So far, there’s only one phone design known to “work” and everything else is seen as an experiment or an exercise in failure. Once upon a time, though, diversity was both beauty and chaos, with a new phone shape coming out almost every month (yes, we’re looking at you, old Nokias!) though the era of smartphones has given way to screen-only “candy bar” form. What made the Factor the sole winner was one design in particular that almost stood the test of time. This will be BlackBerry’s QWERTY phone, a design that’s probably more associated with being “work-minded” than anything else. The brand may be dead, but the design continues to spark the imaginations and desires of some, as shown by it’s cute take on a form factor that may never come to an end.
Designer: Jasper Morrison for Punkt
The history of mobile phones is almost a beautiful testament to the amazing power of the human mind to adapt. Even with the T9 keypad that was actually designed for landlines, people have developed the ability to rapidly punch out text on only 12 keys. That said, it was the introduction of a full but smaller-sized keyboard that made BlackBerry devices a favorite for the more business-minded. That and the company’s suite of acclaimed services, which once might have included BBM or BlackBerry Messenger.
The history of that company and brand has now become legend, but interest in QWERTY phones, as they’re called, is clearly alive. Crackberry takes an exclusive look at one such effort that nearly resurrected that design, though its fate still hangs in the balance. The Punkt MC01 Legend, from a Swiss company famous for its minimalist phones, took that QWERTY idea and gave it a more modern spin that honestly deserves a chance in the market.
Compared to BlackBerry’s previous oeuvre of QWERTY phones, the MC01 Legend has a more ergonomic build and a distinctly minimalist design. The keys are better spaced for more comfortable thumb typing, and the back isn’t completely flat, but rises and falls to form an angled surface that makes the phone easier to hold while typing. Sure, this makes the device thicker than even the thickest phones out there, but it chooses to optimize for what it does best rather than looking good just for the sake of looks.
Unfortunately, the MC01 Legend may never come, although Punkt hasn’t taken it off the table entirely. There have been obstacles to the device’s deployment, most of which revolve around Android being deemed unsuitable for both the unusual 4:3 screen size and the company’s tough stance on privacy. Either way, the design is certainly striking and a tad adorable, especially if you’re the kind of phone user who messages, emails, and types texts more than watching Netflix or playing Genshin Impact.
