BlackBerry phones were all the rage, but what happened to BlackBerry wound up becoming a 2023 movie. Here’s how they disappeared.
Source: Getty Images
The Gist:
BlackBerry cell phones became popular among consumers and public figures alike.
However, the company experienced an abrupt downfall thanks to competition from brands like Apple’s iPhone.
The 2023 film BlackBerry is bringing the brand back into the public eye.
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BlackBerry cell phones were once incredibly popular—being used by plenty of consumers, as well as several famous (and infamous) people before Apple’s iPhone cornered the market. But the company went from being a household name to seemingly plummeting off the face of the Earth. What happened to BlackBerry, and can you still get a BlackBerry cell phone today?
The history of BlackBerry dates back almost 30 years and across multiple countries. It involves world leaders and organized crime, and it ended on the big screen. Here’s everything you need to understand about the rise and fall of BlackBerry—including a few things you probably never knew.
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Source: Getty Images
What happened to BlackBerry cell phones?
BlackBerry cell phones and pagers were the brainchild of the Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), which originally announced the Inter@ctive Pager 900 on Sept. 18, 1996. The BlackBerry 850 email pager came along just over two years later, on Jan. 19, 1999, in Munich, Germany—and then the company was off to the races.
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By 2009, the New York Times was writing a story about how future President Barack Obama used a BlackBerry during his campaign, and Obama kept the phone until 2016. Hillary Clinton was also a well-known BlackBerry user, putting the brand front and center during Clinton’s email controversy.
Kim Kardashian enthusiastically endorsed the brand in 2014, and Alicia Keys and Jessie J were among its celebrity spokespeople, with Keys being named BlackBerry’s “Global Creative Director” in 2013.
Most infamously, in 2009, CNN Expansion reported that Mexico’s Gulf Cartel used BlackBerry phones to communicate with Italy’s organized crime group, the ‘Ndrangheta.
But all of this attention wasn’t enough to sustain BlackBerry in the face of increased competition. While in that same year CNN called the BlackBerry Curve the best-selling smartphone in America, by 2015 the brand had less than one percent of the smartphone market.
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In the summer of 2020, RIM attempted a comeback by partnering with OnwardMobility to develop a new BlackBerry phone described as “an Android-based, next-gen WiFi device.” However, in February 2022, CNET reported that the BlackBerry 5G plan was officially dead—and OnwardMobility was shutting down with it.
That meant the last official BlackBerry phone released was the BlackBerry Evolve X in 2018.
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Source: IFC Films / YouTube
The trailer for 2023’s ‘Blackberry’ film, starring Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel.
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Do BlackBerry phones still exist in 2023?
BlackBerry has not released a new phone since 2018, with the company discontinuing its software services for any non-Android models in 2022.
However, there was renewed interest in popular culture after Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry was released in 2015. That book was adapted into the film simply titled BlackBerry in 2023.
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BlackBerry stars Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder) and Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as RIM founders Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin, and follows the company from its 1996 beginnings to its collapse. TV network AMC has repackaged the film as a three-part miniseries to air starting Nov. 13, 2023.
While audiences can no longer get a BlackBerry phone, they can still revisit the BlackBerry experience through the film. For a handful of years, BlackBerry cell phones were insanely popular and seemingly all over the place—but like many technological trends, they ended up being surpassed by the next big thing.
Fans certainly noticed when Cam Newton was no longer on the field. He shared the reason behind his absence and a glimpse into teams’ decision-making.
By Alex West
Dec. 6 2023, Published 10:09 p.m. ET
Source: Getty Images
The Gist:
Cam Newton said that NFL teams aren’t interested in him because of his hair.
He wasn’t drafted to another team when his one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers ended.
There was talk about Cam rejoining the Panthers in 2022 as the backup quarterback, but that didn’t end up happening.
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While football players bow out or retire from the sport every year, fans weren’t expecting Cam Newton to disappear from the NFL. However, after his one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers ended, he wasn’t drafted back onto another team.
There has been a lot of speculation about what has kept Cam away, but he claimed that staying away isn’t his choice. He has pointed the blame at something else in the league.
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Source: Getty Images
What happened to Cam Newton?
According to Cam, it isn’t his ability that holding him back — instead, it’s his hair. In recent years, Cam has grown his hair out to be rather long and he claimed that teams aren’t happy with that decision. He also implied they could just be using that as an excuse.
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“People have hinted towards to say like, ‘Cam, we want you to go back to the 2015 clean-cut Cam. But that was a different me. Right now, where I’m at, it’s about embracing who I am,” he told Josina Anderson on her Undefined podcast.
Source: Getty Images
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Also, Cam said that people implied his new look could be “scary,” he told Bleacher Report. “And I would say, ‘Yo, like I’m not going to name names, but there [are] other quarterbacks that [are] in the league that don’t look like me, but they got [have] long hair. They don’t scare them, do they?’” he explained.
“So, we can go tit for tat, tat for tit with it. But I would just turn and nod to that and say, ‘That’s not the reason why I’m not in the NFL,’” Cam admitted. So, the real reason for his absence seems to be ambiguous … even with the chance that it could be his hair after all.
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Cam said that there were conversations surrounding him returning to the Panthers for 2022, but nothing came to fruition. He was reportedly asked to be backup for Sam Darnold, which Cam was OK with as long as he was given a chance to “prove himself.”
Source: Getty Images
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“It was small talk,” Cam told Dan Patrick, according to MCNC Charlotte. “It was the Panthers trying to get me back and they didn’t know. At that specific time, Sam Darnold was there.”
“Every situation I’ve been in, even with New England and going back to Carolina, I never had an offseason,” Cam added. “That kind of capped my mental to understand the offense as a whole and the philosophical approach to why the offensive coordinator is calling certain kinds of plays.”
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Source: Getty Images
Cam admitted that a variety of teams failed to reach out to him, including Washington. For those teams, he was willing to take a backseat on the roster, but he found that even his former mentors weren’t reaching out to offer him any help.
Is Cam Newton still playing football?
While Cam isn’t signed to a professional team as of this writing, he does still stay involved in football. He played in Auburn University’s “Pro Day,” his alma mater, in early 2023, according to the NFL. Otherwise, the once-mighty player isn’t active in the sport.
There are two couples on ‘Married at First Sight’ Season 17 who aren’t doing so hot and one of them could be headed for divorce before Decision Day.
Source: Lifetime
The Gist:
There are only four couples that get married in Season 17 of Married at First Sight.
Two of those couples aren’t doing so well right now on the show.
Fans want to know if anyone gets divorced before Decision Day on MAFS.
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Even if you have a solid honeymoon on Married at First Sight, it doesn’t mean your marriage is smooth sailing when you get home. And two couples in Season 17 hit some rough waters during and after their respective trips to Mexico. OK, enough with the puns. But fans are curious about who, if anyone, gets divorced before Decision Day on MAFS. Because it can definitely happen, and it’s easy to see that not everyone is doing well, post-honeymoon.
Who gets divorced before Decision Day on ‘Married at First Sight’?
Although we don’t know for sure who gets divorced before Decision Day on MAFS in Season 17, we have two couples whose futures seem a little uncertain right now. Lauren and Orion all but confirm their impending divorce in the Dec. 6 episode of MAFS. Orion sends Lauren a text message asking for a divorce weeks before Decision Day. And, after discussing things with Dr. Pia, his mind is still made up and unchanged.
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Source: Lifetime
Orion admits he is “not sure” if he can forgive Lauren about things that happened during their honeymoon. He is referring to Lauren’s comments about his indigenous heritage, which she apologized for and admitted were ignorant. But after that happened, Orion couldn’t move past it. And then he took issue with her relations with other people leading up to the experiment.
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“There is no romance within me anymore,” Orion tells Lauren on MAFS. “I want to continue with following through with wanting a divorce.”
They aren’t the only couple in hot water following their honeymoon. Although Emily and Brennan spent their honeymoon with obvious chemistry between them and high hopes for their future, when they got back home, Brennan’s feelings changed almost completely.
Source: Lifetime
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He says on MAFS that he just can’t get there with Emily romantically. And when she asks him to tell her if he is attracted to her, Brennan replies. “I would never want someone to tell me that in any capacity, so I wont do it.” Which, Emily points out, answers her question anyway.
The other ‘MAFS’ couples in Season 17 are working on their marriages.
Although things aren’t going so well for two of our couples on MAFS, at least the other half are giving it the old college try. Newlyweds Clare and Cameron meet with Dr. Pepper in the Dec. 6 episode of MAFS to get to the bottom of their lack of intimacy and affection. And, despite Clare’s previous concerns about her marriage with Cameron, they both seem ready and willing to work through their issues.
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Source: Lifetime
And Becca and Austin are already planning out their future. Well, maybe things aren’t perfect for the two of them and their plans for living together once the experiment is over. But hey, the fact that they’re talking about their life together that far ahead shows that they are considering a real future together.
Watch Married at First Sight on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.
Entering the YouTube game isn’t easy, but Mack Hopkins has helped support Airrack’s content over the years. Now, he’s giving the platform a try too.
By Alex West
Dec. 6 2023, Published 10:49 p.m. ET
Source: INSTAGRAM/@MACK
The Gist:
Mack started his own YouTube channel.
He has been working with Airrack less.
There’s no official word on if he stepped away from Airrack.
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Among the ranks of the great YouTuber content groups are names like Mr. Beast’s Crew and Dream Team. Airrack’s Crew is yet another example of a content creator who gained a platform before uplifting his friends and creating an entire business enterprise. Mack Hopkins was Airrack’s editor, but fans are starting to wonder if he’s still a part of the group.
Mack’s involvement with Airrack’s group put him close to top-level YouTubers and influenced his editing style over the years. As a result, Mack began growing and curating a strong audience of his own. So, what happened to Mack from Airrack? Keep reading to find out.
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Source: Getty Images
What happened to Mack from Airrack?
When Mack decided to start his own channel, he was still active across social media. While he has some influence from his prior involvement with Airrack’s crew, Mack took a distinctly different content style and separated himself from more gimmick content creators.
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Mack is focused on creating content that’s more artistic and focuses on storytelling and cinematography. He does create challenge-based content, like a video where he spent 100 hours controlled by artificial intelligence, but overall his focus is on emotionally-driven videos. While that video did incredibly well, it wasn’t quite as fulfilling for Mack.
Mack also is committed to not putting too much emphasis on the YouTube algorithm. Many modern YouTubers become obsessed and fascinated with the analytics of their videos and are always working to reach the next target goal by studying the data.
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Mack’s content was such an immediate success that he gained the attention of YouTube star Mr. Beast. In October 2023, the pair collaborated on a challenge.
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However, Mack hasn’t posted on his YouTube channel since May 2023, leaving fans worried about the status of his content. Even worse, his absence from Airrack’s content has caused some concern. “Where have you been Mack? Haven’t seen you in a while in Airrack’s video. Is everything OK?” one fan wrote on Instagram.
Did Mack leave the Airrack’s Crew?
Mack hasn’t made any official statement regarding his status on Airrack’s team. He did reduce his appearances in videos and shifted his focus to his own content. However, there has been nothing official to indicate that he’s completely gone from the group.
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Airrack is consistently posting on his own social media channels, including regular updates to his YouTube channel. As for who might have taken over Mack’s editing duties, there hasn’t been any official word yet.
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One fan on Instagram pointed out that Airrack is connected with multiple editors. Some fans speculate that his recent distance from Airrack’s content was only due to working with Mr. Beast recently and that he’ll return to Airrack soon.
Airrack joined United Talent Agency.
As Airrack grew in popularity and he curated a stronger team, he also had to reevaluate his approach to management. In September 2023, he signed with United Talent Agency (UTA), specifically appointing Josh Mattingly as chief operating officer.
“Mattingly will oversee business operations and ramp up content production as UTA helps expand Airrack’s business ties across several verticals, including digital partnerships, TV, live events, and publishing,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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