Buzz
- Friday, December 9th, 2022 -
The BlackBerry Key2 (Silver) in my opinion is the most beautiful phone and also the smartphone that provides the best experiences ever. I remember back on 25/3/2018 & 22/6/2018, I bought the KeyONE (Indian market) & Key2 (Chinese market) from Quang3G shop (mentioned in & ) before officially pre-ordering the Silver international version from Nhật Cường on 12/8/2018 (mentioned in ). Even at that time, I proactively bought a series of accessories such as: cases, screen protectors, and 1-2 extra Type-C cables. After nearly 3 years of attachment, that Key2 (Silver) officially broke down on 25/6/2021 with symptoms: keyboard failure + loss of touchpad + swollen battery. After diagnosis by a trader in Hanoi, it was found that it had a main-related error, forcing me to store it away & switch to using my old iPhone X and Huawei Nova 3i as my main phones. This was truly the darkest period I have ever experienced because the pure touch design couldn't keep me interested, not to mention meeting daily usage needs...
Despite considering buying another Key2 with the same color, it wasn't until recently that I decided to take action. As of the end of 2022, the Key2 is still being sold for 9-12 million due to its scarcity, while the demand from enthusiasts for physical keyboards remains quite high. Most sellers are not in Hanoi, which makes me hesitant to deal with them, as I want to meet them in person, test the phone firsthand, and have the convenience of warranty during the agreed-upon period. A year and a half of waiting was enough to make me tired and forced me to stop using a pure touch screen phone as my main device. Instead, I bought the international version of the Key2, black color, single sim, (6GB/128GB) at Quang3G shop on 20/11/2022 in a condition without accessories, with scratches around the edges and a small crack at the bottom corner right next to the SpeedKey. This Key2 model is named BBF100-9, running Android v8.1.0, build number: ACM438. Although everything is not really perfect as desired, overall the appearance is around 90% according to my perception, moreover, with a reasonable price and a 3-month warranty period, this is also a good opportunity for me to re-experience the physical keyboard before finding a Silver version second-hand or new as I desire.
In addition to the default apps, I also installed about 30 other apps, including 2 that are always on my essential list: Keyboard Browser & Event Sound. For most Android users, Chrome is probably a very popular browser, but for me, Keyboard Browser is the top and only priority app whenever I need to access the web. The last time I used Chrome on my phone was in the middle of 2010, when I was busy experiencing the HTC Dream - the first Android smartphone from Google. Since then, it has been more than a decade, and I have not touched Chrome at all, whether on Android or iOS. Those who are familiar with BlackBerry 10 devices such as Passport & Classic... are probably not unfamiliar with the familiar interface on the Browser along with shortcuts like: T/B (scroll up/down on the webpage), K (quickly access Bookmark), L (refresh webpage), S (search), W (open new Tab), Q (view all open Tabs), D (show webpage in Desktop mode), P/N (previous/next webpage)... I got used to these operations from the beginning of using Passport Silver (end of 2015), to when I switched to BBAndroid with KeyONE (end of Q1/2018) as well as Key2 (22/6/2018), I made full use of them. As for the Event Sound app, for those who don't know, this app supports assigning customizable sounds for many actions such as: plug/unplug charger, notify full/low battery (can set specific % levels as desired), power on/off, install/uninstall apps, connect/disconnect Wifi, Bluetooth... This is really a very useful app for me, this mimics exactly what I knew on Koolsounds when I was still using BBOS in the late 2000s. In fact, there is still one more app in my must-install list, but unfortunately, recent policy changes by Google have prevented me from using it, that is Youtube Vanced. Not being the type to play games on my phone, and furthermore, the physical keyboard design like Key2 is not suitable for entertainment enthusiasts, so I only install some simple games with light capacity to relieve stress in a short time like: Flappy Bird, Incredible Box, Real Parking 3D...
There is a difficult-to-deny truth whether you're a BB fan or not: amidst a sea of touch screen smartphones, the presence of a phone with a physical keyboard like BB always stands out in a very unique way. The beauty and manliness emanating from the design of BB devices have always been a distinctive highlight of the brand. This is also one of the key factors directly influencing my decision before each purchase. Just holding a mobile device with a different design is enough to attract me, not to mention the sacred qwerty keyboard that enhances my typing experience. Next is the shortcut system that allows quick access to apps with 2 modes Short/Long press, I have assigned almost all commonly used apps, such as: F (Facebook), H (Hub), Y (Youtube), Z (Zalo), O (Settings), T (File), M (Messenger), G (Grab), U (Calculator), L (Calendar), A (Photo), D (Discord), W (Keyboard Browser), C (Play Store), S (Shopee)... this means completely freeing up space outside the Homescreen, providing a tidy interface and less eye strain, and the badass SpeedKey button helps minimize unnecessary actions during the process of switching between apps. Indeed, the need to install many apps on the same smartphone is very normal, but it takes up to 2-3 actions on pure touch screen devices to open what you need to use again, which is a major disadvantage, while with Key2, only a single action is needed to start.
Recently, I have regained the enthusiasm of the past, the main device is no longer the dry and emotionless pure touch screen phones for a very simple reason: they are just basic machines, not more. Instead, I had the opportunity to return to the familiar sacred BlackBerry Key2 after a long time apart. There are still unique features that cannot be replaced: Convenience Key allows you to quickly open a favorite app, making it easy to activate the Camera in any situation, whether browsing the web, playing games, or watching Youtube... Not only that, I can completely assign the $ key to CTRL with the same function as on a Windows computer every time I need to copy/paste data. These are not new features but they always motivate passionate fans like me to stick around. For me, the Silver version of the Key2 always hides a youthful beauty and elegant simplicity, while the Black version has a certain elegance and appeal. You may be allergic to the Key2 due to its low specs and sky-high price, you may be indifferent to the Key2 because of its slow typing speed & easy hand fatigue due to being too familiar with virtual keyboards, or you may even hate the Key2 simply because of a mediocre camera and an unsupported operating system upgrade, but if you truly love the qwerty physical keyboard, you can't help but love the Key2. After all, if you still find the Key2 something odd, half-hearted, then don't be sad: it was not made for you!
