This won't hold a candle to the brutalist design of my Unihertz Titan 2, but I am not at all sad that more and more of these designs are coming back into vogue. The tactile sensation of a keyboard...
This won't hold a candle to the brutalist design of my Unihertz Titan 2, but I am not at all sad that more and more of these designs are coming back into vogue. The tactile sensation of a keyboard has been incredible to have back, as it just makes the digital world feel more real. The 1:1 ratio makes you use the phone for utility instead of media scrolling (since reels and their ilk are vertical videos not well suited for the square ratio). Additionally, my spelling abilities have returned since I am physically typing on a tactile keyboard with key edges, so much so that I have entirely disabled autocorrect. Another nice thing is that on the Communicator (nice name, LLAP 🖖) and the Titan 2 have a CTRL button, so you can use keyboard shortcuts like ctrl+c/x/v to do things that you normally must use the touchscreen for.
Edit: interesting that the homescreen that comes out of the box is Niagara, I was one of their first subscribers and love their homescreen design, even if I do find that Kvaesitso with some tweaks is better for this form factor.
They almost certainly used Niagara for keyboard shortcuts from the homescreen. When the Zinwa-modded Q25 (new mainboard with Android 14 in a BlackBerry Q20 body) started showing up for the general...
They almost certainly used Niagara for keyboard shortcuts from the homescreen. When the Zinwa-modded Q25 (new mainboard with Android 14 in a BlackBerry Q20 body) started showing up for the general public, Niagara was found to be one of the few launchers that will work with homescreen keyboard shortcuts out-of-the-box.
Kvaesitso also supports keyboard shortcuts which has been quite nice. Not sure if the Q25 supports it, but on the Titan 2 we can use those keyboard shortcuts practically anywhere when used in...
Kvaesitso also supports keyboard shortcuts which has been quite nice. Not sure if the Q25 supports it, but on the Titan 2 we can use those keyboard shortcuts practically anywhere when used in conjunction with a modifier key.
Also, should work on the Q25 but have you tried the Pastiera keyboard? Originally designed for the Titan, but should work for the Q, great Blackberry Keyboard replacement.
I'm actually spoiled with Harpocrat Keyboard - a modified BlackBerry Passport (or possibly KeyOne or 2?) apk that lets me use the keyboard exactly the same as my Key2 LE. Unfortunately, I'm too...
I'm actually spoiled with Harpocrat Keyboard - a modified BlackBerry Passport (or possibly KeyOne or 2?) apk that lets me use the keyboard exactly the same as my Key2 LE. Unfortunately, I'm too spoiled to switch for now (though I do appreciate the suggestion, and will keep playing with it periodically)
The launcher's worth looking further into for me though, thank you
Funny enough, when searching for 'Harpocrat Keyboard', this thread is now in the top 10 (#8) results on Kagi. Ha. Do you have a link to the APK? All I can find is the ROM for those devices.
Harpocrat Keyboard
Funny enough, when searching for 'Harpocrat Keyboard', this thread is now in the top 10 (#8) results on Kagi. Ha. Do you have a link to the APK? All I can find is the ROM for those devices.
It's really just for the (modified?) Passport and the Q25 AFAIK. This [0] is the most recent release, but it's exclusively for the Q25. It fixes things like the currency key and minor layout...
It's really just for the (modified?) Passport and the Q25 AFAIK. This [0] is the most recent release, but it's exclusively for the Q25. It fixes things like the currency key and minor layout quirks that are specific to the Q25.
The Titan 2 would probably be better served by downloading Cobalt app manager, then installing the BlackBerry keyboard from there. It's a more generic install, but no promises it would work perfectly with the Titan. Even worse, BlackBerry still holds (and held at launch) patents that make me lose interest in the Titan keyboard - meaning I never kept up with which IME would work best. Hope you find an IME you love, but I really don't have that much information unfortunately
Sounds interesting and they checked most of the boxes of modern phone grievances (only one that seems to be missing is replaceable battery). But having never heard of the company it feels a bit...
Sounds interesting and they checked most of the boxes of modern phone grievances (only one that seems to be missing is replaceable battery). But having never heard of the company it feels a bit hard to trust. It seems they previously made a USB keyboard for phones so (assuming there's people who would vouch for those) it's probably not a total scam (or just a reskin/dropship of a Chinese model), but making a phone isn't an easy thing. The weird screen size is bound to lead to compatibility issues and the FAQs indicating this isn't primarily meant to be your primary phone make me cautious.
FWIW, the people behind this have launched several successful products under the Clicks name. I know one is a YouTuber who’s been around for nearly 20 years reviewing tech (Mr. Mobile) and another...
FWIW, the people behind this have launched several successful products under the Clicks name. I know one is a YouTuber who’s been around for nearly 20 years reviewing tech (Mr. Mobile) and another is the founder of Crackberry (a famous BlackBerry news site back in the day).
I don’t own one of their keyboards, but everyone who does seems to love them.
It definitely doesn’t seem like a fly by night operation.
In the announcement video they explicitly mention that this isn't meant to replace your main phone, just meant to be a communication-focused sidekick to your phone. It sounds weird but given how...
In the announcement video they explicitly mention that this isn't meant to replace your main phone, just meant to be a communication-focused sidekick to your phone. It sounds weird but given how much people use their phones for things other than communicating, I can see the niche for something focused on just that.
This phone is appealing for a few reasons. I think my favourite phone was the blackberry Q5 that I had around 2014. The screen size was good enough for essential things, but not big and comfy...
This phone is appealing for a few reasons. I think my favourite phone was the blackberry Q5 that I had around 2014. The screen size was good enough for essential things, but not big and comfy enough that I wanted to use it for entertainment.
Putting aside the privacy concerns of having a full-on-google Android phone,, does anyone have data privacy concerns about this device, does the Clicks company have any ties to the Chinese government?
Watching the video, the mag attached keyboard seems like better product. As someone WAAAAAAY down the keyboard rabbit hole (40% split 3x5) these are things that I think anyone like me has...
Watching the video, the mag attached keyboard seems like better product. As someone WAAAAAAY down the keyboard rabbit hole (40% split 3x5) these are things that I think anyone like me has considered a viable niche. I think there's actually even more clever solutions for power users that might eventually hit mainstream, but this is a very reasonable and attractive product even for a nerd like me.
Having a quick way to use my phone in a better mode (since yes I CAN bust out my 40% can hook it up if i have it on me) for the rare "oh shit things are on fire" work emergency would be nice. I have emergency typed a SQL query on an on screen keyboard. I will kill to never do that again, and to have the knowledge that should I need to I could easily.
I do think that in general on screen typing has stagnated. There are tools that you don't need for a real keyboard that you do need for an on screen they still need to develop (a quick one line above the keyboard that shows current sentence delimited by spaces or whatever to QUICKLY select the word you want would ease so much pain). If those are eventually developed I could see tactile devices going back into the realm of nerds only, but for now I know a lot of people who'd probably buy this.
The communicator...ehhhhhhhhhhh.
For 400-500 I don't see this replacing anything in the already saturated tech pack of most people.
The big issue I see, is that a significant portion of my communication is "oh shit let me check that" and then I open some app and then share a link/screenshot/whatever. I'm not sure how this winds up being different.
It does feel like it's well designed and thought out, although I worry how much of that is the app opting in. "oh sure you can quickly triage your messages....if the app supports our API".
I dunno...i'd keep an eye on it personally but wouldn't touch it until I've held or used one. I'm probably the right kind of mess to want this thing, but man I DON'T need another device. Being on the iphone side of the fence, I also worry how well thats going to play with apple.
This is very cool, and a year ago I'd be hyped. Currently though, I'm typing this on my Q25 [0,1] - and honestly, I like the Q25 better. I like the BlackBerry keyboard better. I actually like the...
This is very cool, and a year ago I'd be hyped. Currently though, I'm typing this on my Q25 [0,1] - and honestly, I like the Q25 better. I like the BlackBerry keyboard better. I actually like the toolbelt, despite being on the fence when I ordered it. I like that I don't have to use my carrier's imperfect 5G, and can stick to LTE. I enjoy the trackpad, and I adore that replacement backs, screens, keyboards, etc are available and dirt-cheap.
I don't have a fingerprint sensor, but my phone stays on my person 95% of the time anyways. So I set a longer "lock" timeout, and when I set it down I use the long-press 'k' shortcut to lock it - just like BBOS10.
Their LED on the side is neat, but I'm perfectly content with it on the face. And the touch-sensitive keypad is (for me, at least) competing with the trackpad - and the trackpad wins for ease-of-repair, for being cheaper to replace should it die, and for being able to double as a mouse.
My Q25 is physically smaller too, while retaining a headphone jack. And possibly the most damning of all, the Q25 isn't using an IoT SoC. Which, while it is on the 4nm node, IoT SoCs are more likely to assume they're to be plugged in, and care less about power draw.
Not to dissuade anyone, the Communicator looks very cool - I'm glad I got something I'm happier with though.
[1] A modified BlackBerry Q20 / Classic. Externally, still the hardware RIM made ~12 years ago. Internally, an aftermarket mainboard runs Android 14, with a new battery and camera module
Did you need to pay for customs to receive the Q25 in your country? I'm in the EU and was wondering if I have to take that into account upon purchase. Same for the Communicator, if anyone knows...
Did you need to pay for customs to receive the Q25 in your country?
I'm in the EU and was wondering if I have to take that into account upon purchase.
Same for the Communicator, if anyone knows the answer.
Took me a minute to remember, but no, I didn't. Delivery was via Canada Post, and if I hadn't kept looking for who the carrier was, it would have just shown up in my mailbox one evening (instead...
Took me a minute to remember, but no, I didn't. Delivery was via Canada Post, and if I hadn't kept looking for who the carrier was, it would have just shown up in my mailbox one evening (instead of noticing "It's here!" and running downstairs like it was Christmas morning)
Honestly an interesting device overall. Love the design though I wish the screen were slightly taller instead of being a perfect square. Price is slightly below what I expected, thought it'd be...
Honestly an interesting device overall. Love the design though I wish the screen were slightly taller instead of being a perfect square. Price is slightly below what I expected, thought it'd be closer to $600.
The other clicks product they announced also caught my eye. I kind of want to try one though I have to see if I really want to commit $80 to it. It'd be cool to have a universal Bluetooth keyboard to connect to my phones and my tablet.
I have high hopes for this. Form factor is fatter (in depth) than my 13 Mini, but close enough. Camera probably sucks. Security updates promised for 5 years is probably... fine, if the company...
I have high hopes for this. Form factor is fatter (in depth) than my 13 Mini, but close enough. Camera probably sucks. Security updates promised for 5 years is probably... fine, if the company survives.
Skeptical after the fiasco that was the Minimal Phone (lots of bugs and minimal support after a very delayed launch). But a lot of the Minimal Phone's problems are a result of the e-ink screen -- a small OLED screen is probably a lot easier to support and test.
Honestly, I have no desire to buy anything larger than my 13 mini, so I'll probably keep an eye out for reviews and deals on this over the next year or two. It's unlikely that Apple or any other Android OEM is going to build something that meets my size criteria, so eventually it's either this or a dumb phone. I'm very sad that foldables are likely going to remain the (expensive, unsustainable) hotness in smartphones instead of simply creating big, medium, AND small phones. But capitalism gonna capitalize.
Finally a good idea coming out of Clicks! I always thought their phone cases were pretty contrived, and I’m glad to see them stand behind the philosophy with a custom product, rather than just...
Finally a good idea coming out of Clicks! I always thought their phone cases were pretty contrived, and I’m glad to see them stand behind the philosophy with a custom product, rather than just peddling the gimmick. Hopefully we’ll see some reviews at some point to see how it stacks up against the limited competition. Fingers crossed it supports custom Android ROMs.
Very interesting product and I would love to get my physical keyboard back. Unfortunately, these devices will only be manufactured with a QWERTY keyboard 😪
Very interesting product and I would love to get my physical keyboard back. Unfortunately, these devices will only be manufactured with a QWERTY keyboard 😪
This won't hold a candle to the brutalist design of my Unihertz Titan 2, but I am not at all sad that more and more of these designs are coming back into vogue. The tactile sensation of a keyboard has been incredible to have back, as it just makes the digital world feel more real. The 1:1 ratio makes you use the phone for utility instead of media scrolling (since reels and their ilk are vertical videos not well suited for the square ratio). Additionally, my spelling abilities have returned since I am physically typing on a tactile keyboard with key edges, so much so that I have entirely disabled autocorrect. Another nice thing is that on the Communicator (nice name, LLAP 🖖) and the Titan 2 have a CTRL button, so you can use keyboard shortcuts like ctrl+c/x/v to do things that you normally must use the touchscreen for.
Edit: interesting that the homescreen that comes out of the box is Niagara, I was one of their first subscribers and love their homescreen design, even if I do find that Kvaesitso with some tweaks is better for this form factor.
They almost certainly used Niagara for keyboard shortcuts from the homescreen. When the Zinwa-modded Q25 (new mainboard with Android 14 in a BlackBerry Q20 body) started showing up for the general public, Niagara was found to be one of the few launchers that will work with homescreen keyboard shortcuts out-of-the-box.
Kvaesitso also supports keyboard shortcuts which has been quite nice. Not sure if the Q25 supports it, but on the Titan 2 we can use those keyboard shortcuts practically anywhere when used in conjunction with a modifier key.
Also, should work on the Q25 but have you tried the Pastiera keyboard? Originally designed for the Titan, but should work for the Q, great Blackberry Keyboard replacement.
I'm actually spoiled with Harpocrat Keyboard - a modified BlackBerry Passport (or possibly KeyOne or 2?) apk that lets me use the keyboard exactly the same as my Key2 LE. Unfortunately, I'm too spoiled to switch for now (though I do appreciate the suggestion, and will keep playing with it periodically)
The launcher's worth looking further into for me though, thank you
Funny enough, when searching for 'Harpocrat Keyboard', this thread is now in the top 10 (#8) results on Kagi. Ha. Do you have a link to the APK? All I can find is the ROM for those devices.
It's really just for the (modified?) Passport and the Q25 AFAIK. This [0] is the most recent release, but it's exclusively for the Q25. It fixes things like the currency key and minor layout quirks that are specific to the Q25.
The Titan 2 would probably be better served by downloading Cobalt app manager, then installing the BlackBerry keyboard from there. It's a more generic install, but no promises it would work perfectly with the Titan. Even worse, BlackBerry still holds (and held at launch) patents that make me lose interest in the Titan keyboard - meaning I never kept up with which IME would work best. Hope you find an IME you love, but I really don't have that much information unfortunately
[0] https://xwtk.cloud/delivery/HarpocratKeyboard-Q25-015.apk
Sounds interesting and they checked most of the boxes of modern phone grievances (only one that seems to be missing is replaceable battery). But having never heard of the company it feels a bit hard to trust. It seems they previously made a USB keyboard for phones so (assuming there's people who would vouch for those) it's probably not a total scam (or just a reskin/dropship of a Chinese model), but making a phone isn't an easy thing. The weird screen size is bound to lead to compatibility issues and the FAQs indicating this isn't primarily meant to be your primary phone make me cautious.
FWIW, the people behind this have launched several successful products under the Clicks name. I know one is a YouTuber who’s been around for nearly 20 years reviewing tech (Mr. Mobile) and another is the founder of Crackberry (a famous BlackBerry news site back in the day).
I don’t own one of their keyboards, but everyone who does seems to love them.
It definitely doesn’t seem like a fly by night operation.
In the announcement video they explicitly mention that this isn't meant to replace your main phone, just meant to be a communication-focused sidekick to your phone. It sounds weird but given how much people use their phones for things other than communicating, I can see the niche for something focused on just that.
This phone is appealing for a few reasons. I think my favourite phone was the blackberry Q5 that I had around 2014. The screen size was good enough for essential things, but not big and comfy enough that I wanted to use it for entertainment.
Putting aside the privacy concerns of having a full-on-google Android phone,, does anyone have data privacy concerns about this device, does the Clicks company have any ties to the Chinese government?
Watching the video, the mag attached keyboard seems like better product. As someone WAAAAAAY down the keyboard rabbit hole (40% split 3x5) these are things that I think anyone like me has considered a viable niche. I think there's actually even more clever solutions for power users that might eventually hit mainstream, but this is a very reasonable and attractive product even for a nerd like me.
Having a quick way to use my phone in a better mode (since yes I CAN bust out my 40% can hook it up if i have it on me) for the rare "oh shit things are on fire" work emergency would be nice. I have emergency typed a SQL query on an on screen keyboard. I will kill to never do that again, and to have the knowledge that should I need to I could easily.
I do think that in general on screen typing has stagnated. There are tools that you don't need for a real keyboard that you do need for an on screen they still need to develop (a quick one line above the keyboard that shows current sentence delimited by spaces or whatever to QUICKLY select the word you want would ease so much pain). If those are eventually developed I could see tactile devices going back into the realm of nerds only, but for now I know a lot of people who'd probably buy this.
The communicator...ehhhhhhhhhhh.
For 400-500 I don't see this replacing anything in the already saturated tech pack of most people.
The big issue I see, is that a significant portion of my communication is "oh shit let me check that" and then I open some app and then share a link/screenshot/whatever. I'm not sure how this winds up being different.
It does feel like it's well designed and thought out, although I worry how much of that is the app opting in. "oh sure you can quickly triage your messages....if the app supports our API".
I dunno...i'd keep an eye on it personally but wouldn't touch it until I've held or used one. I'm probably the right kind of mess to want this thing, but man I DON'T need another device. Being on the iphone side of the fence, I also worry how well thats going to play with apple.
This is very cool, and a year ago I'd be hyped. Currently though, I'm typing this on my Q25 [0,1] - and honestly, I like the Q25 better. I like the BlackBerry keyboard better. I actually like the toolbelt, despite being on the fence when I ordered it. I like that I don't have to use my carrier's imperfect 5G, and can stick to LTE. I enjoy the trackpad, and I adore that replacement backs, screens, keyboards, etc are available and dirt-cheap.
I don't have a fingerprint sensor, but my phone stays on my person 95% of the time anyways. So I set a longer "lock" timeout, and when I set it down I use the long-press 'k' shortcut to lock it - just like BBOS10.
Their LED on the side is neat, but I'm perfectly content with it on the face. And the touch-sensitive keypad is (for me, at least) competing with the trackpad - and the trackpad wins for ease-of-repair, for being cheaper to replace should it die, and for being able to double as a mouse.
My Q25 is physically smaller too, while retaining a headphone jack. And possibly the most damning of all, the Q25 isn't using an IoT SoC. Which, while it is on the 4nm node, IoT SoCs are more likely to assume they're to be plugged in, and care less about power draw.
Not to dissuade anyone, the Communicator looks very cool - I'm glad I got something I'm happier with though.
[0] https://linkapus.com/products/q25-pro-full-device
[1] A modified BlackBerry Q20 / Classic. Externally, still the hardware RIM made ~12 years ago. Internally, an aftermarket mainboard runs Android 14, with a new battery and camera module
Did you need to pay for customs to receive the Q25 in your country?
I'm in the EU and was wondering if I have to take that into account upon purchase.
Same for the Communicator, if anyone knows the answer.
Took me a minute to remember, but no, I didn't. Delivery was via Canada Post, and if I hadn't kept looking for who the carrier was, it would have just shown up in my mailbox one evening (instead of noticing "It's here!" and running downstairs like it was Christmas morning)
Honestly an interesting device overall. Love the design though I wish the screen were slightly taller instead of being a perfect square. Price is slightly below what I expected, thought it'd be closer to $600.
The other clicks product they announced also caught my eye. I kind of want to try one though I have to see if I really want to commit $80 to it. It'd be cool to have a universal Bluetooth keyboard to connect to my phones and my tablet.
I have high hopes for this. Form factor is fatter (in depth) than my 13 Mini, but close enough. Camera probably sucks. Security updates promised for 5 years is probably... fine, if the company survives.
Skeptical after the fiasco that was the Minimal Phone (lots of bugs and minimal support after a very delayed launch). But a lot of the Minimal Phone's problems are a result of the e-ink screen -- a small OLED screen is probably a lot easier to support and test.
Honestly, I have no desire to buy anything larger than my 13 mini, so I'll probably keep an eye out for reviews and deals on this over the next year or two. It's unlikely that Apple or any other Android OEM is going to build something that meets my size criteria, so eventually it's either this or a dumb phone. I'm very sad that foldables are likely going to remain the (expensive, unsustainable) hotness in smartphones instead of simply creating big, medium, AND small phones. But capitalism gonna capitalize.
Finally a good idea coming out of Clicks! I always thought their phone cases were pretty contrived, and I’m glad to see them stand behind the philosophy with a custom product, rather than just peddling the gimmick. Hopefully we’ll see some reviews at some point to see how it stacks up against the limited competition. Fingers crossed it supports custom Android ROMs.
I went ahead and put down a deposit on one, though I might chicken out later. It ticks a lot of boxes for me, and I like the look. We'll see.
I’d be interested in one if my iPhone 13 Mini perhaps dies.
Good to wait for reviews in general.
Very interesting product and I would love to get my physical keyboard back. Unfortunately, these devices will only be manufactured with a QWERTY keyboard 😪