Categories
Close
Menu
Menu
Close
Search
Search

Featured Articles

News

BlackBerry promises a new flagship QWERTY smartphone by the end of the year

Mark

Share:

Print

Rate article:

No rating
Rate this article:
No rating

BlackBerry has revealed details of two new smartphones during Mobile World Congress 2014 this week.

The forthcoming BlackBerry Q20, which is due to become available during the second half of this year, will offer a QWERTY keyboard as well as physical buttons for ‘menu’, ‘back’, ‘send’ and ‘end’. There’ll be a trackpad for navigation as well as a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

Full specifications haven’t been released, although the new handset will run the BlackBerry 10 OS and is said to have ‘superior’ battery life.

John Chen, BlackBerry’s Executive Chairman and CEO, said “In my first 90 days on the job, I consistently heard from our ardent BlackBerry customers that the hard buttons and trackpad are an essential part of the BlackBerry QWERTY experience, that made their BlackBerry smartphone their go-to productivity tool. I want these customers to know that we heard them, and this new smartphone will be for them.”

A second smartphone has also been announced. The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone, which is a product of BlackBerry’s new relationship with Foxconn, is designed for customers in Indonesia. It has a 5-inch touch screen and will be loaded with locally-relevant content plus support for the Bahasa Indonesia language. Availability is planned for April.

In addition, BlackBerry is creating a new version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES), which lets businesses manage corporate handsets and ‘bring your own device’ solutions. BES12 - due by the end of the year - will support customers who want to move from either the previous BES5 or BES10 platforms.

Comments

Collapse Expand Comments (0)
You don't have permission to post comments.

Opinion Articles

ExclusiveAn extra 74 percent of nothing is still nothing

Mark Bridge writes

Ah, the joys of multiplying by zero. I was reminded of my school maths lessons when I saw a news release from Orange UK this week.

Steve Wallage, Head of Sport Partnerships and Services for Orange UK was quoted as saying “Based on the surge in demand for mobile TV during the Ashes last summer, we expect viewing figures could rocket by at least 74% during the World Cup”.

ExclusiveMobile payments: solutions get dumber while cards get smarter?

Mark Bridge writes:

Last week I spotted a couple of mobile-related news stories that involved payment company MasterCard. One came from CPI Card Group, which had introduced a “next-generation, MasterCard-approved payment tag” (a.k.a. 'sticker') that enabled “any mobile device to be used to make payments anywhere using the worldwide contactless MasterCard PayPass standard” (by sticking it on the back).

ExclusiveHotel doors open with mobile phones... but it's not like WarGames

Mark Bridge writes:

I loved the film WarGames. I saw it in the cinema when it came out… and developed a minor crush on Ally Sheedy as a result. If you don’t remember the film – or haven’t seen it – the plot centres on a young computer hacker who almost starts World War III while playing an illicit online game of Global Thermonuclear War with a military computer.

ExclusiveApple, Google - or the rest? It's time to take sides!

Mark Bridge writes:

It’s time to take sides. Are you with Apple… or are you against them?  Sorry, sitting on the fence is no longer acceptable. Not sure?  Okay, try this one for size. Are you with Google… or are you against them?  Still undecided?

Right – here’s your third choice. Are you with the Rebel Alliance? 

RSS
First95969798100102103104Last

Recent Podcasts

ExclusivePodcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

ExclusiveLooking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

ExclusiveA month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

RSS
12345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Archive Calendar

«June 2026»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
25262728293031
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293012345

Archive