BlackBerry hasn’t gone on record saying anything about its curve-edged smartphone that will run Android (not BlackBerry’s own BBOS), but we’ve seen it out at a Canada Museum and even on a 4-minute video recently from a tester who got his hands on an “evaluation device.”
The codename BlackBerry Venice sounds refreshing, given the device a name that many would identify with. After all, when you think of BlackBerry Venice, you think of Venice – a nice vacation spot in Rome, a place where you can have fun, find or grow love, find a little pleasure. It’s romantic, fun, and relaxing, and to think of those terms with a smartphone is a sheer delight. The idea of smartphones being a “life companion” fits my own perspective, but even a life companion should be fun and bring out the best in you. The thought of a boring “life companion,” even a boring smartphone, is a turnoff to the “tech enthusiast” in me.
Well, as much as we’ve found our new crush with the BlackBerry Venice name (as have you, we’re sure), the crush and honeymoon must come to an end because a new leak shows the device will be named “BlackBerry Priv” when it’s announced and released. Retired leakster Evan Blass, known at Twitter as @evleaks, has stated as much from his Twitter page: “At retail, Venice transforms into the…BlackBerry Priv,” a reference not only to a new BlackBerry phone on the way but also the phone’s public name. The BlackBerry Venice is only a honeymoon name for the smartphone that will go on to be named “Priv” because of BlackBerry’s emphasis on privacy in the new smartphone (“priv” as short for “privacy”).
The BlackBerry Priv doesn’t sound as terrible as you may think at first glance, but it doesn’t sound as glamorous as BlackBerry Venice. Even “BlackBerry Secret” or “BlackBerry Guard” would have been better names than “BlackBerry Priv.” If BlackBerry decided to call it the “BlackBerry Privacy,” “BlackBerry Defender,” “BlackBerry Shield,” “BlackBerry Prix,” or “BlackBerry Incognito,” the company would receive a little more applause than the “Priv” label – which may mean little to average consumers looking to buy into the BlackBerry lineup for the first time.
I understand that codenames are often given for the device before the final name is released, but what do you do if the codename is a perfect one for the device being released? Do you toss it out when the new name is announced? I think “BlackBerry Privacy” wouldn’t be a bad name for the device, but the “Priv” name sounds a little like “Prix” without the regal nature of the latter. BlackBerry, the device looks gorgeous, and the experience will be great, but don’t ruin it with the “Priv.” Honestly, in light of brainstorming the above names, if you don’t prefer BlackBerry Venice, “BlackBerry Incognito” still gives off an exotic connotation that just may find its home with a growing customer base.
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