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First we get a Porsche Design BlackBerry phone. What's next, a Ferrari PlayBook tablet?!

By Kevin Michaluk on 22 Mar 2012 11:59 am
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I've been rocking the Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry for a few weeks now, and have been loving every minute of it (final review coming soon.. stay tuned!). I know the look of the P'9981 is a bit polarizing, people seem to either love it or hate it, but one that thing nobody debates is the fact that it stands out. This is partially due to the fact it looks so different from any other phone on the market, and also because it's so exclusive - when people are seeing my P'9981 in real life, most are still seeing it for the first time.

I've always been a fan of customizing my phone, though typically I've done it after purchase. Before RIM started selling their phones in white, I would send my BlackBerry in to ColorWare to have custom painted (awesome, but voids warranty). Original skins and cool cases are always an option too and I've used a lot over the years, but this personalization sits on top of a stock phone. And while this approach is ideal for most -- and adds a layer of protection -- I'm one of those people who likes the customization to be to the device itself.  I question whether this sort of limited production run is good for RIM's bottom line, but as a customer I really appreciate the effort and risk they took in collaborating with Porsche Design on the P'9981. It has given me an attention getting device that still has warranty.

The other day I started wondering what other brands I'd personally like to see BlackBerry partner with down the road, if the opportunity for more cross company collaboration arose. As a Formula 1 fan, Ferrari came to mind almost immediately. What do you think... Ferrari BlackBerry PlayBook anyone? Let us know in the comments which company you'd like to see BlackBerry work with, if another partnership device was to come out down the road! 

Ferrari BlackBerry PlayBook

Image Source: Ferrari PlayBook by John Anastasiadis for CrackBerry

Topics: BlackBerry Playbook Porsche Design P'9981 From BlackBerry Ferrari News & Rumors Editorial

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Kevin Michaluk Kevin Michaluk 3704 (articles) 3034 (forum posts)
89 comments

John.P

That's a sechsi lookin' PlayBook!

bbschorsch

stay with Porsche!
and make it cheaper ^^

The big question is what would the mass prefer:

a normal 9900 or a 9981 if the price would be the same?

I think may be people are willing to pay a bit more but the big idea behind the porsche one was to build something for those people who can afford it.
of cause they never thought about that more then 1000 or get sold.
It was about the statement.

And honestly if someone would tell me hey this is a BB that will run BBX (still love that one better then bb10)
I would buy it and I am still thinking about buying it^^

EchuOkan1

Yes!!!! I vote Ferrari too. =0)

EchuOkan1

Yes!!!! I vote Ferrari too. =0)

sazerak

RIM should hire this Guy! !!

iPhone Surpasses BlackBerry as Most Popular Smartphone in Canada for First Time
Posted on March 22, 2012 in BlackBerry by Todd Haselton

vector sigma

I would buy a McLaren playbook not a Ferrari

Dave79

I would puke on a McLaren playbook but they will never make one as McLaren doesnt event make the engine of thier cars let alone making a playbook.

Blackberry_boffin

Of their F1 car yes; but of their road going MP4-12c they do and it happens to kick the 458's butt in emmissions, power and fuel efficiency.

digicon

Well yeauh . They won't make the PlayBook because it's already made . They'll make the body and frame "their" own and leave the PB OS "engine" to BlackBerry . How hard would that be , a chrome with black and red accents PlayBook !

Angus_CB

Perfect, RIM doesn't make the engine in their Playbook either. :)

dadathepanda

Subaru Playbook. As Blackberry, Subaru has a cult following and they would be a nice match, not to mention that it would appeal to real people with real budgets...

bizzyqu

where would you put the obnoxious spoiler and douche scoops?

axllebeer

Ferrari PlayBook for the win. Big fan of the Ferrari red. :)

On the other hand, if you want to appeal to a chunk of the US public, a super rugged and awesome Jeep PlayBook would I think be a pretty good win too. Not sure what the design could be like but, to start it should be a hybrid to cover many world networks. (EV-DO, GSM, and LTE.) Travel the world in your rugged Jeep PlayBook. Nothing can stop you now. Put every bell and whistle on it imaginable including the up and coming fuel cell that they are working on for the BlackBerry phones. Vehicle integration with one of these mounted in the dash of a Jeep would be totally awesome IMO.
Boldly sent from my 9930

Atakan

A Mercedes Playbook would be nice :D

Xader

Only if there's a Playbook repair shop on every corner...

crazyinuk

If RIM wants to still promote themselves as operating the most secure platform out there... shouldn't they team up with a company that embodies this? just saying...

Sportin a 9630!!!

Xader

Volvo?

crazyinuk

LOL! why not. most families can afford a Volvo over a Ferrari right?

Sportin a 9630!!!

gord888

red paint and carbon fibre make everything look better :)

pmtsu00

Honestly who's buying these porshe styled blackberry's & Ferrari playbooks? Not the general public... If you ask me, blackberry should aim for more affordable models something like the chevy camero, Nissan Maxima somethig the economy would actually pay for. Maybe Blackberry would see an increase in numbers (Real Numbers) lets not loose the ground here RIM.. ..NETWORKING... Please continue to produce devices that will be evolutional, not just Hot at that time.... ;)

Crypt1c

They did make an affordable model like the camaro and maxima, its called the 9360. That's like saying Blackberry should make a Geo Metro edition Blackberry.

The general public can/do get P'9981's, the ones that can afford to spend $2k on a phone that is. All others that can't or would rather not drop $2k can buy the exact same phone(9900/9930) just a little different look for more of an affordable price. And if that's still not affordable to you RIM made even more devices that are even more affordable that are just as great of a device.

flyersfan76

Ferrari and Bentley.

If they didn't stop making them in 2006 I would vote for Hummer.

Maybe the 7 slotted grill or the dished in door on the back.

Made of aluminum with no covering.

flyersfan76

I second the Colorware idea also BUT they should make the pieces able to be purchased seperately.

I would have loved to just purchase orange accent pieces for my Bold but that was a no go.

4speed

Hey Kevin......you would look even better with the $8000 24ct P'9981...it's a beauty!

BB_Bmore

Yea whatever makes the playbook go from a couple hundred $ to a few thousand sounds great to me.

sazerak

I guess it's nice to dream a little......

all3n7

Its always nice to dream. But dnt dream little, dreams are endless.

bevin1

McLaren all the way!!!!!

mlb13

RIM should partner with Toyota and Honda and fully integrate the PlayBook into stock vehicles coming off the line. Integrating with the two biggest automakers in the United States would certainly help move units in the States.

9of13

Nothing will say class and performance like a Cadillac Playbook!

aliakberk

So... anyone have a copy of the wallpaper that is on the playbook? looks awesome!

NexusLexus

What about D&G, Armani, Prada or a Gucci styled PeeBee or even some casuals like Diesel Jeans or Hilfiger.....

Above the clouds...

Xader

I'd rather not look like one of those spray-tanned, duck-lipped monstrosities that insist on slapping fashion labels on everything they own.

GeneralTech

Waaaay better idea, especially if its official, apple has won in part because it is a fashion icon, if you have an actual fashion icon make your playbook look sexy, it will win points.

DCBerry21

RIM should definitely partner with a Formula 1 team. Preferably McLaren or Mercedes AMG, not Ferrari hahaha.

vector sigma

Have a JB and LH editions...classic

jordanc76

Audi would be sweet!!!

Xader

Audi would work. Classy, elegant, sophisticated. Just the image BB has been going for.

I like it.

ungibbed

I would dig a Ferrari PlayBook with the Prancing Horse emblem (metal of course) in place of the RIM bullets on the rear of the PB along with other subtle touches.

bizzyqu

It would go nice with my acer ferrari monitor

currentodysseys

A mini cooper or cooper s (john cooper works) edition pb would rock :D :D :D (integrating an app with accelerometer etc like the sweetmini dashboard..... :D :D

MaxxxBerry23

I would love a Mercedes BB. Preferably a smartphone with a lot of high quality materials (chrome, carbon) and a classic BB layout.

Rlmcs337

Kevin, the Lamborghini idea is already being done by ASUS check out the VX7SX. The Playbook would need the real logo for Ferrari on it.

Tablet 1996

Looks great with the ferrari red. Hope it will have an affordable price tag, not like like Porsche Design.

Crypt1c

A Ferrari playbook would be sick, or perhaps a Maybach edition. However I think the P'9981 was very nice design, and it would be nice to see a Porsche design Playbook.

Android Market for QNX

+1 while I'm not a big fan of the Porsche design BlackBerry, I don't think RIM should switch design partners for its PlayBook. It's good to show loyalty to your design partner and RIM already showcased a Porsche car with the PlayBook as its dashboard. PlayBooks as the future Porsche dashboard sounds amazing to me! Voice and gesture controlled Porsche, ultra sweet!

dagerlach

They need to partner with a company on the cutting edge of science and innovation that is unique and attention grabbing like: SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Sierra Nevada, Blue Origin, etc....these are Commercial Space Transportation companies. Fast cars are cool, but rockets....way better :)

Existence_Inc

Ducati. They already do product/brand partnerships. See the Diesel Ducati Monster, AMG Diavel, Etc.

all3n7

How about RACE BIKE fire RED DUCATI version. So it won't be somewhat Redundant..

spencerdl

The red stripe looks KOOL, I would like to see the availability of several different color stripes.....Partnering up with different auto makers is ok, but let's get on track first

kastortroy

Huge fan of Oakley. How About a fully customized playbook from them. I emailed them last year but response was negative due to low demand of playbook. Originally, they asked " what in the world was a playbook ". Ouch. Anybody else interested?

Peace

tedd_jr

I'd like to see a collaboration that will impact the market with a streetwear brand to increase the public perception of the bb10 as a consumer product. A collaboration with Supreme NYC would defiantly generate buzz.

A collaboration with a major studio company like avid or fender would increase the awareness in the music culture community and may bring about a native protools app.

A collaboration with Nintendo will never happen but would be interesting.

Basically collaborations that effect the general consumers would be a win and produce good PR. The P'9981 is a sleek device that I've grown to like but will never be a product i could afford.

The Consigliere

With the phone they pretty much did a total redesign, I mean yes it sort of resembled a BB but you could tell it wasn't a "stock" RIM phone, with a Playbook just HOW are you supposed to do that?? So adding a carbon fiber back & red background means it's a "lambo edition?" I say just keep working on it to make it better (apps, games, etc.) & let the Playbook speak for itself. You all know there are still apps we want that aren't available so let's work on that before we're hoping for the PB to be revamped by some major car company.

all3n7

Pinshare App has an update.. Haha I beat Crackberry.com..lol

barkomatic

What does a Porsche have to do with a smartphone? Stupid, stupid idea that cheapens the brand. These partnerships suggest that a RIM product on its own cannot represent quality and sophistication. Decisions like this make me believe that RIM really is going to eventually go under.

ungibbed

Porsche has done a lot of product designs over the years but never a smartphone. Consider the P-981 as the "Vertu" of BlackBerry phones. Vertu in general has been a niche company selling feature phones at the same price of a fine Rolex or other timepiece. I don't think it cheapens the brand at all.

TheR1ck

Ferrari all the way.........Ferrari sets the bar every other car company always wants to out perform and compare its self to them.... I wonder Why?

Jaredius

IMO they should partner with an American automaker and increase their visibility to the US consumer. Done right, they would sell more phones her, too. Chrylser is coming off a great ad campaign and they could ride the coattails of that.

flyersfan76

Chrysler is an Italian car company now. And before that they were briedly an American company. Before that. German.

chunt69

With a button edition, silky smooth and really reliable.
And a hamilton edition that is overclocked, really fast but tends to overheat and crash every so often lol

enzo07i

I heard about this Ferrari project inside RIM, and I am asking with my friend is it tablet or phone? he said he don't know yet, no specs provided so far, but that was a month ago, maybe now Kevin can give us more hint.

martinjdub

I'd like to see RIM work with record companies/artists.

Perhaps the Sony PlayBook with a custum app to premium Sony artists songs
Or
MTV PlayBook with extra content.

The real question is, who hates music? I just hate country music :)

Jonathank

sorry kevin.. not a fan ferrari has to many things like shoes cloths and cologne ferrari is played out plus I think ferrari already has a phone... I would love to c Cadillac lol

greekberry88

I actually think it would be cool for porsche to continue the customization and do a Porsche design playbook.

imac005

Thats a great look I love ferrari and think if you did a Porshe the Lamborghini design would have to be a good idea for blackberry on the playbook or any device

And for that blackberry 10 it looks like a sweet device

Skoal712

I would like to see BlackBerry partner with NHRA Drag racing. When BB10 comes out there will be nothing faster. As there is not much faster than a nitro burning dragster or funnycar doing the 1/4 mile in 3.80 seconds at 320 mph.(now thats power)
The racers all use computers on board and in there trailers to setup the cars for the next race. Plus NHRA has a huge fan following in the US and Canada.

Austerror

Ferrari already do laptops with Acer I think. Similar to the Lambo Asus laptops.

With this modern age of IT and 3D printers and fancy pants technology, why can't we just order online, from the BB website a custom case with our playbook.

All they need to do is partner up with someone like Jila skins (or whatever they are called) and the rest will sell itself!

But having the playbook all black all the time is part of a brand. If you start having all sorts of different colours and designs the brand is diluted.

If I had a choice, Redbull racing with Mark's car on the back of the Playbook would be it.

aigi

I don't like Ferrari. Give me McLaren or Aston Marin ;)

digitalhomeboy

BMW! How is it that that no one has mentioned BMW? This would rock! BMW has always stayed ahead with amazing designs and attention to detail and fitting a PlayBook in a beamer to control music/entertainment, seating, security...WOW

kupfernigk

Because BMW is the Apple Computer of cars.

IGeeve

I want the wallpaper!!!

Elizabeth2

I love the Porsche design. I posted a set of BerryWeather icons that I made in the Blackberry Apps/ BerryWeather Icons section of the Forums. Its post 12171 on page 812

OS2GUY

Somebody mentionned Aston-Martin. I agree 100% Right now, they have some of the best designers available. All of their cars are simply drop dead gorgeous. What they would do for the tablet is something I would really like to see.

On the other hand, the retail price of such a tablet would probably in tune with what they are asking for their cars. Which is a lot...

OS2GUY

TheWolf1965

BlackBerry PlayBook May Receive an Update Soon; Probably Add More Languages Support
Published: 1 day ago 2 Comments

Seems like RIM is rolling out another impressive BlackBerry PlayBook update soon with additional International languages support. Absence of many highly needed languages like Arabic, Chinese etc. are still missing out on the tablet but not to surprise these are on way to arrive maybe in the next update or later with the release of BlackBerry PlayBook 3G+/LTE devices. Stick with us for more updates

vespajet

How about a Top Gear PlayBook? Sell an all-white "Stig" edition.....

deanodean

Gotta love the RED!

RIM950; Ho-hum; Curve 8320; Torch 9800; PB16G; PB64GB

dwaiss

Aston Martin for sure. Sophisticated performance and hands down the top designers in automobile history

muhammad.suleman98

MY GOD!!! THAT FERRARI PLAYBOOK IS TO FRIKIN DIE FOR!!!! :O