BlackBerry launches Z10 and X10
THE BLACKBERRY Z10
4.2-inch display with a 1280 x 768 pixel resolution
2GB of RAM
16GB storage
Bluetooth 4.0
microSD card slot for expanding storage
8-megapixel camera
Over 70,000 apps
……..
Blackberry has unveiled its first entirely touchscreen smartphone, in a desperate attempt to rival the iPhone and revive its flagging sales.
The company, once the brand of choice for business customers, has struggled in recent years to compete against Apple and other rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy.
In the hope of bringing customers back, Blackberry have re-vamped their handset and brought it right up to date with various apps and functions, oh and they’ve also signed up their own celebrity to endorse it, bringing on board musician Alicia Keys as its Global Creative Director.
The firm says the Z10, has been “reinvented” and offers much better internet, music, camera and email facilities.
The phone – which goes on sale today in the UK – will cost from £36 a month on a contract – the same as the 16GB version of the iPhone 5.
As well as competing in price, the Z10 also resembles the iPhone physically, with a large touchscreen.
It has a new operating system and its makers say the phone is aimed at “the true multitasker.”
The Z10 device has a touch screen but no middle button while the Q10 has a Qwerty keyboard for the best typing experience on smartphone.
Chief executive Thorsten Heins, who also announced that the firm is changing its name from RIM to BlackBerry, said: “We have been on a journey of transformation… We intend to lead the move from mobile communication to mobile computing.”
The handset maker was immediately accused of ‘copying’ the iPhone’s design and software with its BB10 operating system, with Twitter users leading the complaints, with comments ranging from ‘ripoff’ to ‘carbon copy’, while other said the handsets bore a ‘striking resemblance’ to each other.
Launching the two handsets in New York, Mr Heins said: “It’s been one year since I was handed the reins, and it has been challenging, but exhilarating.”
“Now, finally, here we are – Blackberry 10 is here.”
The handsets do not have a home button, instead using a user’s thumb to flick across the screen.
It also has a new ‘peek’ feature that allows owners to see their email and other messages from anywhere in the phone’s menu system by swiping from the left of the screen.
The firm also said it had worked to create the “best typing experience” of any handset.
It also boasts a new feature called balance to switch between a personal and business mode – each with its own applications, wallpaper and settings.
“People run around with two phones, a private one and a personal one,” said Mr Heins.
“We wanted to address that, and people can switch with a single flick.”
He said the new handsets were for ‘people who are hyper-connected socially, who need balance in both personal and professional lives.
“People who want to flow, who don’t want a home button. Blackberry 10 will keep them moving.”
Another new feature called ‘active frames’ allows people to have several apps open at once, and easily.
DYRT have compared the Blackberry with its top competitors:
