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Earlier this month, a report surfaced that suggested Onward Mobility’s endeavor to create a 5G-enabled smartphone complete with BlackBerry branding was all but dead. The company refuted those claims, despite the report that BlackBerry had rescinded the license to use its branding. Fast forward to now, and Onward Mobility has admitted defeat, announcing that the company will be shutting down and provided the following statement.
We want to thank you all for the tremendous amount of support that you have given us since we first launched OnwardMobility. However, it is with great sadness that we announce that OnwardMobility will be shutting down, and we will no longer be proceeding with the development of an ultra-secure smartphone with a physical keyboard.
Please know that this was not a decision that we made lightly or in haste. We share your disappointment in this news and assure you this is not the outcome we worked and hoped for.
We are incredibly grateful to the team of seasoned professionals who worked tirelessly on this project and to each and every one of our loyal fans and partners who have supported us throughout this journey. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you and hear your comments and feedback.
Thank you for all your support and we wish you all the best!
The OnwardMobility Team
If you were to look around at the smartphone market, you would be hard-pressed to find a usable (and modern-ish) smartphone featuring a hardware keyboard. We’ve seen some companies attempt to resurrect the form-factor that gained popularity before the world of the iPhone, but pretty much all of them have come up short.
Onward Mobility burst onto the scene back in 2020 announcing that a BlackBerry-branded smartphone was in development and the company planned to launch said device by the end of 2021. Unfortunately, the end of 2021 came and went and we were left wondering just what happened. It’s rather unfortunate to see the demise of BlackBerry go this way, considering just how popular the phone maker once was. Maybe we’ll see another upstart company try and license the BlackBerry branding, but it’s pretty much safe to say that this is the end for BlackBerry.
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