Once blackberry was considered as one of the best smartphone, these days the company has been long displaced by upstarts like Apple and Google. The new BlackBerry Priv won't change that, but it's aimed at bringing the BlackBerry brand back into the limelight. And for BlackBerry apostates and the physical keyboard-curious, it'll have to. Dalliances with the Amazon app store's subset of the Android ecosystem failed to light a fire for BlackBerry, so there's a chance this might be the last gasp for the storied smartphone manufacturer.
BlackBerry's insistence on sticking to its vision of a secure, productivity-and-enterprise focused OS proved near fatal, as the mobile hegemony it once enjoyed was gobbled up by Android and iOS, buoyed by consumers hungry for apps. The company has seen its market reach dwindle. It sold just 800,000 smartphones last quarter, less than half as many as it sold a year ago. BlackBerry is once again looking to save itself , and the move to Android could do just that.
The BlackBerry Priv is an attractive device, thicker than the competition on Android, but sporting a backlit QWERTY keyboard that slides out from behind the 5.4-inch quad HD display. If you're a lapsed BlackBerry acolyte, come for the uncompromising physical keyboard and security pedigree, but stay for the access to the full Android app store.
The BlackBerry Priv is available unlocked for $699, directly from BlackBerry's website. AT&T will be the first carrier to launch with the Priv, and if you opt for a 2-year contract, it'll be available for $249.99. Carphone Warehouse in the UK has the phone unlocked for £559.99. If you're in Canada, you can get the phone for $399.99 on a 2-year contract or $799.99 unlocked at Bell, Telus, Rogers, SaskTel, Eastlink and Wind Mobile. There's no word on availability in Australia, but that converts to about AU$980.
No comments:
Post a Comment