Hands On: BlackBerry Classic

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - The BlackBerry Classic takes us back to the future

Text and Photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

BlackBerry didn't just get the band together for a farewell tour for their diminishing but rabid fanbase. The company commited substantial manpower and engineering into bringing to life a modern BlackBerry smartphone that's replete with the familiar, reliable and almost quirky feature set that users loved four of five years ago.

There's great power in nostalgia. Just ask carmarkers like VW, Mini, Fiat and even Ford, which relentlessly and successfully peddle newfangled and modernized versions of their iconic and best-selling products from yesteryear.

At first glance, many might dismiss the BlackBerry Classic as the smartphone equivalent of a "New Beetle", a new product that's riding on the reputation and the popularity of BlackBerrys iconic Bold line but which has very little in common with its famous predecessor. The truth is, there's much more to the BlackBerry Classic than meets the eye.

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Video: See the latest software features of the BlackBerry Classic

BlackBerry Classic is slated for a New York launch on December 17 and we're slowly starting to see more information on this most awaited device. BlackBerry's main demo dude  Donny Halliwell (also an esteemed automotive reviewer here at Canadian Reviewer) walks us through some of the applications and the browser coming to this new device.

Want more Blackberry Classic coverage? Stay tuned to our liveblog from New York on December 17 when I bring the highlights of the launch event as well as some of the first official hands on video and images of the Classic.

Source: Inside BlackBerry

For BlackBerry, the future is Classic

Almost a month after the launch of the BlackBerry Passport, CEO John Chen sent out an open letter heralding the next new device which is the BlackBerry Classic. The letter, made out to loyal (current and former) BlackBerry users states that the soon to be launched Classic is the successor to the popular Bold line of smartphones and that various user requests were considered in creating a new, improved and yet completely familiar experience.

"We are committed to earning your business – or earning it back, if that’s the case. In the weeks ahead, BlackBerry will be sharing more details about Classic that we think you’ll like," Chen's letter stated. Looks like this year of massive smartphone releases is far from over and BlackBerry has one remaining salvo before the holidays. We're excited to see what the BlackBerry Classic has to offer and if it will be a factor in gaining back that much needed market share.

Update on Monday, November 10, 2014 at 2:26PM by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Just heard from some sources at BlackBerry that the Classic is on track for a December release. More importantly, it seems there will likely be enough stock to satisfy the expected high demand for the holiday season. 

I did get to check out a pre-production BlackBerry Classic for a few minutes and it is a stunning device. Top notch build quality all the way and it feels quite substantial and weighty. Stay posted for more information on this most anticipated BlackBerry handset.

Review: BlackBerry Passport

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

A lot of credit goes to BlackBerry for not scrimping on build and materials, not that they ever did. But by including top tier specs and boosting battery life, they've made the Passport a viable contender to many popular devices out there, specially in terms of speed and performance.

After lukewarm sales of earlier BB10 devices, BlackBerry went into restructuring mode and decided to focus on the enterprise market, which was slowly slipping away. With this in mind, they created the third device launched under CEO John Chen (the first being the Z3 and the second the super posh Porsche Design P'9983). The result is one of the most unusual smartphones ever to come to market. The big, bold and audacious Passport may just be BlackBerry’s ticket back into the mobile market.

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