BlackBerry Dodges First Shutdown Bullet

By Geoff Duncan February 24, 2006

At a critical court hearing in U.S. District Court today, Federal Judge James Spencer did not order Research In Motion‘s BlackBerry wireless service to be shut down in the United States. However, he strongly urged Canada’s RIM and patent-holder NTP to settle their dispute. If no settlement is reached by next week, Judge Spencer indicated he would issue an injunction which wasn’t likely to please either company.

Patent-holder NTP argued that Judge Spencer should order the immediate shutdown of the BlackBerry network in the U.S. and order RIM to pay $126 million in damages. RIM, in turn, argued Judge Spencer should hold off on any decision until the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office completes its review of NTP’s patents. The USPTO has issues preliminary rejections of the NTP patents at issue in the case, as well as one final rejection of a contested patent. NTP pointed out in a public statement yesterday that the final validity of patents is determined by federal courts, not the USPTO.

Although Judge Spencer’s actions today give RIM and NTP a little more time to work out their differences, the patent dispute case has grown both long and bitter, with both sides previously spurning several settlement opportunities. Industry watchers interpret Judge Spencer’s actions as a final warning to both parties not to force him to resolve the dispute.

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BlackBerry Key2. Credits: BlackBerry official.

BlackBerry is the smartphone brand that steadfastly refuses to die. The presumed-dead name has been resurrected once again, this time by a new company called OnwardMobility. It will work with manufacturer FIH Mobile to create and sell a 5G BlackBerry Android phone with a physical keyboard, ready for a potential release in the U.S. and Europe during the first half of 2021.

You read that right: A new BlackBerry phone with a physical keyboard and 5G, running Google’s Android software, is coming next year. TCL Communications was the last company to produce BlackBerry smartphones. It did so under license from BlackBerry Ltd., which continues to provide mobile security services, but isn’t in the hardware business anymore. TCL let its license lapse in February 2020 when modern, Android-based BlackBerry phones became a thing of the past. Until now.

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TCL Communication has announced it will no longer be making BlackBerry smartphones, after taking over the dormant brand at the end of 2016, and bringing it back to life with a series of ever-improving devices. In a statement tweeted out by the official BlackBerry Mobile account, TCL Communication does not have the rights to design, manufacture, or sell BlackBerry phones any longer.

This means the BlackBerry Key 2 LE will be the last BlackBerry-branded phone produced by TCL Communication to be released, and it follows the BlackBerry Key 2, and the BlackBerry KeyOne. TCL Communication’s BlackBerry phones took the features fans of the brand loved — the physical keyboard, long battery life, and extra levels of security — and put them inside modern hardware with Google Android software. While not for everyone, they were successful with those either familiar with the brand, or those looking for something a little different.
What does this mean for BlackBerry?
The future of BlackBerry phones is once again unknown. While TCL Communication will not make another BlackBerry phone, it does not necessarily mean we will never see another BlackBerry phone. It’s possible the global license could be snapped up by another company eager to capitalize on the brand’s highly recognizable name. HMD Global, for example, has seen considerable success with the Nokia name since acquiring the license, while British phone maker Bullitt owns the license to make phones from brands including Cat, JCB, and Land Rover.

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The BlackBerry Key2 LE is back home at Verizon, but only for business types

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The BlackBerry Key LE is a lower-cost version of the Key2, doing away with some of the more high-tech features seen on the expensive sister phone, and cutting costs by using different materials for the body, to create a more affordable but still distinctly BlackBerry smartphone.

You can check out our Key2 LE review to learn more about what it's like to live with the phone, but in the meantime, here are all the technical specs, details, and availability options.
Updates
The BlackBerry Key2 LE is available to buy at Verizon, but only to business and enterprise customers, according to reports. Verizon's selling the Key2 LE for $450 without a contract, or for $100 if you sign up for a two-year plan. The phone does not show up on Verizon's non-business store, so there does not seem to be the option to buy the phone for this price without a business plan.