The Ed Miliband of smartphones
If Ed was to walk on water, Paxman would dismiss it as being a gimmick. In the same way BlackBerry gets dismissed no matter what it does.
BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 is pretty good for what it does. At last we have coloured notifications out of the box, a more efficient Hub and a layout that makes better use of the available space. The basic messaging features are still as good as ever.
The problem is the hardware. The Passport is clever but gimmicky, the new Bold-a-like with the forgettable name is too big for what it does. Now a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact with OX 10.3.1...I'd buy that. But BlackBerry doesn't have the scale or the money to produce cutting edge hardware.
I hope they resolve that because once the remaining legacy users are upgraded they need something new. But the mobile phone system needs them, an independent player which doesn't do creepy tracking or try to upsell you an IT lifestyle.