Tag: OnwardMobility

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Mobile Syrup

OnwardMobility shuts down, officially kills planned 5G BlackBerry

Earlier this month, reports detailed the alleged death of OnwardMobility’s 5G BlackBerry smartphone. There were a few possible causes for the phone’s demise, including that BlackBerry pulled its licensing agreement with OnwardMobility. However, OnwardMobility has confirmed that it’s not just the 5G BlackBerry — the whole company is dead too.

As spotted by Android Police, a new update on the OnwardMobility website declares the company is shutting down:

“We want to thank you all for the tremendous amount of support that you have given us since we first launched OnwardMobility. However, it is with great sadness that we announce that OnwardMobility will be shutting down, and we will no longer be proceeding with the development of an ultra-secure smartphone with a physical keyboard.

“Please know that this was not a decision that we made lightly or in haste. We share your disappointment in this news and assure you this is not the outcome we worked and hoped for.

“We are incredibly grateful to the team of seasoned professionals who worked tirelessly on this project and to each and every one of our loyal fans and partners who have supported us throughout this journey. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you and hear your comments and feedback.”

Prior reporting said that OnwardMobility had lost the rights to use the BlackBerry name after the company’s CEO, John Chen, pulled the licensing agreement. OnwardMobility’s claim that it didn’t make the decision “lightly” seems to reference that. Additionally, Android Police reports that OnwardMobility filed for bankruptcy.

This seems like the final nail in the coffin for the 5G BlackBerry smartphone and, likely, the end of BlackBerry smartphones for the foreseeable future. Unless BlackBerry (the company) decides to license the brand to another smartphone manufacturer — which seems unlikely given Chen reportedly isn’t interested in doing that anymore — there won’t be anyone making BlackBerry smartphones.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: OnwardMobility Via: Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

OnwardMobility shuts down, officially kills planned 5G BlackBerry

Earlier this month, reports detailed the alleged death of OnwardMobility’s 5G BlackBerry smartphone. There were a few possible causes for the phone’s demise, including that BlackBerry pulled its licensing agreement with OnwardMobility. However, OnwardMobility has confirmed that it’s not just the 5G BlackBerry — the whole company is dead too.

As spotted by Android Police, a new update on the OnwardMobility website declares the company is shutting down:

“We want to thank you all for the tremendous amount of support that you have given us since we first launched OnwardMobility. However, it is with great sadness that we announce that OnwardMobility will be shutting down, and we will no longer be proceeding with the development of an ultra-secure smartphone with a physical keyboard.

“Please know that this was not a decision that we made lightly or in haste. We share your disappointment in this news and assure you this is not the outcome we worked and hoped for.

“We are incredibly grateful to the team of seasoned professionals who worked tirelessly on this project and to each and every one of our loyal fans and partners who have supported us throughout this journey. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you and hear your comments and feedback.”

Prior reporting said that OnwardMobility had lost the rights to use the BlackBerry name after the company’s CEO, John Chen, pulled the licensing agreement. OnwardMobility’s claim that it didn’t make the decision “lightly” seems to reference that. Additionally, Android Police reports that OnwardMobility filed for bankruptcy.

This seems like the final nail in the coffin for the 5G BlackBerry smartphone and, likely, the end of BlackBerry smartphones for the foreseeable future. Unless BlackBerry (the company) decides to license the brand to another smartphone manufacturer — which seems unlikely given Chen reportedly isn’t interested in doing that anymore — there won’t be anyone making BlackBerry smartphones.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: OnwardMobility Via: Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Planned 5G BlackBerry smartphone reportedly dies, crushing hopes of few remaining fans

OnwardMobilities’ plan to release a new keyboard-equipped, Android-powered 5G BlackBerry device is reportedly dead, according to a report from CrackBerry and Android Police.

Texas-based OnwardMobility first announced the device back in 2020 following TCL’s decision to no longer license the once-formidable Canadian company’s name. Rumours pointed to a smartphone that looked very similar to 2015’s BlackBerry Priv, which featured a sliding screen and a physical keyboard. The smartphone was reportedly set to release in 2021, but that didn’t end up happening.

CrackBerry’s report, which cites “multiple sources,” says that “OnwardMobility and their BlackBerry 5G keyboard phone dream are dead.” Android Police says that OnwardMobility’s license to use the brand has been cancelled and that BlackBerry CEO John Chen is no longer interested in licensing the companies name.

Though BlackBerry exited the consumer smartphone industry back in 2016, it licensed its brand to TCL. This resulted in the release of several BlackBerry-branded smartphones, including the relatively well-received KEYone line.

Though it’s probably still a little early to be entirely certain, it’s likely that this was the once iconic Canadian tech company’s last chance at resurrection in the smartphone space — especially if Chen is no longer interested in licensing the now security software-focused companies name.

Last month, BlackBerry shut down support for BB10-powered devices, which includes smartphones like the Classic, the Z10 and the Q10.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: CrackBerry, Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

OnwardMobility still doesn’t have any update on its BlackBerry phone

U.S.-based mobile security company OnwardMobility has still not provided an update on its promised BlackBerry-branded phone.

As PCMag notes, OnwardMobility said the handset would launch sometime in 2021, a window that will have passed in just under six weeks. The phone was originally unveiled in August 2020 for a release in the “first half of 2021,” with BlackBerry at the time saying it was “thrilled” to partner with the Texas-based company.

However, there’s since been no update. In a new statement to PCMag, an OnwardMobility spokesperson said the company is “unable to share more details or conduct any interviews.”

Given the silence, it doesn’t seem like we’ll get any form of update on the phone in the next six weeks, much less an actual release. Since OnwardMobility is keeping mum on the matter, it’s also unclear what sorts of issues the phone might have run into.

All we have to go off is that the phone — assuming it still exists — was to be a 5G Android handset that sports a physical keyboard.

The OnwardMobility BlackBerry phone was particularly notable since China-based TCL announced stopped selling BlackBerry-branded devices last year and that it lost the rights to design or manufacture new ones. Therefore, OnwardMobility’s device was positioned as an alternative for fans of the Canadian phone brand.

Otherwise, the last BlackBerry device to be released in North America was the BlackBerry Key2 LE.

Source: PCMag