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Posted on 06/19/2025 10:01:59 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam
Once the king of smartphones, the BlackBerry is making a nostalgic comeback as Gen Z embraces retro tech for digital detoxes and vintage vibes.
Before the iPhone, the BlackBerry was the “it” phone. At its peak in the early 2000s, BlackBerry commanded over 50% of the U.S. and 20% of the global smartphone market. But times changed. Physical keyboards gave way to touchscreens, and eventually, BlackBerry discontinued support for its classic phones in 2022.
But this isn’t where the story ends.
The 2000s have since made a comeback. As The New York Times recently reported, “Everything Millennial Is Cool Again.” Adding to that list, I’m happy to report, is the humble BlackBerry.
(Excerpt) Read more at fastcompany.com ...
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Had one similar and it was my favorite phone ever.
Still waiting for the comeback of rotary phones.
That little callous on my index finger has disappeared.
I held on to my BlackBerry as long as I could. I only gave it up when it quit communicating with the cell towers then went to iphone.
“I just came across my old Blackberry yesterday - still holds a charge and has data from 2005!”
I have two Classics and one Priv.
Once I was bending over to refill the cats’ water dish and my Classic fell in. I figured it was doomed. There was an Otter Box on it. I let it dry out for a couple days before I tried to use it again and it was fine.
There’s small indicator inside — where the SIM card lives, IIRC — that will show whether there is water damage or not. It turns a certain color. I think it’s so customers can’t say the device is simply defective when they’ve actually introduced water into it.
Awan, get in here!
“It’s impossible to hate touch screens enough! They are from the depths of hell. I texted my brother that our sister had “just docked in Seattle”. That’s what I THOUGHT I had typed. Autocorrect changed “docked” to something else, making us wonder how much fun she was really having in Seattle.”
Autocorrect is not a touchscreen function.
Sadly, I’m thinking the same thing for my collection.
But I’m thinking of getting one of these for my music room...
https://www.projectork.com/products/record-store-retro-light?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=Facebook_Desktop_Feed&utm_campaign=120229828241940079&utm_term=120229828241930079&utm_content=120229828241950079&utm_id=120229828241940079&fbclid=IwY2xjawLBHUVleHRuA2FlbQEwAGFkaWQBqyRkTOmkj2JyaWQRMXdnUjlDWUV5VUdKbmpwRloBHgJzFZiEe9M_gGwQjXcvLVHb52yJ4vq_y3CgYsxeXi_mnZcx_1hHbaFyojgn_aem_p8ikvF4yW4lJQl6sxkcc6A
Bring back the Treo as well, dimple the keys on the keypad for the stylus point, make it operate like the Galaxy note, with removeable memory, and Im in!
Ugh...I want to get a flip phone
Crackberry..................
I loved that phone. Had to ditch it when 3G was no longer supported by my provider.
Now, I have the Samsung flip phone.
I loved my Blackberries.
That ain’t nothing, I still have my Commodore 64!
“All have tactile keyboards.”
That’s what I miss the most. I find my iPhone always does strange and unknown things whenever I look at it cross-eyed, accidentally breathe on it, or maybe a brief passing touch somewhere on the screen. Then it’s the old game “What app is this? Where am I on the phone? How do I get out of this?”
Of course, that’s because of the touchscreen. Let’s not forget the constant app and OS updates that happen while you are sleeping and you wake to a different phone. Features you liked are gone or moved or modified. New features I don’t want or will ever use pop up and intrude. This is not progress. It’s designed to drive you crazy.
I’d pay extra for a phone frozen in time. No changes for five years, maybe ten. None.
Then, to make life perfect, get real people answering phones again and get companies to stop the recorded messages “Para español, presione 2.” Why hasn’t President Trump issued an EO banning “Para español, presione 2”?
“How do I get out of this?””
On the iPhone you swipe up from the bottom.
On Android you hit the home “button”.
Had one. Lasted me 11 or 12 years, two battery replacements. Keyboard finally started falling apart.
The best thing Blackberry has going for it is that it is not Google or Apple spyware.
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