back to article Porsche finds top gear with BlackBerry design

RIM gave BlackBerry a lap of honour this week, announcing the speedy arrival of a smartphone crafted collaboratively with Porsche Design. The BlackBerry P'9981, officially unveiled in Dubai today, rocks up looking rather edgy, with a brushed stainless steel casing and leather back panel. Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 The …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What is this?

    Some kind of ancient 00's smartphone? Look at its quaint keyboard.

    1. Blank Reg

      For people that need to type something more than inane facebook and twitter updates a real keyboard is the only way to go. I can touch type on a blackberry with very few mistakes and very good speed. Touchscreens have their advantages but typing efficiency is definitely not one of them. I have many touchscreen phones and none come close to real keyboards.

    2. James 12

      and its tiny tiny screen

  2. dotdavid
    FAIL

    Ugly

    I could design a software system but would have trouble designing a yacht - I have no idea why these phone manufacturers seem to think that car designers can design phones. I mean, they're not even similar devices and have hugely different uses and constraints.

    1. KjetilS

      Re: Ugly

      This is almost certainly designed by F. A. Porsche (which designs stuff), and not Porsche Automobil (which makes cars)

  3. Jim Coleman
    Happy

    Mmmm....

    I love Porsche Design's work - I own one of their pens, again in brushed steel and black leather. A Porsche Design phone would be pretty groovy, but not a Blackberry. I think the only user interface with the panache for this is the METRO UI - I could imagine the Porsche font, fluid and fast interface and steel-coloured live tiles fitting in nicely with the overall design ethos.

    I think I'll wait until that happens. But this is the way phones will go I think - designer brands doing for mobiles what they have already done for pens, wallets and watches. That designer cachet would easily outdo other phones like those from Apple, who I just can't see marrying up with such high-class design studios.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      No accounting for taste, eh Jim? I'd argue that Porsche design are merely a boutique shop that appeals to Jeremy Clarkson wannabes and for all the form over function nonsense that is mentioned over Apple kit, this is a real example of that. But, and this is a big one, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if this is your taste then enjoy! Bear that in mind though when you next criticize Apple for being nothing but 'shiney shiney' or just about fashion.

      1. Jim Coleman
        Flame

        Shyah!

        I take it you don't own a single Porsche Design product then. They are not just form, they are function too. My Porsche pen is both gorgeous and very well made, I'm expecting it to last the rest of my life and to hand it down to my step-son.

        Your assertion that such a product could only appeal to "Jeremy Clarkson wannabes" appears born out of some kind of bizarre jealousy complex.

        Regarding Apple kit, in my opinion, while they look shiny and all, they don't, IMHO, provide the combination of form and function that I look for in a phone. Neither, in this case, does this Porsche Blackberry. Which is why, as I stated, I'm not going to buy it.

        Now don't let me detain you from your work a moment longer.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Facepalm

          No Jim, I don't. Not a single item. Why? Overprice boutique crap. Like I said, no accounting for taste, but you are welcome to yours.

          "Your assertion that such a product could only appeal to "Jeremy Clarkson wannabes" appears born out of some kind of bizarre jealousy complex." I curious to know, jealous of what exactly? Being a middle class fuckwit that wouldn't know taste if it smacked me in the face with a wet fish? No.

  4. Disintegrationnotallowed

    calculator

    reminds me of an early 90s scientific calculator

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Porsche

    I thought they usually stuck to toasters?

    At least they didn't use the designer who dreamed up the Cayenne. (I've been a little bit sick just thinking about it).

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    > RIM gave BlackBerry a lap of honour this week.

    Presumably because it's finished.....

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Porsche Design != Porsche

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Facepalm

      I'm going to be honest here and correct myself; apparently Porsche Design == Porsche. They are a majority-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG. Ferdinand Porsche must be turning in his grave.

  8. Alan 6

    Bargain

    Far too cheap, if you're buying an exclusive phone to lose down the toilet you may as well go to 5 figures for a Vertu or Tag Hauer Link

  9. Dave 126

    headphone jack placed on the side...

    Not ideal. There is design which encompasses the function, appearance, manufacture and recycling of a product (amongst other considerations), and then there is the practice of just tarting up the look of a product.

    Blackberry seem to have enough devotees to suggest that their keyboard is an example of the former, but restyling doesn't usually result in an iconic product like an Opinal knife, a Landrover Defender or a MK II Walkman.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Teutonic

    I think it looks quite nice, slab like. free on contract?

    I have a BB for work & its genuinely good at email but gash at everything else. Opera Mini gets round the firewall of doom but still, the screens are just wrong for media consumption, view that how you will.

    #acobv'

  11. Steve Evans

    Odd....

    I thought a "Porsche Design" would just be exactly the same shape as last years, but with a very minor tweak.

    Repeat for 60 years.

  12. Jeff 11
    WTF?

    "Prices to hit quadruple figures"

    RIM can't shift its useless Playbooks at dirt cheap prices; somehow I don't foresee them shifting any of these paperweights either. At least Playbooks don't look like 80s payphones.

  13. AdamWill
    FAIL

    would look nice...

    ...except for the hideous giant PORSCHE DESIGN logo.

    which is the same mistake that every single one of these 'high end' 'luxury' phones has made - they all slapped whatever 'luxury' brand they were cross-promoting with all over the case in hideous, large letters.

    Compare: if you buy an Armani suit for five grand, does it have ARMANI written in block capitals across the lapel? No it bloody well doesn't. Why do they think it's a good idea on a phone?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Dodgy taste

      Makes me think of the Dorothy Parker quote - "if you want to know what god thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to".

  14. Bassey

    I like it

    I really don't like Porsche design and I'm not a fan of Blackberry's. But I really like the look of this. I haven't got $2000 to waste on a phone, mind, but if I happened to win the lottery some time soon I could see myself stumping up for one of these - even if the keyboard does look like a pig to use.

  15. BrendHart
    Paris Hilton

    I happen to think it's rather sexy.

    Unfortunately I'm not really one for conspicuous displays of wealth though so I probably won't get it. My Torch does everything I need it to so I'll be hanging onto it for a while.

  16. Powelly
    Thumb Down

    My word that's ugly!

    (Most amusing byline on the article though!)

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Silly money

    A phone for flash w***ers with nothing better to spend money on?

  18. Harvey Trowell
    Coffee/keyboard

    Nice subheadline!

    Shame about the phone.

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