When Phones Were Fun – BlackBerry's Flip (Before The Flop)

[WHEN PHONES WERE FUN: BLACKBERRY STYLE 9670]

Phone addiction. Screen time. Digital de-tox. In 2023 we’re well-acquainted with the narcotic effect smartphones have on our brains. But what if I told you that the first seeds of our mobile digital dependence weren’t planted by Google, or Apple – but by a Canadian company called Research in Motion, that made a little device called the “BlackBerry?”

Jump back in time to 2010 with me, Michael Fisher, as we take a look back at one of only two flip phones to bear the name "BlackBerry" – the BlackBerry Style 9670 – and on the journey, we'll learn about the rise and fall of one of the world's first, best smartphone manufacturers. Welcome back to "When Phones Were Fun!"

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[ABOUT WHEN PHONES WERE FUN – BLACKBERRY STYLE 9670]

This is the 22nd in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2013.

When Phones Were Fun: Episode 22 was made better by a pre-screening of "BlackBerry" by IFC Films, arranged by Qualcomm; and this video was made possible by bevy of BlackBerries purchased from eBay, loaned from fellow tech folks – or left over from the days when I still did BlackBerry reviews.

Special Thanks:

KEVIN MICHALUK
AVI GREENGART
ADAM DOUD
TIM AKA DRACO10
CHRISTIAN VETTER
QUALCOMM
IFC FILMS

MrMobile does not offer manufacturers the opportunity to preview, edit or approve content before publication. Neither BlackBerry nor IFC FIlms provided compensation in exchange for this coverage. The lone sponsor of this video is Surfshark.

[LINKS]

Losing The Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry [Amazon]:

"BlackBerry" [IFC Films]:

[MUSIC]

"Advance" by Daniele Musto [Soundstripe]:

"Arcade Fire Red" by Reel Life [Soundstripe]:

“New Roman Empire” by The Europa Protoharmonic Symphony Orchestra [Soundstripe]:

"System 6" by Fairlight [Soundstripe]:

[CHAPTERS]

00:00 The original addictive smartphone
00:38 The "company phone"
02:04 BlackBerry 7100t
03:23 BlackBerry Pearl
05:44 Over the hill
06:43 BlackBerry Style 9670
08:40 "BlackBerry" – the movie (camera samples)
09:13 Product of its time

[SOCIALIZE]

[DISCLOSURES]

This post may contain affiliate links, which afford Future plc a commission should you make a purchase. This does not affect MrMobile’s editorial content. See Future's disclosure policy for more details:

Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here:

#blackberry #flipphone #blackberrystyle #blackberrybold #blackberrypearl #researchinmotion #whenphoneswerefun #mrmobile #retro

[mattythetechy]

To this day, no other mobile creator has the vocab that Mr Mobile has. Well done.

[crackberry]

This video gives me all the feels... Thanks for all the CrackBerry and CBK Love! What a fun era. ❤

And that shoutout at the end... I don't have any kids, so helping to bring MrMobile into the world is maybe my fatherly achievement? Does that mean you inherit all my things? 😂

[Hppyzmbie]

As a 40-year-old that worked at a Cell phone accessories mall kiosk in the 90's, I absolutely love this series!

[fitzworld]

Not going to lie, I miss the blackberry keyboard til this day.

I have never been as productive on any other phone as I have on a BlackBerry.

[ymtzlgn]

I was in high school in the UK at the time and I remember the obsession behind Blackberry and BBM. Anyone with an iPhone was a social outcast, and Android? Never heard of it.

I also remember that one week in 2011 where every single blackberry failed due to a server outage. The speed at which my classmates abandoned their BlackBerrys and moved straight to iPhone and WhatsApp still blows my mind.

Lovely episode Michael, you’re my favourite tech YouTuber by a huge margin

[Chairman-Mao]

Blackberry will always have a special place in my heart...Its very sad it was unable to maintain it phone business

[lionbizzle]

That Nigerian Movie reference shows how well-written and produced your reviews are. Hats off to you champ.

[KengCheong]

I love your “When phones were fun” series. I used to work for a Telecommunications company in the UK, and your series just brings back so much memory.

[AkshayDhargave]

I kid you not when I say I literally cried myself to sleep when I read BlackBerry was scrapping the BB10 OS. That OS was just so good.

[snicfreek]

Absolutely loved my Pearl. I got so good at typing with that incredible keyboard I could tell if I made a typo without looking. Great video as always!

[baoquoc]

When Michael released a When phones were fun episode, as usual, a flow of nostalgia that I both did have and didn't suddenly running strong around my mind, making me feel melancholy of an exciting era of mobile phone history, thanks Michael, you made my day!

[bwold]

I still miss my blackberry passport. My favorite phone, loved the size, the keyboard and feel in the hand. Really durable too.

[robertostefanowicz]

When you said "these photos have a 2010 vibe" you gave me flashbacks of 2010 in London when I was trying out those phones in showrooms that was a good year. Thanks for bringing back memories brother ❤️💯. I bought a nokia e55 though... Best phone I've ever had and it had the same sure type layout

[hellslayer]

Very few tech reviewers delve into the past and future of technology like Mr Mobile. It's like watching a documentary. Thank you Mr. Mobile!❤

[samgunarathne]

No matter the brand...I just love this series from MrMobile.... Pure nostalgia...

[breakfastclosed]

Gosh that purple QWERTY flip is literally my DREAMMMM. I like to hope that people miss the simplicity of a call/text/typing phone, but so long as we’re all hooked on our iPhones, there’s no reason anyone would restart that market, which genuinely breaks my heart. My bf is an engineer, maybe he could rig one for me. But it’s not that simple. 😢

[avendor]

I still have a Playbook. It was great as a content watching tablet since it has nice stereo front facing speakers and the front camera was landscape. It also did the 'no home button, use gestures' before nearly everyone. The tablet feels solid and well built too.

[AmadeusAlmighty]

I genuinely cannot express how much I love your tech videos. You put so much thought and effort into your presentations, I cannot miss any video you post. Thank you, Mr. Mobile.

[camillecosc]

« When phones were fun » is an amazing series of content, and the way you are thinking (philosophing?) about smartphones, our attachment to them, and how they are directly linked to our way of thinking time, is just amazing! Congratulations from France from a once Blackberry user and lover!

[blackistheword]

Ahhhh…thanks for taking us back mrmobile😊