Engadget - Apparently I'm a masochist.
That's an odd way to begin a review. But to give BlackBerry's latest handset, the Passport, as thorough a review as possible, I decided to type the entire thing from the phone itself. My twisted idea came from a realization that this (mostly) square oddity is the first phone with a physical keyboard that I've used since the Motorola Droid 4 in 2012 or the BlackBerry Q10 in 2013. It's not even a normal keyboard by modern smartphone standards -- it's a flattened, hybrid setup with both physical and virtual elements and a curiously placed space bar. Needless to say, it's an odd device, one that truly deserves the ultimate test: Can I use it to crank out several thousand words of text?
The BlackBerry KEYone will start shipping at the beginning of May. Is the new handset a major improvement compared to the 2014 Passport? I think not.
Interesting that blackberry is back but I forgot it was even a phone.. I will have to see for myself how it does but the fact that it's running droid seems like a step backwards not forward
"AT&T and BlackBerry have confirmed at CES 2015 in Las Vegas that the carrier would be selling the new BlackBerry Passport soon enough. Since that date hasn’t arrived yet, we are speculating that since we’re at the end of January, a February release by the American carrier would be appreciated and likely."
An AT&T exclusive BlackBerry Passport is in the works from the company, touting a refreshed design that won’t be as rigid as the original model. BlackBerry & AT&T decided to collaborate on a new BlackBerry Passport that will be found exclusively in AT&T stores, but if you are wondering whether customers of the carrier will get some special functions, better specs or new features, I have to disappoint you, since the companies said that the Passport will be basically the same, except for a few design elements.
One of the cleanest looking iteration of the latest BlackBerry handset.
The Passport and BB OS 10.3 are a rising threat for the competition, IMO. 2015 should be an eventful year.
Not a fault, but I think BlackBerry was clever to keep the Passport a two-handed variant. Them releasing a Curve successor, the Classic, makes for an effective market research. Figure out which form is best.
Speaking of which I hope they chisel out the Classic's kinks and that price down some. It is a very interesting phone as well... I just want a user replaceable battery.
