AfterDawn: News

Strange new BlackBerry Passport to cost $599 unlocked at launch in the U.S.

BlackBerry's strange new square-shaped Passport smartphone will go on sale on Wednesday at $599 unlocked, once again guaranteeing that they will sell no units.

The device has a full physical keyboard and a 4.5-inch square touchscreen at 1440x1440 resolution. Under the hood is a quad-core Snapdragon MSM8974 processor and 3GB RAM with Adreno 330 OpenGL. A 3450mAh battery will allegedly provide better battery life than high-end iPhones and Android devices.



Little else is known about the device, or at least confirmed, but we should know more on Wednesday.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen seems happy about the phone and pricing, claiming that they could sell it for $700 to be in line with other devices of its caliber, "but I figure that to try to get the market interested, we're going to start a little lower than that."

Besides the keyboard, Chen says the strange screen will benefit users who need to read more or be more productive on their phones. "You really are seeing a more entire picture than seeing a sliver of a screen," he added.

The device may have some enterprise or international fans, but nobody in the U.S. is going to pay $599 for the Passport when the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S5 cost $650 unlocked. Sorry.



Source:
WSJ

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Sep 2014 15:14

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• 17 comments

• joebloe12

  LOL! That has GOT to be a JOKE! That is the ugliest thing I have seen in a very long time! Does Blackberry want to go out of business? That is a good way to do it.

  22.9.2014 19:49 #1

• DarthMopar

  Looks like an ugly calculator. This has GOT TO BE A JOKE!
  

  22.9.2014 22:15 #2

• Jemborg

  I kinda like it haha.
  
  :)
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  DSE VZ300-
  Zilog Z80 CPU, 32KB RAM (16K+16K cartridge), video processor 6847, 2KB video RAM, 16 colours (text mode), 5.25" FDD

  23.9.2014 03:39 #3

• molsen

  A for effort? Maybe an enterprise solution, so no one will steal it.
  

  23.9.2014 11:58 #4

• DarthMopar

  
  
  

  23.9.2014 14:17 #5

• zxe

  Originally posted by DarthMopar:
  hahahh very good

  24.9.2014 05:06 #6

• bhetrick

  Originally posted by joebloe12: LOL! That has GOT to be a JOKE! That is the ugliest thing I have seen in a very long time! Does Blackberry want to go out of business? That is a good way to do it.
  Is that the typical smartphone owner's train of thought?
  
  They're more worried about other people see them holding a "cool looking" phone verses functionality?
  
  *edit
  Just wanted to say this isn't a personal attack so don't take it that way. I'm genuinely asking because I don't own and have no desire to own a smartphone.
  
  But myself, if I did want one then the better screen and keyboard would be a higher priority.
  

  24.9.2014 11:00 #7

• hearme0

  Oh man.....is this truly an Onion article 'cause it wreaks?!
  
  either way.....yet another BB failure and this time, assuming this article is legit, it will likely cause BB to close doors.
  
  At least we could hope for that.
  
  DIE BLACKBERRY DIE!!!

  24.9.2014 15:05 #8

• bhetrick

  Originally posted by hearme0: Oh man.....is this truly an Onion article 'cause it wreaks?!
  
  either way.....yet another BB failure and this time, assuming this article is legit, it will likely cause BB to close doors.
  
  At least we could hope for that.
  
  DIE BLACKBERRY DIE!!! So you think the industry would be better off with LESS competition?
  
  You are pretty simple-minded, aren't you.
  

  24.9.2014 16:43 #9

• joebloe12

  Originally posted by bhetrick: Originally posted by joebloe12: LOL! That has GOT to be a JOKE! That is the ugliest thing I have seen in a very long time! Does Blackberry want to go out of business? That is a good way to do it.
  Is that the typical smartphone owner's train of thought?
  
  They're more worried about other people see them holding a "cool looking" phone verses functionality?
  
  *edit
  Just wanted to say this isn't a personal attack so don't take it that way. I'm genuinely asking because I don't own and have no desire to own a smartphone.
  
  But myself, if I did want one then the better screen and keyboard would be a higher priority. Are You crazy?
  
  Is this the typical troll's train of thought?
  
  You seem to ignore the fact that this thing looks just like the calculator posted above...a very real drawback to the 1980's....I mean I loved the 80's when I was living in them....but get a life! Time to move on!
  
  If you cannot see what is wrong with this thing then I sincerely feel sorry for you. You still seem to be living under a rock.
  
  If you want one the buy it! I could care less if you do or don't...but DON'T tell ME what I should buy or like. And I still think that thing looks like a calculator...so buy your calculator and shut up!
  

  24.9.2014 22:35 #10

• ddp

  joebloe12, watch the attitude. at least bb doesn't have to worry about apple coming after them with that phone like they did with samsung.
  

  25.9.2014 21:42 #11

• pmshah

  I wonder who came up with the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". From the opinions expressed here it seems like it would be in the eyes of others! In this was the case world's population problem would be solved overnight! Every one has their own standard but for me the priority I have always maintained are utility, ease of use and ease of maintenance. I would certainly try if. Only thing I would find inconvenient is the fact that it would not fit my shirt pocket.

  27.9.2014 20:09 #12

• kutulu1

  I like it. It looks very sturdy so it won't bend in your pocket...cough,cough. There have been a lot of positive impressions about it on youtube. May just have to get this for xmas. Woohoo for Blackberry for having the guts to change things up from the mundane and status quo; innovation. The iSheep know who they are; baaabaaabaa

  28.9.2014 01:15 #13

• The_Alpha_Geek

  200,000 BlackBerry Passport units sold 10 hours after launch...sold out on shop.blackberry.com and Amazon.com....
  #1 handset in Amazon's unlocked category...it happened in such a short time that it's a record...
  Sold out during the launch in Dubai...
  There goes the haters theory of "no one will buy this" and "nobody wants this".
  
  

  #TeamBlackBerry

  28.9.2014 10:08 #14

• ddp

  kutulu1, you saw that video of the iphone being bent too?
  

  28.9.2014 12:53 #15

• Jemborg

  Originally posted by The_Alpha_Geek: 200,000 BlackBerry Passport units sold 10 hours after launch...sold out on shop.blackberry.com and Amazon.com....
  #1 handset in Amazon's unlocked category...it happened in such a short time that it's a record...
  Sold out during the launch in Dubai...
  There goes the haters theory of "no one will buy this" and "nobody wants this".
  Thanks mate. If correct, that's quite interesting.
  
  Not suggesting that they'll take over but I have noticed a bit of a keyboard comeback.
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  DSE VZ300-
  Zilog Z80 CPU, 32KB RAM (16K+16K cartridge), video processor 6847, 2KB video RAM, 16 colours (text mode), 5.25" FDD

  28.9.2014 23:12 #16

• kutulu1

  Originally posted by ddp: kutulu1, you saw that video of the iphone being bent too? I seen this one:
  
  link

  4.10.2014 14:29 #17