Assilimated Recommendations from the BB Communities to OnwardMobility / BlackBerry
This document is a work in progress assimilation of feedback recieved from BBMe Communities, Private BBMe Messages / eMails, CrackBerry Forum as well as from anonymous community contributions to what the individual contributors would like to see in the next fleet of BlackBerry phones, divided between Hardware & Software from OnwardMobility/BlackBerry relationship. Also included in this document are some comments from community members that maybe worth considering.
Legend:
* - Commonly requested feature w/o opposition
# - Commonly requested feature that has some opposition
& - Uncontested yet uncommon requested feature
! - Requests commonly percieved as odd
Assimilated input from all sources
Hardware:
- (*) Physical Keyboard (PKB) (*) Ledgable letters on PKB (&) Text embedded in PKB (&) PKB sculpted (*) PKB indexed 'teet' key (*) Key-press depth of PRIV (*) Good key bounce-back response
- (*) Capacitive PKB (&) for swiping (&) for tracking
- (*) Exceptional Battery Life (*) Replacable Battery
- (*) Qaulity Build
- (*) Convenience key(s)
- (*) Hardware root of trust
- (*) Quality (Loud) Speaker and Mic
- (*) Quality Camera (&) Optimial MP to sensor size
- (*) Single carry claim
- (*) Fast charging (*) Wireless charging
- (*) Headset / Headphone jack
- (*) HD OLED dispay (#) without notches or holes
- (*) Most up to date processor series at time of launch (8xx/9xx chipset)
- (*) MicroSD slot
- (*) More function to SpeedKey (&) 256 char Macro memory (&) Functions and Apps
- (*) Water-resistant
- (*) Replacable PKB
- (#) Physical call keys (Answer/Hangup regardless what's active on screen)
- (#) Screen reachable for one-handed use
- (#) Fingerprint scanner on screen / not spacebar
- (#) Ruggedness (IP67/IP68)
- (#) Two device camp inspired layouts: Bold 9900 (Palm size) vs. Passport/PRIV (Big screen)
- (#) Classic Optical Trackpad (Toolbelt)
- (#) Use another key such as spacebar for cursor tracking / menu nav
- (#) No finger-print reader under spacebar
- (#) Finger-print sensor on rear of device
- (#) Key2 designed with BB call buttons and trackpad (ie ATHENA concept design)
- (#) One-handed use formfactor
- (#) Not a Key3
- (&) Non-hybrid Dual SIM (individual trays)
- (&) Front-facing speakers
- (&) PRIV with Key2 PKB
- (&) PRIV full screen to Palm Transformed w/ forward facing PKB stow
- (&) PKB backlit when screen is on
- (&) LED visible from across the room
- (&) Thicker and textured body geared for solid grip and typing stability
- (&) Slightly more protrusion of the trackpad to avoid touchscreen slips
- (&) High-end specification
- (&) Killswitch for Mic/Camera
- (&) Killswitch for data while maintaining call connection
- (&) BB & OM promotional stickers
- (&) No permenant Back, Launcher and Home Bottons: Full screen estate
- (&) High NITS for screen brightness
- (&) Phone color / skin options
- (&) Backlit PKB for LED notification
- (&) Great haptics (&) wider
- (&) At least 6GB/128GB spec
- (&) Bigger LED notification
- (&) Single key-press function for Speedkey
- (&) IR port
- (!) OHA workaround
- (!) Slap PKB on a Sonim XP7 inspired form-factor
- (!) No internal storage; everything loads on removable CF cards
- (!) All-touch in single trackpad
- (!) Swapable Braille PKB for the blind
- (!) Cherry style keys
- (!) FM Tuner
- (!) Foveon camera capturing CMOS sensor
- (!) Bottle opener built-in or provided with case accessory
Software:
- (*) Security and BB/OM specific applications
- (*) Encrypted Storage
- (*) Notable
- (*) Cylance
- (*) VPN
- (*) BBMe stocked
- (*) DTEK (&) w/ Firewall
- (*) Locker with Encryption
- (*) Hub (&) with Peak and Flow
- (*) Monthly security updates for 3+ years
- (*) Note-taking with bridge to Calendar and Task app
- (*) Personalized LED alerts
- (*) Bedside mode
- (*) Bring back Remember app
- (#) Setup without cloud login option
- (#) Re-introduce a SAF model that works so folks can hold on to their devices longer while keeping the revenue going to BB/OM support
- (&) Cloning feature for dual-accounts
- (&) Minimum 1 OS upgrade
- (&) Improved programmable LED notification system
- (&) Avoid 'Bounce & Drag' issue with PKB
- (&) Speedkey action when screen is off
- (&) Configuration profiles
- (&) BB10 way of touch-screen cursor positioning
- (&) Desktop local synchronization option w/o cloud dependence
- (&) Include BBOS and BB10 stocked ringtones/notification sounds
- (&) Encrypted eMail (PGP)
- (&) Encrypted Calendar
- (&) RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) option for Calc
- (&) Android 11 with guesture control
- (&) BBMe real-time language translation
- (&) Enable trackpad video/photo real-time zoom and snap
- (&) Volume key repurposed manual focus during camera modes
- (&) First letter shortcut in menus
- (&) On-screen ascented characters
- (&) Locally send calendar invites
- (!) Dvorak mapping layout option for PKB
Comments:
- Service:
- Reintroduce an SAF model that will work; keep our devices longer while keeping BB/OM in business.
- Human Relations:
- BlackBerry during the legacy days (BBOS) had an army of very talented UI designers and developers focused on their vision of professional, secure work. Can this be recreated on Android?
- Other Comments:
- Focus on enterprise security and clean functionality in a robust, long lasting, corporate device.
- PKB shortcuts, trackpad, the tool belt, etc; they were all driven by software functionality across apps that simply doesn't exist in the Android ecosystem. How do you solve that problem?
- Having accessories on the launch of day one is essential.
- A different form factor would be deadly for OM, because it would further narrow the already limited market for the OM and limit the number of units sold. I can accept a compromise on the form factor at the beginning of what will hopefully be a long journey with OM. I hope to have a different design for later devices.
- A traditional blackberry has always been a candybar style. Not a slider. A slider is something that was developed later down the line. I think tget would go with the tradtiional most wide spread models first. Maybe there should be some polls conducted among major BlackBerry communities of what form factor they prefer.
- Get as far as possible from the BlackBerry "fanbase" and try finding other potential customers. Maybe the people who just want a nice (preferablyslider) PKB phone.
Sources: