Geek News

It wasn't that long ago that the BlackBerry brand seemed stagnant, but devices like the KEYone and the more recent Motion seem to have gotten some people feeling the faith once more. Based on a strong response from long-time fans and users who switched from other smartphones, TCL's BlackBerry Mobile has promised to release "at least" two new smartphones in 2018. We're not talking about Bronze Edition-style color variants, either — these will be entirely new devices, and both of the phones BlackBerry Mobile has in mind will pack physical keyboards. "We're very confident in our ability to grow the keyboard market," said Gareth Hurn, BlackBerry Mobile's Global Head of Device Portfolio, in a conversation with Engadget. Representatives for the TCL-controlled brand were otherwise tight-lipped regarding specifics, but BlackBerry Mobile strongly believes there's a place in the market for the kind of productivity and convenience only physical ke...

BlackBerry's KEYone was a remarkably solid return to form, and it arguably got even better when it received an all-black makeover . Now, BlackBerry Mobile is prepping one more new color variant — the KEYone Bronze Edition — before it gets back to work developing all-new devices to launch later this year. Bronze might seem like a strange choice for a smartphone color, but it looks much nicer than we expected. It's subtle and subdued, and under the right light the matte metal looks more like gold. Even so, not everyone is going to love the way the bronze frame looks pressed up against the phone's many black flourishes. Otherwise, it's the same KEYone BlackBerry fans have grown to love... save for one notable tweak. Unlike the existing versions, the Bronze Edition drops the spot for a microSD card on the SIM tray to accommodate two SIM cards. It's a move meant to court frequent international travelers, and while the shift is a little frustrating, users are still le...