I write these words with much trepidation. If you own an own a classic (that's spelled: OLD) Blackberry, it will stop working on January 4th.

This is the old OS (Operating System, as in 10-7.1 and older) If you own a Blackberry that runs Android software, you are golden, or at least not going to be out of a phone. But all Blackberrys on the old (non-Android) OS will no longer be able to use data, send text messages, access the internet, or make calls, even to 911.

If you really love your Blackberry, there is some good news. There's a couple of companies, that have a licensing deal with Blackberry, and have a 5G version of the legendary phone that runs the Android OS.

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What's the love affair with the Blackberry? It's the keyboard. That was a big deal back at the turn of the century. (late 90's to early 00's - that century) Some folks just love having a keyboard. Among its biggest fans was former President Barack Obama.

It's the keyboard, stupid

And that's why the trepidation. There are frugal, practical people that don't feel the need to run out and buy the latest and greatest phone. (or anything electronic, for that matter.) If it's working, why replace it. In fact, there's a school of thought that says planned obsolescence is at the very least immoral, and could possibly be illegal. An argument could be made that something like this should work and be supported until it doesn't. Of course, the extreme examples of this argument aren't always practical but think about it. people like senior citizens on a limited income, why should they have to go out and buy expensive phones every few years, when the phone they have is perfectly good.

It's no coincidence that phone makers like Apple have been able to keep the value of their company north of 3 trillion dollars. In the past, prices came down on expensive electronics. Now they just keep getting more expensive.

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