BlackBerry’s classic smartphone stops working today
The classic BlackBerry is being forced to retire.
A pioneer of on-the-go email and paragon of corporate connectedness, it reigned supreme in the days when physical keyboards had yet to yield to touch screens. But come Tuesday, the cellphone-turned-status symbol will become one more relic of a bygone era as the transition to 5G wireless technology grinds forward.
After its “end of life date,” as BlackBerry calls it, devices running on BlackBerry’s legacy operating systems and software “will no longer reliably function,” the company — which has since pivoted to enterprise software and cybersecurity — reminded users in a news release in late December. Old devices won’t be able to send a text message or dial 911, placing them firmly in the realm of the arcane, in the company of floppy disks and rotary phones. You might still be able to play Brick Breaker though.