BlackBerry to release her first Dual-SIM Smartphone and sets release date for its final Smartphone designed in-house (Mercury).
A mysterious BlackBerry device dubbed BBC100-1 was spotted
on Indonesian regulator's website in December last year. Nothing was
known about the device at that time, except that it's from a company
called BB MERAH PUTIH, PT.
But now, most of the device's key specs have been revealed - thanks to popular tipster Roland Quandt, who spilled the beans in a tweet.
Finally, the BBC100-1 is a dual SIM smartphone, making it the first BlackBerry phone of its kind. No word on the device's pricing and availability at the moment, as well as whether or not it will be launched outside of Indonesia.
Also, The final countdown is on for the final smartphone designed in-house by BlackBerry.
Waterloo, Ont.’s smartphone-turned-software company revealed on Twitter that the long-awaited keyboard phone will be released at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 25.
Codenamed “Mercury,” this will be the third BlackBerry device made by China’s TCL Communication. TCL’s North America president Steve Cistulli tweeted a teaser video of the phone Tuesday.
BlackBerry first forged a partnership with TCL to manufacture its DTEK50 and DTEK60 devices, both released in summer 2016, based on TCL’s Alcatel phone models. In December, the relationship deepened when the pair signed a licensing deal for TCL to design, manufacture and distribute BlackBerry-branded phones everywhere but Indonesia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Terms of the agreement have not been released, but BlackBerry CEO John Chen has previously said BlackBerry makes a licensing fee for each phone sold.
BlackBerry announced in September that it will stop designing phones itself so it can focus on software, fulfilling Chen’s promise to exit the hardware business if he couldn’t make it profitable by fall.
It’s not clear how well the DTEK devices have performed since BlackBerry has stopped releasing any information about device sales. The Priv, BlackBerry’s last device with a physical keyboard, got great reviews but sold poorly due to its high price. The DTEK devices, pitched as the “most secure” smartphones, are targeted at institutional buyers worried about security.
BlackBerry’s stock price rose 0.32% to $9.51 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on news of the imminent release.
But now, most of the device's key specs have been revealed - thanks to popular tipster Roland Quandt, who spilled the beans in a tweet.
Quandt says the phone is powered by Snapdragon 425 SoC, and sports a 5.5-inch HD display. RAM is 4GB, while internal memory is 32GB. In terms of camera, the handset features a 13MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter. A 3,000mAh battery is there to keep the lights on.BlackBerry "BBC100-1": Snapdragon 425 1,4 GHz, 5.5in, 720p HD, 4/32GB, 13/8MP, Dual-SIM, 3000mAh.— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 26, 2017
Finally, the BBC100-1 is a dual SIM smartphone, making it the first BlackBerry phone of its kind. No word on the device's pricing and availability at the moment, as well as whether or not it will be launched outside of Indonesia.
Also, The final countdown is on for the final smartphone designed in-house by BlackBerry.
Waterloo, Ont.’s smartphone-turned-software company revealed on Twitter that the long-awaited keyboard phone will be released at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 25.
Codenamed “Mercury,” this will be the third BlackBerry device made by China’s TCL Communication. TCL’s North America president Steve Cistulli tweeted a teaser video of the phone Tuesday.
— Steve Cistulli (@SteveCistulli) January 24, 2017BlackBerry and TCL first revealed the phone at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier in January. No specifications were provided.
BlackBerry first forged a partnership with TCL to manufacture its DTEK50 and DTEK60 devices, both released in summer 2016, based on TCL’s Alcatel phone models. In December, the relationship deepened when the pair signed a licensing deal for TCL to design, manufacture and distribute BlackBerry-branded phones everywhere but Indonesia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Terms of the agreement have not been released, but BlackBerry CEO John Chen has previously said BlackBerry makes a licensing fee for each phone sold.
BlackBerry announced in September that it will stop designing phones itself so it can focus on software, fulfilling Chen’s promise to exit the hardware business if he couldn’t make it profitable by fall.
It’s not clear how well the DTEK devices have performed since BlackBerry has stopped releasing any information about device sales. The Priv, BlackBerry’s last device with a physical keyboard, got great reviews but sold poorly due to its high price. The DTEK devices, pitched as the “most secure” smartphones, are targeted at institutional buyers worried about security.
BlackBerry’s stock price rose 0.32% to $9.51 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on news of the imminent release.
Source: Financial Post, GSMArena
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