Earlier this week we waved goodbye to the classic BlackBerry devices – all the ones that came before the brand’s pivot to Android stopped working on January 4 2022. They can’t access the Internet, send messages or make calls, not even to emergency services.
This is the end of a legacy that stretches back over two decades with the earliest BlackBerry messengers. Their hardware QWERTY keyboards, advanced instant messaging and serious business attitude made them quite popular in the early noughties.
While they supported apps, they had trouble adapting to the new smartphone era. BlackBerry made some improvements, but they weren’t enough to keep up with iOS and Android. As the saying goes “if you can’t beat them, join them”. And that’s just what happened as the company made the switch to Android, eventually handing off the hardware details to TCL.
Before that happened came BlackBerry 10 – a brand new OS developed with touch support in mind. We already looked at the BlackBerry Z10 that introduced the new OS to the world and that omitted the trademark feature of the phones, their keyboard. That was a big step as the keyboard is where the name “BlackBerry” came from – the characteristic shape of the keys was reminiscent of the druplets of a blackberry.
It wasn’t the first time this was tried – remember the BlackBerry Storm? The company was keen to preserve the haptic feedback of real keys, so it mounted the display on the so-called SurePress tech, which made the display clicky. Having the whole display as one large physical button felt weird and didn’t work as well as expected.
It didn’t help that BlackBerry 5, an OS designed for trackball navigation, just didn’t play well with touch input (the same thing happened to Symbian). Next came the Storm 2, which removed the physical button and tried to fake the clicky feeling, but this also failed to to attract positive attention from would-be buyers.
A couple of years later the company tried another approach – the Bold Touch series kept the hardware QWERTY keyboard, but added touch support to the display. These ran BlackBerry OS 7, the last version that was part of the original lineage. But even with this one the touchscreen was underutilized. Not that the 2.8″ landscape display could offer the same versatility as the all-touch smartphones of 2011. There were a few more all-touch models from the Curve and Torch series, but they didn’t strike it big either.
With version 7 a dead end, the company focused its attention on BlackBerry Tablet OS. It was based on the recently-acquired QNX and was designed for touch-only operation. As you can guess from the name, it made its debut on a tablet in 2010, the BlackBerry Playbook, specifically.
Other than a 3G version in 2011 (never mind the “4G” in the name, HSPA is 3G) and a proper 4G LTE version in 2012, BlackBerry never made another tablet. But the tablet OS lived on, at least partially.
The BlackBerry 10 OS that we mentioned earlier, the one that arrived with the Z10, was also based on QNX and improved on ideas from the Tablet OS (in fact, the Playbooks were updated to 10).
Side note: QNX is a real-time operating system, meaning it is suitable for use cases that require fast, reliable responses from the software. This is why it has been used in car infotainment systems and even advanced driver-assistance systems (ABS, adaptive cruise control and so on). Ford Sync 3 and 4/4a were based on QNX.
Anyway, alongside the Z10 came the BlackBerry Q10 – technically the mid-range offering in the series, the QWERTY-packing phone also acted as a back up in case this latest all-touch BlackBerry attempt failed like before. A few months later came an even cheaper version, the Q5.
The pinnacle of this series was the Z30 from late 2013, which added a larger display (5.0″ AMOLED) compared to the Z10, a faster Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, larger battery and other improvements.
We’d like to spend a bit longer on the BlackBerry Passport because this is one of the strangest devices that the company ever made. How many smartphones with a square 1:1 display can you think of? We can name a few (e.g. the Q10 and Q5 above), but none that are this large. And with good reason, at 90.3 mm this phone was unbearably large. What’s even worse is that the 4.5″ display wasn’t even all that big, it had less surface area than the Galaxy S5 display.
The sizeable BlackBerry Passport
Of course, there was a QWERTY keyboard below the display. It was quite wide, giving you plenty of room for two-thumb typing. But it was also “small” in the sense that besides the 26 letter keys, it only had Space, Enter and Delete. For numbers you had to rely on the touchscreen. BlackBerry’s word suggestion engine was excellent, by the way, and it used a clever trick.
The keyboard was touch-sensitive, meaning that you could use it as a touchpad move the text cursor. As for the word suggestions, you could swipe up on the keyboard below the desired suggestion to accept it.
The numpad was on the screen • Word suggestions • BlackBerry Messenger
The Passport was a unique design that enabled – nay, required – two-handed use. It was almost more of a tablet than a phone in this way. However, despite that and the clever features like the touch-enabled keyboard, the phone didn’t do well on the market.
We want to look at one more model – the BlackBerry Priv. It was the first BlackBerry to run Android and in a way the last BlackBerry. The DTEK50 and DTEK60 that came the following year were co-developed with TCL and for the models after that TCL handled the hardware design and manufacturing by itself (in fact, the DTEK60 was a modified version of TCL’s Alcatel Idol 4S).
The BlackBerry Priv was much more reasonable in its design and dimensions
Back to the Priv. It was the Passport done right – it had a 5.4″ AMOLED display with a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio (vertical) and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. At 77.2 mm it wasn’t exactly narrow, but you could hold and use it with one hand.
Also, while the BlackBerry 10 OS had support for Android apps, that feature never worked quite right (and you had to rely on third-party stores like the Amazon Appstore). Now running actual Android (5.1 Lollipop, specifically), the Priv had full access to the Google Play Store. And it had BlackBerry security and services, but those no longer held the same appeal as in the company’s heyday.
The Priv ran mostly stock Android with some BlackBerry apps ported over
The OS was mostly stock, though the company tried to port some of the best features of its defunct OS, including the BlackBerry Hub. It aggregated calls, texts and BBM messages into one app, but since the world had moved on to WhatsApp and other IM apps, the Hub felt a lot less powerful and essential.
Once upon a time, many of your colleagues and friends would be reachable on BBM, the BlackBerry Messenger. But since that was tied to BlackBerry phones, it suffered from their declining market share. And by 2013 when BBM was released for iOS and Android, running on non-BB hardware for the first time, it was already too late – the network effect had collapsed.
The writing was on the wall – BlackBerry and TCL parted ways at the end of August 2020 and that marked the end of BlackBerry phones. For now, at least. A company called Onward Mobility has been promising to make new BlackBerry phones – with QWERTY keyboards, of course – but so far we haven’t seen any actual hardware and the expected 2021 launch didn’t come to pass.
So, for now we’re left with memories of the classic BlackBerry phones, some excellent, others too strange to succeed. And the Android-powered BBs, of course, those still work, though we can’t remember the last time we’ve seen one in person.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
