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For legions of executives, journalists, and politicians – even the leader of the free world – they were once indispensable devices for staying connected when ordinary cell phones just weren’t enough. Everything else was for amateurs.

Strange-sounding devices called BlackBerrys and the QWERTY keyboard that condition many people to type with their thumbs were more common than iPhones in the late 2000s.

However, as of Tuesday, Blackberry models using the company’s operating systems will make their way to the Commodore computer and LaserDisc. So do trademark balls and Tic Tac-sized letter keys.

as part of “end of life” decommissioning program First announced in 2020, BlackBerry said that from January 4, 2022, it will no longer support devices as the Canadian company has completed years of transitioning from a mobile phone to a software-based business model.

For some, the deadline represents a sad end to an era before touchscreens, Apple Pay and TikTok, where BlackBerries dominated offices, airport lounges and the West Wing.

President Barack Obama hugged his BlackBerry after he took office and asked the White House to remove it for security reasons.

Founder Kevin Michaluk Cracked Blackberry, a website and forum once dedicated to popular devices went nostalgic about the rise and fall of technology on Monday. BlackBerry in 2016 make abandoned phone, devices that the company formerly called Research in Motion came to describe.

Michaluk, who goes by the alias CrackBerry Kevin, said: “The first upset for me has happened several times.” “To use my real name, people don’t know who I am.”

Michaluk, 41, who lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, said BlackBerry devices with model names like Curve, Bold, Storm and Pearl boost productivity without all the distractions that come with iPhones.

“For most of us right now it feels like they’re causing ADD rather than productivity,” he said of iPhones. “We’ve gone from analog phones to pendulums that swing a lot. You can’t actually do anything about it because you’re constantly being bombarded with sensory overload.”

In a message posted on its website on December 22, BlackBerry reminded users that devices running legacy services over cellular networks or WiFi can no longer send or receive text messages or other data, make phone calls, or reach 911.

The company, which thanked its users for their loyalty over the years, did not immediately comment further on Monday.

The company noted on its website that there are Android-powered models such as the BlackBerry KEY2, produced under a partnership by the Chinese manufacturer TCL. ended in 2020will not be affected by the change.

This may have put Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in “And Just Like That,” at ease. Uses BlackBerry KEY2.

With BlackBerry, when he was elected president in 2008, his reliance on his mobile device—ahem, his addiction—has become more synonymous with Mr. Obama, who presents a riddle.

Writing in his 2020 memoirs, “A Promised Country” Mr. Obama said, “My team threw me a bone when it came to freedom: I was able to keep my BlackBerry in my hand – or rather, was given a new, specially modified device that was approved after several weeks of negotiations with various firms. cyber security personnel.”

Mr. Obama said he could only send and receive emails from a list of about 20 or so reviewed people on his BlackBerry, with the headphone jack and microphone removed and not working as a phone.

“Michelle joked that my BlackBerry was like one of those gaming phones you give little kids,” she said, “where they press buttons and it makes sounds and everything lights up but nothing actually happens.”

37-year-old Adam Matlock runs TechOdysseyA tech review channel on YouTube said on Monday it had received multiple messages from BlackBerry users expressing concerns that they might no longer be able to use the devices.

“They’ve been holding on for so long because there’s no substitute,” he said. “I’ve always felt like BlackBerries, they were special because they had keyboards and they weren’t trying to be just another phone with a touchscreen.”

Mr. Matlock said that even if BlackBerry didn’t deprecate its legacy devices, it would be nearly impossible to get them to work once major wireless carriers like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile phase out 3G technology in the next few years.

“I think it’s unfortunate that they cut support for this,” he said. “I understand the decision because the platform itself is pretty old at this point.”

Mr. Matlock, who lives in Houston, said he keeps some of his old devices in his office, like the BlackBerry 7100g.

“They always made me feel special,” she said.

Michaluk or Crackberry Kevin said his favorite model is the BlackBerry Bold 9000 because it has leather on the back.

“I have a little shelf with a small stand it rests on,” he said. “Let’s call it a tasteful shrine.”

One of the first models it owned was the BlackBerry 8700, which had a jog wheel on the side that allowed users to navigate through menus and messages.

“It was a small tank,” he said. “You can throw that thing across the room like a baseball and it just keeps working.”

Michaluk now uses an iPhone.

“I’m okay with that now,” he said.

William Lamb contributing reporting.