BlackBerry is like an old swimmer whose limbs are tired, who can barely do 100 meters, but is waiting for his last hurray. Or perhaps worse. There have been plenty of stories written about the future of BlackBerry and it’s not really clear where the company is going. Just like every major mobile player in the world apart from Apple, BlackBerry took to the stage of MWC at Barcelona to announce a couple of new devices which mark yet another new beginning for the Canadian giants under the leadership of John Chen and under a new partnership with Foxconn.
The BlackBerry Z3 is the Budget BlackBerry Device
Budget and BlackBerry do not really have anything in common apart from a few letters in spelling. However, the need of the hour is for the major players to compete in all budget segments and not just the high end of the market. And BlackBerry has finally given into the temptation and announced the “Jakarta” or the BlackBerry Z3.
The device is aimed at emerging markets which are becoming a focal point of strategies for the mobile market. The device alongside the Z10 and the Z30 is an all touch device and ditches the legendary blackberry QWERTY keyboard. The device is expected to retail for under $200 which could potentially be a game changer for BlackBerry in the coming times. The device has a 3G Radio to start off with but will get LTE over period of time according to John Chen. The device runs BB 10.2.1, which is the latest version of the BB 10 OS. The device will have a 5 inch display and is expected to launch officially in a special event in Jakarta, Indonesia. (image: CNET)
BlackBerry also announced Blackberry Q20
BlackBerry also announced the Q20, which is the third QWERTY device which runs BB 10 OS. The device follows up the likes of Q5 and Q10 as what you may call a proper BlackBerry device. The device also brings back old features such as a trackpad and function keys which we had missed from the days of BB 7.
The device is expected to be out before the end of the year. It is expected the device will pack in a massive battery which will become the USP of the device. The pricing of the device will be known only later in the year when the device is announced officially. (image: crackberry)
