Remember when the BlackBerry used to be a one of the most popular and sought after phones on the market? When I got my first phone back in 2010, all I wanted was a white BlackBerry Curve. However, today, nobody seems to talk about the BlackBerry anymore. Where has it gone?
Everybody makes fun of the person with the BlackBerry. In comparison to other flashier, more glamorous phones currently on the market, consumers just aren’t as willing to opt for the not as flashy, not as glamorous BlackBerry. With a declining client base over the past few years, it has become clear that the BlackBerry is in trouble. Everybody’s predictions were confirmed in 2012-2013, when the majority of news outlets reported the not-so-surprising news that BlackBerry was going bankrupt.
However, when I first heard the news, I laughed. The BlackBerry will never die out. Why? Security.
While fun to report about, the truth is, the BlackBerry will never become obsolete. As long as government agencies and business corporations need a little extra security, BlackBerry devices will continue to be ordered.
BlackBerry devices place a strong emphasis on security. In some of its earliest models, emails sent to BlackBerry phones were transported through RIM operated servers protected with “highly-secure transport-level security.” Essentially, this meant that hackers would not be able to intercept messages, or steal personal information through a man-in-the-middle-attack. However, this was back in the 2000s. Phones are different now.
Corporations opted for the use of BlackBerry devices because IT departments were able to remotely administer them, meaning they could easily control, erase, or disable any device connected to their server. All corporate BlackBerry phones were connected to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), meaning that if an employee lost his or her phone, a corporation’s IT department could easily remotely wipe them. IT departments could also control different aspects of the device, such as disabling the cameras on each phone if someone was suspected of taking photographs of highly confidential documents. The BES also allowed corporations to easily configure multiple devices, eliminating the need to set-up each phone manually.
Therefore, you can understand why the BlackBerry was (and still is) the preferred device for corporations.
Corporations however, are not the only consumers who prefer to use a BlackBerry device. Even in 2016, the President of the United States, Barak Obama, still prefers to use a BlackBerry. The reason for this is the aforementioned security features of BlackBerry. In fact, President Obama isn’t allowed to use an iPhone; the Secret Service only allows Obama to use a BlackBerry phone because it is the most easy to secure.
BlackBerry devices contain several layers of hardware security, allowing it to have a “hardware-based signature that can’t be spoofed as well as hardware-level encryption.” The National Security agency has furthered modified Obama’s phone, stripping it of its functionality to add additional layers of encryption. Other world leaders such as former British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also opt to use BlackBerry devices.
Her Campus UToronto’s very own Andrew Wei had this to say about his Blackberry:
“For my first smartphone, I initially wanted an iPhone because it was the coolest thing at that time (maybe still is). However, I got a used BlackBerry Curve from my father instead and the longer I used the phone, the more it grew on me. The main thing I loved about my curve was the solid feel every time I typed. Another great quality about it was that, including my father’s use, the Curve lasted us 5 years before the battery broke.”
After Andrew’s BlackBerry Curve broke, he switched to the iPhone, which did not last for very long. He has since switched back to a BlackBerry device.
“My current phone is the Blackberry PRIV and it is the best of both worlds. It gives me the blackberry keyboard that I love and all the apps that weren’t available on the Blackberry 10 OS. Since I am not a business owner, I am not that concerned about security and privacy but it is nice to know that information kept in my phone is safe, and the possibility of anything getting hacked and leaked is much lower. Blackberry phones for me are not a love-at-first-sight, but it is an experience that grows on me. Several features of Blackberry devices (which are now made available to download on android Marshmallow devices), such as the Blackberry Hub (which keeps all notifications in one place) and the blackberry software keyboard, are irreplaceable to me.”
The fact is, in comparison to the Blackberry, phones offered by other companies (I’m looking at you, Apple) just cannot reach the level of security that the Blackberry offers. Information is more secure, and the possibility of your phone getting hacked and (God forbid) your nude photos being leaked are almost zero.
One final fact about BlackBerry phones for you to consider? BlackBerry Limited is a Canadian company based in Waterloo. How’s that for Canadian pride?
References:
http://blogs.blackberry.com/2014/06/german-chancellor-angela-merkels-bla…
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2609465/mobile-device-management/the-re…
http://www.ibtimes.com/president-barack-obama-not-allowed-use-iphone-rel…
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/one-reason-get-blackberry-2016-security/