Blackberries May be Coming Back to Banking
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The banker’s best-loved gadget may be making a return from the dead – thanks in part to the pandemic sending millions of workers into work-from-home arrangements.
Blackberry smartphones were phased out at banks years ago – Credit Suisse’s finance chief David Mathers was openly unhappy about his boss, Tidjane Thiam, taking his away in 2017. The brand has been left for dead several times after Blackberry left the phone business in 2016.
Now, a Texan technology start-up plans to roll it out again, on an Android operating system with 5G connectivity, by next June, it said in a statement. The company, Onwardmobility, inked a pact with BlackBerry as well as a Foxconn subsidiary to offer the device in North America and Europe.
The key draw of Blackberry – a physical keyboard – endeared it to bankers (as well as journalists) – so much so that it was colloquially known as a Crackberry. Blackberry, the company, licensed the brand out to TCL, but the Chinese provider abandoned it earlier this year.
By that time, financial service firms had decommissioned the technology (after prying them from the reluctant hands of bankers like Mathers). First manufactured by Research in Motion (RIM), the Blackberry was gradually eclipsed by Apple’s iPhone, launched in 2007. Efforts to reinvent with Blackberry with features like a touchscreen, or without the physical keyboard, foundered.
Blackberry gave up its own software in favor of Android, but ended up ditching phones altogether in favor of security software. The move relegated the Blackberry to zombie status, something Onwardmobility wants to change.
Enterprise professionals are eager for secure 5G devices that enable productivity, without sacrificing the user experience, Onward CEO Peter Franklin said. The company hopes the increasing number of office staff working from home and cybersecurity needs will spur demand for the devices.
Questions & Answers
Q.What is the primary reason behind the planned revival of Blackberry phones?
What is the primary reason behind the planned revival of Blackberry phones?
The pandemic has led to millions of workers, including bankers, working from home. This shift, combined with increasing cybersecurity needs, is expected to spur demand for secure 5G devices that enable productivity.
Q.Which companies are involved in bringing the Blackberry phone back to the market?
Which companies are involved in bringing the Blackberry phone back to the market?
Texan start-up Onwardmobility plans to roll out the device. They have partnered with BlackBerry itself and a Foxconn subsidiary to offer the new smartphone in North America and Europe.
Q.What key feature of the Blackberry phone is expected to appeal to its original user base, such as bankers?
What key feature of the Blackberry phone is expected to appeal to its original user base, such as bankers?
The key draw for bankers, and journalists, was always the physical keyboard. Onwardmobility intends to reintroduce the device with this distinctive feature, operating on an Android system with 5G connectivity.
Q.When is the new Blackberry smartphone expected to be available for purchase?
When is the new Blackberry smartphone expected to be available for purchase?
Onwardmobility, the Texan technology start-up responsible for the revival, has stated their plan to roll out the new Blackberry smartphone by next June. It will feature an Android operating system and 5G connectivity.
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