“Death of an tech icon…” You know that old BlackBerry buried in the bottom kitchen drawer along with loose batteries and forgotten chargers won't work anymore starting on Tuesday. The company behind the once ubiquitous devices reminded customers that on Jan. 4 it will stop running legacy services for its BlackBerry 7.1 operating system and earlier BlackBerry 10 software, as well as its Playbook OS 2.1 and earlier versions. This means devices using this old software will no longer reliably function, including for data, text messaging and phone calls, including to 911, BlackBerry said. It's a change that has been a long time coming. BlackBerry announced the end was near for its old devices back in 2020 — as the company had last launched a new version of its operating system in 2013. In 2016, the company transitioned to a security software focus under the name BlackBerry Limited. For most of my tribe, this may represent the end of an era. Owning a BlackBerry was once considered a status symbol among politicians, business leaders and everyday users. Coming up in the game, Appearances and tech devices were everything. People looked at you sideways if you didn’t have a blackberry, sky tel or cellular phone.😒😝#thosewerethedays❤️ #endofanera #ripblackberry #ripblackberrybold #ripblackberrycurve #ripblackberrypearl #ripblackberryphones 🙁 @blackberry @blackberrymobile (at Waterloo, Canada) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYU5ewEPbJl/?utm_medium=tumblr
