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BlackBerry Z30 hits Verizon on November 14th for $200 on-contract
We knew the BlackBerry Z30 was headed to Verizon as a US-exclusive, but now we actually have a date for it: November 14th. Starting this Thursday, BlackBerry's 5-inch flagship will be made available to Big Red subscribers for $200 with a new two-year agreement, or for $23/month (for 24 months) on the operator's Edge upgrade plan. Regardless of the financing route you choose to take, that chunk of change will grant you access to BlackBerry's latest 10.2 update and all the "prosumer" perks it affords: in-app BBM messaging, notification previews, and the new BB Priority Hub. But with BlackBerry on the ever-increasing downturn, you'd be forgiven for passing this one up -- wireless charging, be damned.
BlackBerry Z30 hits Verizon in November for $200
Verizon gave no details when it announced plans to offer the BlackBerry Z30, but it's finally narrowing things down... well, mostly. The 5-inch BB 10.2 flagship is now poised to reach Big Red sometime this November (the carrier isn't being more specific) for $200 on contract. It's billed as a US exclusive, although BlackBerry's Vivek Bhardwaj tells CNET that there's nothing precluding more deals. In other words, rival carriers just weren't eager to sell the Z30 -- possibly due to their challenges selling the Z10. While we'd prefer both an exact release date and more network choices, it's clear that Americans won't have to wait much longer if they want the most powerful BlackBerry possible.
BlackBerry's BB 10.2 OS update brings notification previews and Priority Hub to Z10 and Q10 devices 'this week'
Before today, the only way to enjoy BlackBerry's BB 10.2 OS was to buy the company's new Z30 flagship. But, as the company previously promised, that software update's ready to trickle down to all BB 10 users and should be hitting devices "starting this week." BlackBerry's said that the OS update won't be available from all carriers though, so depending on your wireless operator allegiance, you may or may not see that update notification. When it does arrive, Z10 and Q10 owners can look forward to the new BB Priority Hub which organizes your communications according to importance, message previews throughout the UI and lockscreen, and the ability to reply directly to BBM notifications. If you need some hand-holding for the update process, you can check out BlackBerry's how-to at the source link.
BlackBerry Z30 review
More Info BlackBerry Z30 official BlackBerry A10 may be the Z30 BlackBerry Z10 review Let's be honest: it's not a great time to be BlackBerry right now. Each morning brings yet more news stories that hint -- no, scream -- at the company's rapid unraveling. In the nine days following the announcement of the Z30, the company halted its BBM rollout and announced plans to fire 4,500 employees. Meanwhile, T-Mobile withdrew retail support, Motorola started sniffing around BlackBerry's top talent and its manufacturing partner looked for an exit. Finally, BlackBerry entered into a sale agreement, and the company had to concede that it lost a billion dollars on unsold Z10 handsets. So, what does all of this make the Z30? There had been plenty of rumors ahead of time that suggested BlackBerry would launch a phablet. The 5-inch Z30, however, isn't big enough to warrant that name, and the company itself has positioned the device as the flagship for the holiday season. That means the handset dodges comparisons with devices like the Galaxy Note, but instead stands in the line of fire between the iPhone 5s, Galaxy S 4, HTC One and Lumia 1020. Unlike those other devices, however, the Z30 isn't packing any flashy, headline-grabbing specs, nor does it offer bleeding-edge internals that will excite performance nuts. There's also the looming question of whether this hardware will make it over to the US in a timely fashion, as BlackBerry has only confirmed that it'll launch in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the UK (priced at £500 off-contract). It's almost redundant to ask if this is the device that will save BlackBerry. After all, with the uncertainty surrounding the platform's future, we wouldn't be surprised if corporate buyers waited for the dust to settle before making more orders. Instead, let's ask if this handset, when judged on its own merits, is worth your cash. Is it the first step on a road to rejuvenation, or is the Z30 destined to become a footnote in technology history?
Rogers snubs the BlackBerry Z30, leaves Canadian sales to Bell and Telus
If current sales of the BlackBerry Z10 are any indication, it'd take a leap of faith to believe that the BlackBerry Z30 will fare much better. Now, Rogers is telling The Globe and Mail that it won't carry the 5-inch Z30 at all, which the Canadian carrier says is due to its limited shelf space and the need to "pick what we think are the biggest winners." The news is certainly a blow to BlackBerry, but it also forces consumers to choose between switching to Bell or Telus -- which will carry the Z30 -- or to compromise at Rogers with a BlackBerry Z10 or Q10. It's also quite a reversal from earlier this year, when Rogers celebrated the Z10's arrival as the most successful BlackBerry launch in the carrier's history. Now, it seems that Rogers' decision could be part of an unsettling trend, as T-Mobile USA recently chose to remove all BlackBerry smartphones from store shelves and instead sell them only through its online outlet. Naturally, determined Rogers subscribers may opt to purchase an unlocked Z30, which FCC reports suggest will offer LTE support over both the AWS and 2,600MHz bands. Consider it a very expensive 'Plan B.'
BlackBerry Z30 reaches the FCC with Canada-ready LTE
BlackBerry hasn't said exactly when the Z30 will reach North America, but we now know that it's getting close -- a GSM variant with compatible LTE has reached the FCC. The smartphone supports 4G on both the 1,700MHz and 2,600MHz bands, suggesting that it will soon launch through bigger Canadian carriers like Bell, Rogers and Telus. We'll still have to wait for an American model, however. Despite the US-friendly 1,700MHz LTE, this Z30 is missing both the 700MHz LTE needed for AT&T as well as the 1,700MHz 3G that T-Mobile would want. The promised Verizon model also hasn't received FCC approval. The news won't satisfy everyone wanting a big BlackBerry, but those who want to explore the Z30 in depth can check out both the Canadian phone and its just-launched European counterpart at the source links.
Daily Roundup: iPhone 5s and 5c reviews, Cyber-shot QX10 review, iOS 7 now available, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
BlackBerry Z30 coming to Verizon, pricing and availability TBA
It's hardly the biggest BlackBerry shocker of the day, but at least a few BB 10 fans should be able to breathe a sign of relief at Verizon's Z30 announcement. That handset, in all its BB 10.2 glory, is indeed coming to Verizon's LTE network. Pricing and availability remain the key unknowns here, but the Z30, which ships with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display, 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro and a 2,880mAh battery, is indeed on its way, Verizon logo and all.
BlackBerry Z30 official: 5-inch Super AMOLED display, 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2,880mAh battery and BB 10.2
If you were paying attention to the late summer leaks, then the BlackBerry above won't strike you as a surprise. That's because it's the newly announced BlackBerry Z30, the official successor to the all-touch Z10, and it matches up quite closely to what we've already seen. The Z30 is the company's first smartphone to ship with version 10.2 of the BB 10 OS and arrives with a larger 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 Super AMOLED display. The device's pixel density of 295ppi may pale in comparison to the more diminutive Z10's 356ppi, but its internals are a different matter. The Z30 takes a modest spec step up with a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (paired with 2GB RAM) and Adreno 320 GPU, which should put it somewhat on par with the Nexus 4 and Moto X (sans the X8). There's also a beefier 2,880mAh battery inside, which the company claims is a first for its product line and, this time around, it's integrated (read: non-removable). In terms of dimensions, the Z30 comes in with nearly the same silhouette as its predecessor (9.4mm vs 9.3mm), but is substantially taller and wider at 140.7mm x 72mm owing to that 5-inch display. Internal storage remains at 16GB, but users will have the option of augmenting that via microSD. And, as for radios, the Z30 will support 4G LTE (exact bands haven't been specified), dual-band WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. The Z30's camera setup appears mostly similar to the Z10's, with a 2-megapixel front facer capable of 720p video and an 8-megapixel rear module with an f2.2 lens that captures video in 1080p.
