News

BlackBerry finally gives up on creating its own phones

Published

on

The headline above was something we were expecting to write one day, but now that it’s happened, it’s still quite sad. BlackBerry’s original smartphone designs are no more.

In a lengthy PDF detailing BlackBerry’s recent financial highs and lows, the Canadian company chose to stick to what it’s good at, specifically software and security services. But this doesn’t mean that no more handsets are coming out of this development; all BlackBerry phones released from now on will simply be designed and manufactured by third-party hardware partners.

This process actually began over a month ago. The once high-end smartphone brand synonymous with QWERTY keyboards released the DTEK50, which is a $300 full-touchscreen Android handset. It’s something you wouldn’t imagine BlackBerry doing back when it was at the top of the smartphone world over half a decade ago.

blackberry-dtek50

BlackBerry DTEK50

It was a sign of things to come. The terribly named DTEK50 was just an Alcatel Idol 4 with BlackBerry’s branding plastered all over it. Once rumors surfaced of a successor in the DTEK60 being cooked up, which looks to be a rebranded Alcatel Idol 4S, the unfortunate announcement we’re hearing now becomes less of a surprise.

BlackBerry’s woes began when it couldn’t catch up to the momentum built by Google and Apple’s operating systems. Realizing that physical keypads were no longer desired by the majority of consumers, its software developers went hard at work on a more touchscreen-friendly BB10 OS, which first debuted on the Z10 and Q10 in early 2013. Its gesture-based interface introduced several good ideas outside of the usual Android and iOS functionality, but it arrived way too late.

Once that experiment failed, BlackBerry gave in and accepted the open-source Android system on October 2015. The Priv combined the richness of Android’s touchscreen interface with BlackBerry’s signature keyboard sliding out from underneath. Together with the company’s added security features, it seemed like a great deal, until everyone realized it cost $700 at launch.

blackberry-priv

BlackBerry Priv

Overall sales dwindled in the past few years, to the point of having less than one percent of the worldwide smartphone market share. That alone was a signal to retire.

On the bright side, we still have good memories to live with. Remember that awesome Bold 9900? It still stands as one of the best physical keyboard-equipped smartphones of all time. There was also the Curve 9220, which was the Nokia 3310 of BlackBerries. And who could forget the unjustly underrated PlayBo— wait, never mind. Even BlackBerry chose to forget it ever existed.

[irp posts=”7249″ name=”BlackBerry has a new security-focused flagship phone”]

Source: Business Insider

News

HUAWEI Pura X View is 2026’s first WIDE slab-type smartphone

2026’s first non-foldable WIDE smartphone makes its surprising debut

Published

on

By

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

It seems like the WIDE smartphone craze is getting out of hand.

Surprise, surprise! Out of nowhere, HUAWEI reveals the Pura X View — 2026’s first WIDE smartphone that does not fold at all.

Tied to WIDE

With the massive success of HUAWEI’s Pura X Max as well as the newly-released Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, it’s hard to ignore the sudden trend behind WIDE smartphones. Let alone, Apple’s much-awaited iPhone foldable (dubbed the “iPhone Ultra”) will be announced in less than a month.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Opposed to the usual tall and narrow form factor, the Pura X View comes in a wider body with a 16:9.5 aspect ratio. Display bezels are extremely narrow too at just 1.09mm and StB (Screen-to-Body) ratio reaches a whopping 96.1%.

This wider than usual body means better ergonomics with better content consumption — from images, books, documents, all the way to movies and shows, as well as games.

While it has a smaller 6.39-inch display, the Chinese electronics giant says it has greater content area compared to 6.9-inch flagship smartphones.

Other display feats include a 2160Hz PWM Dimming, resolution of 2232 × 1320, and max brightness of up to 6500 nits.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Despite all these, HUAWEI still managed to put a monstrous 7000mAh battery capacity inside its super slender 6.68mm chassis — which also happens to be lightweight at only 201 grams.

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, HUAWEI did not reveal every bit of spec on their website.

Pricing and Availability

The HUAWEI Pura X View comes in four colorways: Illusion Dark Night, Zero-degree White, Leap Shadow Red, and Linen Ash.

It’s currently open for pre-orders in China alongside three configurations:

  • 12+256GB
  • 12+512GB
  • 12+1TB

Just like its unrevealed specifications, HUAWEI did not reveal the exact pricing of the Pura X View.

Make GadgetMatch.com your daily habit so you don’t miss out on these updates!

Continue Reading

News

Samsung might launch the Galaxy S26 FE next week

A new event is hinting at the smartphone’s debut.

Published

on

It wasn’t too long ago when Samsung launched the new Galaxy Fold and Flip series. Historically, the brand is done for the year after two major Galaxy Unpacked events. However, if you’re still hankering for a few more morsels of Galaxy devices, Samsung is hosting another event next week, which might mean the debut of the Galaxy S26 FE.

This week, Samsung has just released an official invite for a Galaxy Event on August 27. The invite itself looks like a tray with two glasses of matcha and a coaster in between them. It’s visually similar to a modest camera setup, hinting at a new smartphone coming during the event.

Because Samsung has already filled its usual quota of flagships and foldables, it’s highly likely that the event is meant for the Galaxy S26 FE. The Galaxy FE series is Samsung’s way of extending the life cycle of the current generation of Galaxy phones, while also catering to another segment of the market.

As for what the Galaxy S26 FE might hold, it looks like AI might be a prime focus. Samsung confirms that the invite graphic has AI-generated images. The text accompanying the graphic also indicates that AI will be a part of the event.

It’s only a week left before the August 27 event, so we’ll get to know more about everything soon.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Review

Continue Reading

Gaming

Leaked Grand Theft Auto VI footage surfaces online

The leakers says they are protesting the game’s lack of a physical release.

Published

on

We’re nearing the dreaded date that all game publishers are rightfully fearing: the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI. Since we’re so near, it’s only right that Rockstar Games starts teasing their upcoming game, which is officially happening later this month via a special presentation on Netflix. However, ahead of that highly anticipated date, a leaker has apparently leaked the footage in protest of the game’s lack of a physical release.

Let’s parse that out piecemeal. First up, Rockstar Games is scheduled to release an extended first look at Grand Theft Auto VI through Netflix on August 27. If you don’t have the platform, the publisher will release the same footage on more public outlets six hours later. The footage will represent our biggest peek at the game after months of relative silence.

Secondly, a leaker has released the said footage ahead of time. Now, this isn’t the first time that a major leak spoiled details about the game. Previously, a leak was the first to reveal that the sixth entry in the series is getting two playable protagonists.

Third, the why: The leaker says that they will continue to reveal more information about the game to protest the game’s lack of a physical release. Like new PlayStation games next year, Rockstar Games does not plan to release a disc version of the game.

The footage itself

And, finally, the leak itself. Rockstar Games is currently issuing DMCA notices against anyone posting the leaked footage. It lends credence to the authenticity of the footage but also ensures that we can’t post the leaks themselves.

If anything, there are two reportedly legitimate clips, while others were seemingly generated with AI. The first clip has Jason, one of the two protagonists, playing basketball in his hideout, which gives him a stat boost. The clip confirms the return of minigames you can play in between missions.

The second clip sees Jason fight with a truck driver after a traffic incident. He kills the driver with a wrench, which earns him a two-star wanted level and summons a police chase as the series often does.

There’s not much to glean from these two short clips. In fact, it’s hard to say whether this footage represents the final release or something left over from previous leaks. Thankfully, Rockstar Games is releasing the official extended look soon on August 27.

After that, Grand Theft Auto VI launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19.

Continue Reading

Trending