of the device, codenamed Venice, to Twitter.

 

 

It reveals the aforementioned display, curved at the sides like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. There's a speaker at the bottom, and if you look closely at the last photo you can see that the basic design mostly matches up. It looks as though BlackBerry has chosen to excise dedicated Send and End keys — presumably because the device is now going to run Android instead of BlackBerry 10. It also seem possible that there's still a keyboard scurried away underneath that screen. The one other notable thing about Blass' image is that it has Google app icons strewn about — which should mean that it has full access to Google's suite of apps and services. Blass also claims that the Venice will be coming to AT&T.

 

 

 

[Frankie]

It doesn't look bad, but somehow I'm still not buying into this curved display stuff. Seems to me like a look what we can do now thing.

[TopWargamer]

Blackberry finally understands that Android will be their saving grace. Don't get me wrong, BB OS is great for certain people - a small minority. They just quite frankly need to make an Android phone to stay afloat, but even at that, they'll still more than likely get out sold by their competitors. 

 

Let's see what you have to bring to the table BB.

[Bogica]

It doesn't look bad, but somehow I'm still not buying into this curved display stuff. Seems to me like a look what we can do now thing.

Same here. It's still just a marketing gimmick. No real purpose to validate the extra price that goes into this stuff (S6 vs S6 edge for example).

On topic- I would love a Blackberry Android device. I'm sure BB will take good care of the software for the phone. It will be quality and most likely get regularly updated.

I would just love a mid ranger from them and if possible with a slider or some other form of keyboard for it. I'm still not as fast typing on a touchscreen as I was typing on my N900.

[Aniallation]

Blackberry finally understands that Android will be their saving grace. Don't get me wrong, BB OS is great for certain people - a small minority. They just quite frankly need to make an Android phone to stay afloat, but even at that, they'll still more than likely get out sold by their competitors. 

I liked BB10 actually, the only reason I still don't have my Z30, is because the lack of Google Play Services support really threw off app support for running Android apps on QNX, and more and more apps just started to not work with BB10 (as if the selection of apps that did work before wasn't bad enough). Hardware-wise though, the Z30 was a fantastic device and I loved it.

[TopWargamer]

I liked BB10 actually, the only reason I still don't have my Z30, is because the lack of Google Play Services support really threw off app support for running Android apps on QNX, and more and more apps just started to not work with BB10 (as if the selection of apps that did work before wasn't bad enough). Hardware-wise though, the Z30 was a fantastic device and I loved it.

In theory though, couldn't you have installed the Play Store and then install Play Services from there? 

(Because if memory serves me correctly you can run Android apps on the Z30.)

[Aniallation]

In theory though, couldn't you have installed the Play Store and then install Play Services from there? 

(Because if memory serves me correctly you can run Android apps on the Z30.)

No, there was no way to get Play Services on BB10. Android apps could be installed and ran, but many newer ones (especially social networking apps, which is what I mostly use my phone for) require Play Services to run.

[TopWargamer]

No, there was no way to get Play Services on BB10. Android apps could be installed and ran, but many newer ones (especially social networking apps, which is what I mostly use my phone for) require Play Services to run.

Aw that's super lame. 

[Whiskers]

Blackberry finally understands that Android will be their saving grace. Don't get me wrong, BB OS is great for certain people - a small minority. They just quite frankly need to make an Android phone to stay afloat, but even at that, they'll still more than likely get out sold by their competitors. 

 

Let's see what you have to bring to the table BB.

 

I disagree.

 

Android might be what people know and love, but it's a stagnant OS right now for manufacturers. It is a colossal market which is already fully saturated with phones of every conceivable type - unless you have a brand following or something very unique to bring to the table, it's very difficult to compete. BlackBerry don't have the brand recognition they once had, and their strength lies in their software not hardware. By throwing Android on their device they're playing with their weakest hand. They can't skin the OS too much to implement BB10 features because that would make the adoption of Android completely pointless - most of the Android fanbase appears to dislike the idea of anything other than the stock version anyway.

 

I truly hope this turns out to be false, as I don't think it is a wise investment of their money and time. They should be focusing on further differentiating themselves in the market, by providing services and features that simply aren't available on other platforms. If they abandon BB10, they're done for.

[MoonSpot]

Would have liked seeing a bit of an arch to the rows of keys, but would have to get hands on to determine what the experience is like. 

[Aniallation]

Android might be what people know and love, but it's a stagnant OS right now for manufacturers. It is a colossal market which is already fully saturated with phones of every conceivable type - unless you have a brand following or something very unique to bring to the table, it's very difficult to compete. BlackBerry don't have the brand recognition they once had, and their strength lies in their software not hardware. 

I actually want an Android with a portrait QWERTY slider, and I don't mind if it comes from BB

[LlamaDom]

I really hope it doesn't have the same sinking issue as the other Venice...

[connorpiper]

I really like that... Wow.

[Deletive]

I'd be up for a blackberry android phone, they should focus on security if they do though. I hate slider keyboards so disfunctional on bigger phones I feel. and just add thickness i'd rather have go to battery.

[terrytek]

As long as it keeps the tactile keyboard i'm all go for it. I mean after all, the keyboard is what makes a Blackberry a Blackberry.

[dizmo]

I'm rather torn with this device.

 

I used to be so in love with physical keyboards on a phone that I swore I'd never leave Blackberry. Then I got an Android phone when the BB10 phones failed to show up when they were supposed to, and my contract was up for renewal. Now I don't think I'll ever go back to one. Especially feeling the one on the Passport. It's just not as great as the Blackberry keyboards of old.

 

I do love Blackberry hardware, or used to. They have some really excellent build quality. Though with the newer devices there are definitely some things I didn't like, like the buttons.

They also tend to be larger than they need to be. The Z10, for example, was the same size as a phone with a 4.7" screen. Sad, really.

This slider looks positively huge. Hopefully they get the weighting down properly.

They, however, are awful at specs and I hope they realize that they need to put something top of the line in here if they're going to gain much traction with it as a "flagship device".

Android's hungry. It needs massive batteries, and RAM never hurt.

 

We'll see I guess. I'll definitely take it for a day long test drive when my Berry addicted friend inevitably buys one.

 

 

Blackberry finally understands that Android will be their saving grace. Don't get me wrong, BB OS is great for certain people - a small minority. They just quite frankly need to make an Android phone to stay afloat, but even at that, they'll still more than likely get out sold by their competitors. 

 

Let's see what you have to bring to the table BB.

Blackberry isn't doing that poorly, they're just no longer the power house that they once were. I think if they get the niche market they were after all along, they'll be fine as a small company.

They just got too big, and failed to keep up with what average consumers wanted; which wasn't their customer base to begin with.

 

Same here. It's still just a marketing gimmick. No real purpose to validate the extra price that goes into this stuff (S6 vs S6 edge for example).

On topic- I would love a Blackberry Android device. I'm sure BB will take good care of the software for the phone. It will be quality and most likely get regularly updated.
I would just love a mid ranger from them and if possible with a slider or some other form of keyboard for it. I'm still not as fast typing on a touchscreen as I was typing on my N900.

I don't see it as a marketing gimmick. I think this time around it's just curved, like 2.5D glass, rather than being sold as "useful", like on a Samsung.

Bring on the rounded edges. I'm sick of carrying my phone in my pocket and eventually having it wear through.

 

I liked BB10 actually, the only reason I still don't have my Z30, is because the lack of Google Play Services support really threw off app support for running Android apps on QNX, and more and more apps just started to not work with BB10 (as if the selection of apps that did work before wasn't bad enough). Hardware-wise though, the Z30 was a fantastic device and I loved it.

I wasn't a huge fan of the screen. Not even 1080p? Or the back. Or the button feeling. Or the fact the power button was in the middle of the top of the device. This isn't a small device anymore Blackberry. The audio quality with headphones plugged in also suffered.

 

-snip-

 

I truly hope this turns out to be false, as I don't think it is a wise investment of their money and time. They should be focusing on further differentiating themselves in the market, by providing services and features that simply aren't available on other platforms. If they abandon BB10, they're done for.

They're likely to get more market share with an Android device thrown into their line up, than without. It's worth a shot. I don't believe they ever said they were giving up on their OS.

Also, they stated they're going to put out one really odd device a year. Perhaps this is it.

[Aniallation]

I wasn't a huge fan of the screen. Not even 1080p? Or the back. Or the button feeling. Or the fact the power button was in the middle of the top of the device. This isn't a small device anymore Blackberry. The audio quality with headphones plugged in also suffered

I liked the screen actually. It wasn't 1080p but keep in mind when it came out there weren't anywhere near as many 1080p smartphones on the market as there are today, but I loved the fact that it was AMOLED. I'd easily take a nice 5" 720p display (which it definitely was) over a crappy 5" 1080p one, which is one of the reasons why I'm getting rid of my Xperia ZL.

 

I liked the back, it was grippy and easy to hold without feeling rough. The button placement was something that was quite easy to get used to, and I liked the power button at the middle of the top since then it's the same stretch regardless of which hand you're holding the phone in. The feel of the volume buttons I do agree wasn't great though, and I found out why (crappy design) when I opened up the phone.

 

Audio quality through the headphones was... alright. Nothing special, but I've heard a lot worse. The speakers were fantastic though, and actually sounded better then the HTC M7's speakers which everyone was tripping balls about at the time.

[dizmo]

I liked the screen actually. It wasn't 1080p but keep in mind when it came out there weren't anywhere near as many 1080p smartphones on the market as there are today, but I loved the fact that it was AMOLED. I'd easily take a nice 5" 720p display (which it definitely was) over a crappy 5" 1080p one, which is one of the reasons why I'm getting rid of my Xperia ZL.

 

I liked the back, it was grippy and easy to hold without feeling rough. The button placement was something that was quite easy to get used to, and I liked the power button at the middle of the top since then it's the same stretch regardless of which hand you're holding the phone in. The feel of the volume buttons I do agree wasn't great though, and I found out why (crappy design) when I opened up the phone.

 

Audio quality through the headphones was... alright. Nothing special, but I've heard a lot worse. The speakers were fantastic though, and actually sounded better then the HTC M7's speakers which everyone was tripping balls about at the time.

Haha, please. There were 52 phones with 1080p displays released that year. Not a small number by any means. It was also released very late in 2013...

I'll give that to you though. The early Sony phones displays were trash. *shudder*

 

I really wish a company would come out with a phone that covers all the bases already. It's not that hard!

Though then we might not have a reason to upgrade to the minimal advances the next year... (An extra 400mah of battery?! YES! /s)

[Bogica]

I'd buy their Android phone, with or without the physical keyboard (although I'd love one). I'm sure the software would be polished, it's BB after all.

However, I'm a mid ranger phone guy, I don't buy on contract so I cash out for phones. And buying something absurdly expensive is not my thing.

[Techhog]

I disagree.

 

Android might be what people know and love, but it's a stagnant OS right now for manufacturers. It is a colossal market which is already fully saturated with phones of every conceivable type - unless you have a brand following or something very unique to bring to the table, it's very difficult to compete. BlackBerry don't have the brand recognition they once had, and their strength lies in their software not hardware. By throwing Android on their device they're playing with their weakest hand. They can't skin the OS too much to implement BB10 features because that would make the adoption of Android completely pointless - most of the Android fanbase appears to dislike the idea of anything other than the stock version anyway.

 

I truly hope this turns out to be false, as I don't think it is a wise investment of their money and time. They should be focusing on further differentiating themselves in the market, by providing services and features that simply aren't available on other platforms. If they abandon BB10, they're done for.

The tech community does not even remotely make up most of the Android users. "Most" of them buy heavily skinned phones from Samsung.

[atrash]

Hey Blackberry, how bout adopting W10?

[carolkarine]

It doesn't look bad, but somehow I'm still not buying into this curved display stuff. Seems to me like a look what we can do now thing.

 

I used an s6 edge and it completely changed my world when it comes to phones. the curved edges just feel so damn good in hand. I don't know how to describe it. I think it's like VR, you don't get it until you try it.

[Alurit]

Hey Blackberry, how bout adopting W10?

that was on my mind as well

[cesrai]

Looks like the tourch.

[Frankie]

I used an s6 edge and it completely changed my world when it comes to phones. the curved edges just feel so damn good in hand. I don't know how to describe it. I think it's like VR, you don't get it until you try it.

 

I am not saying it feels bad in the hand, but why curve the display too ? Just bend the material around the screen. It's not worth the extra money imo.