How the hell...
Did Blackberry get a patent for backlighting a keyboard?
Blackberry has fired off a second lawsuit against Typo Innovations, claiming the celebrity-backed startup "slavishly copied" the design of its smartphones for the Typo2 – a physical keyboard strapped to iPhones. Typo's keyboard with Blackberry's Spot the difference In April, Blackberry won a court order against Typo, …
Maybe they think they invented keyboards, When Blackberry changed hands, the "new groaners" been bitching cause, No one writes App for it, people don't buy them, & now cause others use keyboards, can't wait for blackberry to disappear, in a puff of "who gives a fig" ....
Perhaps if you knew anything of patents you'd notice they didn't get a patent for back lighting a keyboard. They have a patent on how they implemented back lighting a keyboard. If you look back in history you'll find a James Pickard who patented a way to convert the linear motion of a piston into rotary motion. You might also find a James Watt who patented a device to work around Mr. Pickard's patent. Notice that while Pickard invented the now ubiquitous crank and flywheel, it's Watt who is remembered for advancing the steam engine.
I would say the main problem is the exact copying of the shape of the keys. Yes there have been many phone keyboards, but this Typo effort is clearly copying the shape of the keys on a BB keyboard. Compared with other phone keyboards, the patented shape of the keys makes a noticeable difference when typing on it.
It is especially a joke when they are show side by side. Almost as if Typo got a bunch of BB keyboards from EBay.
Ancient Phones, (Walkie Talkies & other Luggables), had keypads as well. My old Huawei looks almost identical to a BB, some slightly different graphics, But minor keyboard changes, G6600D .....
Maybe they could become a Phone\OS for the PI, at least it would be a catchy name, it seems other desperate Phone\OS companies are eyeing PI users as expansion ...
;)
Why would you heat a bog?
You probably would also be aware of the significant differences between Nokia's keyboard efforts and those of RIM...all of which has nothing to do with BrackBerry being a fringe business. If their products were so out of date...why is Typo even in business?