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BlackBerry Z10, Q10 and PlayBook get DoD approval

The average consumer may be able to thumb through FCC filings to get a peek at their next smartphone, but certain government employee's hopes lie in the hands of another agency: the US Department of Defense. Good news for federally employed BlackBerry fans, then -- the company just announced that BlackBerry 10 smartphones and PlayBook tablets running Enterprise Service 10 have been added to the Defense Information Systems Agency's approved product list. Finally, DoD employees can toss out that aging BB7 handset and pick up a modern OS. Check out the company's official statement after the break.

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BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Approved for Use On U.S. Department of Defense Networks

May 2, 2013

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Waterloo, ON – BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB) today announced the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has approved BlackBerry® 10 smartphones and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets with BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10 to be used on DoD networks. Working with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets have undergone successful testing through DoD labs leading to a subsequent listing on DISA's Unified Communications Approved Product List (UC APL).

The approval allows all DoD customers to use the BlackBerry® Z10 and BlackBerry® Q10 smartphones, and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets on DoD networks.

"IDC research shows that mobile security continues to be of utmost importance to government agencies around the globe," said Stephen D. Drake, Program Vice President, Mobility & Telecom at IDC. "The U.S. Department of Defense's strict security requirements are amongst the highest in the world, and this allows other government bodies to follow suit. The role of BlackBerry including devices and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 continues to be important and relevant for security conscious organizations."

"BlackBerry 10 is ideal for our government customers because it offers a rich, highly responsive mobile computing experience, along with BlackBerry's proven and validated security model – a combination that's unmatched in the industry," said Scott Totzke, SVP, BlackBerry Security at BlackBerry. "This approval will enable DoD customers to connect their BlackBerry Z10 or BlackBerry Q10 smartphones to DoD networks and securely access assets from work, while enjoying the wealth of consumer-oriented functionality that BlackBerry 10 brings to market."