What do you call a BlackBerry device that isn’t a BlackBerry device? The BlackBerry KeyOne. Bear with me on this.
The first smartphone launch of this year's Mobile World Congress bears the BlackBerry name, but was actually made by TCL of China, which licensed the brand from BlackBerry – the company that is – back in December, after its strategic decision to withdraw from the handset business following declining sales.
All very important for BlackBerry, TCL, journalists and analysts, less so for the everyday consumer. What's more important is that the KeyOne is a pretty decent smartphone, even if it's unlikely to win back any former BlackBerry users to the fold.
Crucially, the KeyOne sees the return of BlackBerry’s once trademark physical keyboard, in a narrow enough body that’s comfortable to use with one hand. The trackpad functionality of 2015’s BlackBerry Priv has been retained, enabling you to skim over the buttons to easily navigate websites.
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Mobile World Congress coverage
■ Time is running out on smartwatch launches
■ Opinion: Nokia and BlackBerry should stay where they belong – in the past
■ Review: Well-loved Nokia 3310 phone returns as a modern classic
■ Sony launches Xperia XZ Premium – the world's first smartphone with 4K HDR screen
■ In pictures: The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona
■ Samsung reveals new tablets, confirms launch of Galaxy S8 phone on March 29
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Most impressive is the ability to assign a shortcut to virtually every one of the physical keys, accessible via a long press. F will bring up Facebook, U will open the Uber app, H accesses the help section and so on. It's a brilliantly simple but very useful feature.
Naturally the likes of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Intelligent Keyboard are all present and correct, together with the encrypted storage and Dtek security app. KeyOne users will also be among the first to receive Android security patches from BlackBerry.
Solidity is the name of the game across the KeyOne’s other features, with TCL including a pretty standard set of features that do the job with minimum fuss or flare.
The KeyOne’s design marks it out as a serious phone; its aluminium body and smooth rubber finish give it a solid, premium feel that’s a world away from the solid but identikit stylings of last year’s DTEK60.
It’s not a device for serious movie watchers, the physical keyboard only leaving room for a comparatively small but otherwise functional 4.5-inch LCD display. The dimly lit BlackBerry stand at MWC wasn’t ideal for trying out the 12MP and 8MP rear camera, but the few shots I took seemed perfectly fine.
The KeyOne will cost $549 when it goes on sale in April, significantly lower than the ill-fated Priv. While most of the world has moved on, the faded brand’s small but loyal band of adherents will love the KeyOne and its restored and upgraded keyboard. It seems as if BlackBerry’s story isn’t over yet.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company%20Profile
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