BlackBerry's (BBRY) Keyboard Dominance May Come Under Fire in 2014
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Will BlackBerry's (Nasdaq: BBRY) bid to bolster its keyboard offerings backfire?
Recently, BlackBerry CEO John Chen said his company would be working to offer more QWERTY keyboard-equipped devices following the launch of its next smartphone, which won't have a keyboard. Chen noted that enterprise liked the keyboard because it was easy to crank out emails on and, with BlackBerry looking to solidify and grow its spot in the enterprise market, this is one area that is key for the company to succeed.
But, BlackBerry's advantage might be seeing some stiff competition in late 2014/early 2015.
While it isn't new news, the 2014 CES did have one company which has garnered reinvigorated interest in its product. Tactus Technology demonstrated a touchscreen enabled with physical keyboard buttons that disappear when not needed. The technology isn't tied to any particular device and Tactus said the API is simple for developers to start using. Production is expected to start later this year.
Initial plans have the technology being created for tablets, but it will be able to be scaled for displays as large as a TV screen, or those as small as a smartphone.
With many companies and some governments switching to BYOD (bring your own device) for communications purposes, this is one area BlackBerry investors want to keep an eye on.
Below is the latest video from Tactus.
Recently, BlackBerry CEO John Chen said his company would be working to offer more QWERTY keyboard-equipped devices following the launch of its next smartphone, which won't have a keyboard. Chen noted that enterprise liked the keyboard because it was easy to crank out emails on and, with BlackBerry looking to solidify and grow its spot in the enterprise market, this is one area that is key for the company to succeed.
But, BlackBerry's advantage might be seeing some stiff competition in late 2014/early 2015.
While it isn't new news, the 2014 CES did have one company which has garnered reinvigorated interest in its product. Tactus Technology demonstrated a touchscreen enabled with physical keyboard buttons that disappear when not needed. The technology isn't tied to any particular device and Tactus said the API is simple for developers to start using. Production is expected to start later this year.
Initial plans have the technology being created for tablets, but it will be able to be scaled for displays as large as a TV screen, or those as small as a smartphone.
With many companies and some governments switching to BYOD (bring your own device) for communications purposes, this is one area BlackBerry investors want to keep an eye on.
Below is the latest video from Tactus.
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