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Blackberry Phones Stop Functioning Forever

A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo
A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo
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Blackberry Phones Stop Functioning Forever

A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo
A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo

Before everyone carried an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy phone, many gadget fans opted for a BlackBerry.

The internet-enabled keyboard-toting smartphones were the hottest business accessory and were favored by the likes of Barack Obama and Kim Kardashian.

But sadly, BlackBerry’s fortunes diminished as the iPhone gained popularity and the Canadian company switched to making security-focused software, The Metro reported.

For a time, the BlackBerry name was licensed to a Chinese manufacturer named TCL, but that came to an end in 2020.

Now it appears that all former BlackBerry devices will cease to function properly as the company is stopping all software support for them.

Services for the phones were brought to an end, January 4. After which, BlackBerry says the devices will ‘no longer reliably function.’

This includes being able to make phone calls, send texts, receive data or contact emergency numbers.

Last year, BlackBerry said it would start taking its legacy services offline, including support for its own operating systems like the BlackBerry 10 software, at the start of 2022.

“The termination of these service offerings and infrastructure will also impact functionality for applications such as Enhanced Sim Based Licensing (ESBL) / Identity Based Licensing (IBL), BlackBerry hosted email addresses, BlackBerry Link, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, BlackBerry Blend, BlackBerry Protect (allows consumers to lock, locate or wipe BBOS, BlackBerry 10 devices remotely),” BlackBerry said in a statement.

There is no impact to the new BlackBerry Protect which is an AI-based endpoint security solution. The last version of a BlackBerry OS was released way back in 2013. And despite a few die-hard fans, most smartphone users have moved on to either iOS or Android in the years since 2013. But if you do still have a BlackBerry lurking in a drawer somewhere, then it’s time to finally get rid of it.

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Microsoft Pledges to Protect European Operations, Unveils Data Center Expansion

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
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Microsoft Pledges to Protect European Operations, Unveils Data Center Expansion

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)

Microsoft pledged Wednesday to fight any US government order to halt data center operations in Europe as it sought to soothe concerns among European customers that trans-Atlantic tensions would lead to service disruptions.

The company's president, Brad Smith, said it's not something that officials are talking about in Washington, D.C. but it is a “real concern” for Microsoft's customers across Europe, which include governments.

President Donald Trump has stoked tensions between the US and Europe with his tariff-fueled trade war, and alarmed European leaders with policy changes, including pausing intelligence sharing with Ukraine, that throw into doubt his administration's commitment to the trans-Atlantic relationship, The AP news reported.

Smith, speaking at an event in Brussels, tried to allay concerns as he announced that the company was expanding data center operations across Europe.

“What we want Europeans to know is that they can count on us,” he said in a speech.

“In the unlikely event we are ever ordered by any government anywhere in the world to suspend or cease cloud operations in Europe, we are committing that Microsoft will promptly and vigorously contest such a measure using all legal avenues available, including by pursuing litigation in court,” Smith wrote in a Wednesday blog post.

He noted that Microsoft has experience fighting lawsuits from the previous Trump administration as well as from former President Barack Obama’s administration.

“If we ever find ourselves losing we will put in place business continuity arrangements” that include storing computer code in Switzerland that European partners can access, he said.

Microsoft is making five digital commitments to Europe, including increasing its data center capacity by 40 in 16 countries over the next two years, Smith said. The expansion will cost tens of billions of dollars annually. Smith declined to be more specific about the cost when asked by reporters.

The expansion comes amid calls for Europe to assert tech and data sovereignty by weaning itself off reliance from big US cloud data service providers, including Microsoft, Amazon and, to a lesser extent, Google.

“Given recent geopolitical volatility, we recognize that European governments likely will consider additional options,” and Microsoft is committed to collaborating with European companies, Smith said.