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BlackBerry 10 phones get the Amazon Appstore in the US
If you're a BlackBerry-toting American, you're about to get a ton of Android apps on your plate. As promised, BlackBerry has started the US rollout of an update that gives all BB10 devices access to the Amazon Appstore, saving you from having to sideload some of the Android titles you can't live without. You'll also get better anti-theft protection and a "fresh look" that includes faster access to common tasks.
BlackBerry Passport and Classic come to AT&T on February 20th
BlackBerry fans on AT&T, your long wait for a new phone is almost over -- the carrier has announced that both the Passport and Classic will reach its stores on February 20th. As promised, AT&T's ever-so-slightly customized (but still oddly shaped) Passport will cost you $200 on contract, $22 per month on Next 24 or $650 up front. If you'd like something a tad less squarish, the Classic will cost you $50 on contract, $14 per month on Next 24 or $420 outright. These BlackBerrys certainly aren't the cheapest devices in AT&T's roster, but they're also the network's only modern phones with hardware keyboards. If you still aren't a fan of typing on glass, they're your best bets.
BlackBerry's Classic throwback isn't just a gimmick
BlackBerry's "Classic" phone is a curious bit of fan-service, a seemingly conciliatory blend of old and new designed to appeal to Waterloo's die-hards. It might seem a little odd that the company would choose to go all retro on us in 2014, but there's no denying the formula still has some appeal. Read on for our first impressions.
BlackBerry's $450 'Classic' phone aims to bridge the past and present
It's been nearly 10 months since the folks in Waterloo announced the throwback BlackBerry Classic, but today's the day the thing officially breaks cover. Hooray? If it wasn't immediately obvious, the "Classic" moniker refers to the fact that the device is a proper sequel to the BlackBerry Bold 9900, complete with the traditional trackpad and navigation keys that people still apparently swoon over. Oh, and BrickBreaker is back too! We've seen the Classic's spec sheet in great detail over the past few months, but let's recap: It's working with a 3.5-inch square touchscreen running at 720 x 720, an 8-megapixel camera and a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor. Combine those old-school physical attributes with the generally pleasing punchiness of the BlackBerry 10.3.1, and you're left with a device that aims to straddle the fence between past and present. The question is, will anyone bite?
BlackBerry's upcoming 'Classic' smartphone looks like this
BlackBerry had no part in the torrent of mobile news that erupted at last week's IFA tradeshow, but new leaked images remind us the company's got a fresh batch of smartphones in its pipeline, too. Originating from the Weibo account of a reseller who occasionally gets hold of prototype devices, the pictures reportedly show the upcoming BlackBerry Classic (aka Q20), due to launch sometime in November. Announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year but kept away from the cameras, the Classic appears to be significantly bigger and squarer than its predecessor, and brings back the physical navigation keys and trackpad of handsets past.
BlackBerry announces the Classic with physical keyboard and trackpad, coming later this year
As part of BlackBerry's festivities at Mobile World Congress, CEO John Chen announced a pair of new devices. In addition to the Z3 (Jakarta), Chen also stated that a new QWERTY device called the Classic (aka Q20) is in the works, and will be coming out sometime later this year alongside an update to BES12. We don't know much about the device at this point, but Chen tells us that it'll feature the "tool belt," which means you can expect to see the traditional BlackBerry trackpad and function keys frequently seen on the company's older smartphones. We also know that the handset will come with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a little bigger than the one we found on the Q10, but the Classic will retain the Q10's top-tier fretted keyboard. The company hasn't gone into specifics, but has also mentioned that we'll see the device come with a "large battery," for even longer life than the current generation of devices. The Classic/Q20 will launch in the second half of the year, just as soon as the team can, you know, decide upon a name.
