Culture

Kim Kardashian's on a mission to save BlackBerry

The reality TV star says she still uses the years-old BlackBerry Bold -- and keeps three replacements available at all times in case her phone breaks.

Shara Tibken Former managing editor

Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."

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Shara Tibken

Oct. 27, 2014 5:03 p.m. PT

2 min read

Kara Swisher of Recode (right) interviews reality TV star Kim Kardashian during the Recode mobile conference. Shara Tibken/CNET

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- Forget Alicia Keys. BlackBerry should have called up Kim Kardashian to be its spokesperson.

The reality TV star on Monday said during the Recode mobile conference that she would like to buy BlackBerry -- or at least help make sure the company doesn't go out of business.

"BlackBerry is my heart and soul," she said. "I love it. I will never get rid of it."

Kardashian still uses a years-old BlackBerry Bold but does have an iPhone for posting photos and other items to social media.

"Sometimes I'll send up a Twitpic on my BlackBerry," she said. "I use an older one, though. They don't have them in stores anymore. I buy them on eBay. I have three lined up in my room so if they break. If one breaks and I'm down to two, I search on eBay until I have my third. I have anxiety I'll run out."

Kardashian, who rose to fame for a sex tape, leveraged her notoriety into a reality TV show and then cultivated a massive social media following. A photo in May from her wedding to rapper Kanye West became the most liked photograph in Instagram history, with 1.92 million people showing their appreciation for the pic. And 24.8 million people follow Kardashian on Twitter.

Kardashian West in late June also introduced a video game, called Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, through a partnership with Glu Mobile. The free game, which includes in-app purchases for clothing and other items, quickly rose in the rankings of Apple's App Store for most-downloaded free-to-play games. According to app tracker AppAnnie, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is currently the eighth highest grossing of all iOS apps, and analyst firm Cowen & Co. estimated in July that annual revenue from the game may reach $200 million.

BlackBerry, meanwhile, has struggled to gain traction in a mobile market dominated by Apple and Google's Android operating system. The company was a trailblazer in mobile phones but missed the transition to smartphones. It tapped singer Alicia Keys in January 2013 to be its global creative director to inspire the future of the company. The two parted ways a year later.