Instead of running on BlackBerry OS, the BlackBerry PRIV which is the company's latest smartphone will be the first handset to run Google's Android. Now, this handset is already available for pre-order at a price tag of $649.
Tech times say that the BlackBerry security is at the heart of the Priv, while its slide-out QWERTY keyboard is a company trademark. Same as with the Passport before, the Priv targets corporate customers as well as the BlackBerry faithful first, but the high-end smartphone consumers are also being courted.
Moreover, the Productivity Edge is one of the cool goodies that have emerged from the leaked images of the BlackBerry PRIV. Previously, it has been established that this device features a 5.4-inch AMOLED display, touting 1,440 x 2,560 pixels, which is curved on the sided as well (akin to the screens of the Galaxy S6 edge as well as S6 edge+ of Samsung).
It is said that the Productivity Edge lets the user take advantage of the smartphone's dual-curve design through allowing them take a glimpse at their notifications, messages, calendar and more just by swiping on the edge of the screen.
When the user long pressed the home button, the email, Google Now and BlackBerry Hub icons will show up. To unlock the smartphone it is instructed to pull down the keyboard or make out a swipe.
As for the other significant features of this BlackBerry PRIV, it includes the sliding QWERTY keyboard and a six-core Snapdragon 808 processor. It also comes packed with 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of expandable storage space and a 3,410mAh battery.
Before the handset's official release date, BlackBerry has already put out a lot of PRIV-specific BlackBerry Apps on Google Play. The apps that are now available on Google Play are the BlackBerry Launcher, Keyboard, Camera, Services, and also the Password Keeper, DTEK by BlackBerry, and MicrosoftexFAT for BlackBerry, The Verge wrote.
A report from Know Your mobile has stated that the BlackBerry PRIV will sport a20MP Sony IMX230 sensor, as reported by the Twitter leakster @Ricciolo1. However, preceding leaks have revealed an 18MP setup with Schneider-Kreuznach optics. The 21MP Sony setup is also a kit that can be found inside the Motorola Moto X Style.
The BlackBerry PRIV which is the very first BlackBerry smartphone to run Android can already be pre-ordered. However, it is said that the handset is not yet ready to ship, and it will arrive starting November 6.
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