My wife used to love her Blackberry. The very first one she had at her very first job was much like a Palm Pilot that had a protective front cover. It would slide into place like a scientific calculator You could sync it and then catch up on emails while you were away from your computer, like on an airplane for instance. And there really wasn't much else you would do with it.
I had a couple of different Blackberrys when I did some work with one of the phone carriers. And I LOVED it. By then there were very much like today's modern phones and the physical keyboard was a HUGE advantage. When my phone screen is dirty, I'm reminded how much easier a keyboard is. One of mine also had a tracking ball which was amazing.
A combination of things happened of course. Better technology with better software that you could do more with including syncing with your watch. Blackberry leased the rights for other manufacturers to make the phones but they are no longer interested. Blackberry and RIM stopped making the software several years ago in favor of the Android operating system. These phones MIGHT work a bit longer but according to NBC News, the majority are no longer supported and those old handsets won't be able to sync or dial 911 starting Tuesday, January 4. This was first announced in September 2020.
What a run!
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