14 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 71
(and) has no further rights to design, manufacture
or sell any new BlackBerry mobile devices”. That’s
pretty much a death blow to the company’s slim
hopes of mounting a revival.
If you own a BlackBerry KeyOne or Key2, TCL
says it will continue to provide support for phones
through August 2022, but I wouldn’t hold my breath
for an Android 10 update anytime soon.
Granted, TCL’s investment in BlackBerry was
always an uphill struggle. When it announced it was
licensing the brand back in December 2016, it was
met with an equal mix of quizzical stares and snickers,
as BlackBerry’s heyday was long in the rear-view
mirror. The launch of the iPhone and the proliferation
of Android handsets made the hardware keyboard
seem quaint and antiquated, and the mere thought
of trying to use one again made our thumbs hurt.
But nonetheless, TCL persisted, and to be honest,
we didn’t hate the BlackBerry Key2. But in a world of
6in screens and powerful cameras, BlackBerry’s vision
was a tough sell to anyone but a hopeless nostalgic.
Even the once-popular BlackBerry Messenger
service called it quits in May.
So it’s not at all surprising that TCL has opted not
to renew its BlackBerry license. Any BlackBerry phone
is destined to be a niche product, and as Android
phones pick up more cameras and pixels, that niche
seems to be ever-shrinking. So pour one out for
BlackBerry and the physical keyboard, both of which
will likely never be seen again.
