There is no real reason to get excited about the launch of a new BlackBerry, unless (like me) you're a smartphone geek who is fascinated by the brand's ongoing survival against the odds, or you're a diehard BlackBerry user looking to keep the faith.
Its seems though that a surprising number of people fall into the latter category, especially here in the Arabian Gulf, where the BlackBerry brand lives on even after the original company has stopped making devices. It’s no surprise then that the new touchscreen BlackBerry Motion - the second BlackBerry-branded device made under licence by TCL of China - had its official worldwide unveil at Gitex in Dubai in October.
The BlackBerry Motion, which retails for around Dh1,784, is a handset that’s not going to disappoint the brand’s fan base, even if it holds little for the rest of us. Its main selling points are the familiar suite of BlackBerry services and a superb battery life, while most of its other features are solid if uninspiring.
There’s nothing particularly remarkable about the Motion’s design; it has a fuss-free rubberised back with a rounded top edge, but mostly feels boxy and rather cheap. Given its size, it’s also a little awkward to handle, especially compared to newly slimmed flagships from Samsung, Apple and LG. On the plus size, It’s IP67 water resistant, meaning it should survive okay if you drop it in the bath or in your coffee.
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The 5.5-inch LCD display is quite sharp but nothing special; likewise, its Snapdragon 625 processor is a bit weedy compared to the competition - even in its price bracket - but is good enough for most people’s requirements. The same goes for the fingerprint scanner, located on the front of the phone at the bottom.
The positive trade-off for an underpowered screen and processor comes with the Motion’s battery life, its main selling point. The lower power needs, combined with a whopping 4,000mAh battery, mean that you can comfortably get two days regular use, something that many phones promise but few actually deliver.
Naturally, the BlackBerry Motion has the standard BlackBerry features of last year’s KeyOne, such as BBM (it’s what we used instead of WhatsApp, kids) the BlackBerry Hub, and keyboard shortcuts (that aren’t as compelling on the Motion’s touchscreen) together with the Dtek security suite that enables you to get timely Android security patches.
There’s a new convenience key on the right hand side, that offers easy access to up to three functions of your choice, plus a new Locker mode, that lets you keep files and photos that you take in a more secure location.
Sadly those photos aren’t going to be particularly high quality; the 12MP primary camera is fine in regular light conditions, but images get blurry and dull in even slightly lower light conditions. The 8MP front-facing camera will give you only passable selfies; but let’s be honest, you’re not buying a BlackBerry for its selfie-prowess, are you?
In a world where there are plenty of very decent mid-range Android phones such as the Nokia 8 and the Sony Xperia XZ, the BlackBerry Motion doesn’t bring a lot of unique features to the table. But those that it does bring - the BlackBerry services known and loved by many, plus genuinely impressive battery life - are likely to keep the faithful coming back for more. While the rest of the world might have moved on, the Motion will keep BlackBerry fans more than satisfied.
FOOTBALL TEST
Team X 1 Team Y 0
Scorers
Red card
Man of the Match
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Mountain%20Boy
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
More on animal trafficking
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20profile
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Ferrari
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