Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Mysterious BlackBerry Leaves World Scratching its Head


Apparently time travel is real as someone has jumped to the future and brought back the BlackBerry our grandchildren will be carrying. MaxPDA today posted images of what they are calling the BlackBerry 9980. While it keeps some of the familiar tropes we've grown accustomed to with the RIM phones, it also puts a new twist on each and every one of them.

You can see a sampling of the images of the phone below, and you will find a generous helping more at the MaxPDA site ([url=http://www.maxpda.com/archives/3138/[/url]), but where do you even begin discussing the changes in this device? We have no clue what the internal specs are, but you can clearly see the keyboard and navigational keys have undergone a massive overhaul, not to mention the overall frame. It is amazing how much this looks like the BlackBerry form we've all grown to know over the years while also looking completely different.

While the BlackBerry 9980 number certainly implies it will follow in the steps of the massively popular BlackBerry 9900, we have no clue if that model number is official. I'm particularly curious about the word "Proceeding" being stamped across the top. Is this a potential device name? Perhaps an internal marker for stating which stage of development it is? Who knows.

There is also every chance that this is a concept model never meant for public consumption. Car companies do this on a regular basis, and have done so for decades, so there's no reason to believe that phone companies couldn' be doing it as well. And, on the other hand, there is always a chance that this is a complete fake. "Kit bashing" as it is known in the world of model makers and toy collectors is where you take parts from various existing items and make it into something unique. This would potentially be a lot more difficult with a phone, but not impossible.

Whatever it is, it is certainly a fun thing to speculate about over the weekend.

Mysterious BlackBerry Leaves World Scratching its Head | TechnoBuffalo

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/09...=Google+Reader

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

A.K.A. BlackBerry Bold R47

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

My first thought was that the keyboard was in Aramaic or Klingon. The combination of the cut style of each key plus the placement of the letters created an illusion of some sort. Maybe that will be the QNX-berry. Clearly this one has the guts of the 9900, but it's a spiffing design externally.

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Currently running OS 7, at least in the latest video.

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Not sure why they called it ugly, I like it...

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Different anyway.

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Aren't the photos way too clear to be a real unreleased phone? I thought they have to be so blurry you can barely make out details of any type.

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

I'm down.

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

It's reportedly a Porsche designed blackberry - I don't think it looks that bad.

BlackBerry Bold R47: Designed by Porsche? | TechnoBuffalo

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Could be an after-market treatment rather than a design we'll see directly from RIM. Like when you buy an AMG Mercedes. It starts like as a regular C300 and ends up a fire-breathing C63. Or maybe the Brabus option is more apt.

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

That thing is butt ugly.

But if it can "Run like the wind, Bullseye!", then I can look past the ugliness.

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

I have read somewhere else that this device will be given to Porsche owners as well. Not sure how it will work but Im not fancy of this model.
Apparently it has same hardware of 9900 / 9930

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Waow that's disgusting
Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

Why not just dismiss this as a hoax?

Re: Blackberry of the future - the 9980?
 

It could be a hoax, or a design mockup that was never intended to see the light of day. If they do offer them to a specific group like Porsche buyers I expect to see them on eBay at outrageous prices. Should be a hoot!