We’ve known about the Blackberry “physical QWERTY” and “full touch screen” models for a while now, but today is the day they finally are made official. Going forward, the QWERTY model is known as the Blackberry Q10, while the touch model is the Blackberry Z10.

So what kind of power are these handsets packing? Both devices feature dual-core 1.5GHz processors, 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage, microSD, NFC, micro-HDMI and HSPA/4G speeds depending on region and carrier. Both handsets will also ship in black or white color choices, with the only “big” difference being full-touch or physical QWERTY.

The BlackBerry Q10 is expected to be available on global carriers sometime in later April, but right now we have little information about pricing.

So when is the Blackberry Z10 coming, and for how much? It depends on the carrier and region. For those in the UK, the Z10 will be available tomorrow from EE, O2, Vodafone, Phones 4u, BT, 3UK and the Carphone Warehouse. According to Blackberry, prices will vary.

Next we have Canada, who will launch the Z10 on February 5th. While pricing is said to vary, at retail it should cost around $149.99 with a three year contract. Stateside, we will have to wait until March. Pricing in the States is expected at $199 plus two year contract, from all major carriers.

For more details about the BB10 launch, check out the press release below. So here is the big question for Blackberry fans, are you more interested in the more traditional Blackberry Q10, or do you fancy the Z10?

UPDATE: US pricing for T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T is expected at $150. Verizon will be a little more costly from the sounds of it at $199. The good news is that Verizon also has a white version of the phone, while the other three are just getting black.

BlackBerry 10 Platform Launches on Two New Smartphones

Waterloo, ON – BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today launched BlackBerry® 10, the re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented BlackBerry platform that creates a new and unique mobile computing experience. Available on two new LTE-enabled smartphones, the BlackBerry® Z10 (all-touch) and BlackBerry® Q10 (touch with physical keyboard) smartphones powered by BlackBerry 10 offer you a faster, smarter and smoother experience than any other BlackBerry you have used before.

BlackBerry unveiled the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones at events held simultaneously in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Dubai, and Johannesburg.

“Today sees a re-invented BlackBerry launching an entirely new mobile experience,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry. “We are thrilled to be introducing BlackBerry 10 on the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones, to deliver a faster, smarter experience that continuously adapts to your needs. Every feature, every gesture, and every detail in BlackBerry 10 is designed to keep you moving.”

Highlights of BlackBerry 10

BlackBerry 10 is a robust and reliable platform that is smooth and responsive. It has a modern design and a gesture-based interface that is highly discoverable. It is designed to support, learn, and adapt to the way you work and share with features like:

The ever present BlackBerry® Hub, which is a single place to manage all your conversations whether personal or work email, BBMTM messages, social media updates or notifications, and the ability to “peek” into the BlackBerry Hub from anywhere, so you’re always only one swipe away from what matters to you.

BlackBerry® Flow, where the BlackBerry 10 experience excels by enabling features and apps to flow seamlessly together, helping you complete the task at hand effortlessly and efficiently. For example, you can tap on an attendee listed for a meeting to see their latest tweet or LinkedIn profile. Or tap the thumbnail of a picture you just took to launch the Picture editor and quickly apply a transformation or filter, then instantly share it with your contacts.

A keyboard that understands and adapts to you, that learns what words you use and how you use them, then offers them up to you so you can type faster and more accurately.

BBM (BlackBerry® Messenger), which allows you to share things with the people that matter to you in an instant. BBM in BlackBerry 10 includes voice calling and video chat, and introduces the ability to share your screen with another BlackBerry 10 contact.

BlackBerry® BalanceTM technology, which elegantly separates and secures work applications and data from personal content on BlackBerry devices.

Time Shift, an astonishing camera feature that lets you capture a group shot where everyone is smiling with their eyes wide open. Story Maker, which lets you bring a collection of photos and videos together, along with music and effects, to produce an HD movie that you can instantly share.

The new BlackBerry 10 browser, which sets the industry benchmark for HTML5 support on smartphones, is incredibly fast. Scrolling or zooming is fluid and responsive. The browser includes many advanced features, supports multiple tabs, lets you browse sites privately, includes a reader mode, and integrates with the platform for easily sharing content.

BlackBerry® Remember, which combines memos, tasks and much more into a single experience. It helps you organize and manage information you have on your smartphone around projects or ideas, letting you collect content such as websites, emails, photos, documents, and other files, and then like a To-Do list, lets you create tasks, assign due dates, and track your progress. If your BlackBerry 10 smartphone is set up with a work account, your Microsoft® Outlook® Tasks will automatically be wirelessly synced with BlackBerry Remember. If you have configured an Evernote account with your smartphone, BlackBerry Remember will sync Evernote workbooks as well.

BlackBerry® Safeguard technology that helps protect what is important to you, and the business you work for.

Built-in support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync® so your BlackBerry Z10 or BlackBerry Q10 smartphone can be simply connected and managed as other ActiveSync devices in a company, or enabled with BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10 to gain secure access to work email, “behind the firewall” applications and data, and benefit from other security and enterprise mobility management features.

The BlackBerry® WorldTM storefront, which now includes 70,000 BlackBerry 10 apps and one of the most robust music and video catalogs in mobile today – with most movies coming to the store the same day they are released on DVD. In addition, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare apps for BlackBerry 10 are preinstalled, and BlackBerry 10 customers will have access to leading applications from across the globe. Leading application providers including Disney, Cisco, Foursquare, Skype and Rovio have committed to the platform.

“At Foursquare, we are extremely excited to launch our new BlackBerry 10 application and to continue developing on the platform,” said Dennis Crowley, Co-Founder and CEO of Foursquare. “Our team built the app just for BlackBerry 10, and the result is an amazing Foursquare Explore experience to help people around the world make the most of where they are.”

“We’re delighted to bring Angry Birds Star Wars to BlackBerry fans around the world,” said Petri Järvilehto, EVP of Games, at Rovio. “It’s a great platform that gives a fantastic gaming experience, so fans can experience the struggle of Rebel Birds vs. Imperial Pigs to the fullest!”

“Bringing Where’s My Water? and Where’s My Perry? to BlackBerry 10 smartphones will introduce some of Disney’s most popular mobile games to new audiences,” said Tim O’Brien, VP of Business Development, Disney Games. “The new BlackBerry 10 platform is an exciting opportunity to expand Disney’s network of mobile players.”

“We’re proud to extend Cisco’s WebEx technology to the BlackBerry 10 platform letting customers of any size join, start, view content, and stay connected to WebEx meetings right from their BlackBerry 10 smartphone,” said Raj Gossain, Vice President of Product Management, Cloud Collaboration Applications Technology Group at Cisco. “Our customers access Cisco collaboration capabilities, such as instant messaging, IP voice calling and conferencing on BlackBerry smartphones to stay connected anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. RIM and Cisco have worked together to develop an application that is user friendly and meets the needs of our global customers.”

“We are excited about our plans to bring Skype to smartphones running the brand new BlackBerry 10 platform,” said Bob Rosin, VP & GM of Business Development for Microsoft’s Skype division. “We are working closely with BlackBerry to ensure Skype runs great on BlackBerry 10 devices. This will give BlackBerry 10 users a great Skype experience, including free voice and video calling, sending instant messages and text messages, sharing photos, videos and files, and calling to landlines and mobiles at Skype’s low rates.”

BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 Smartphones

The new BlackBerry 10 smartphones are elegant and distinctive, and the fastest, most advanced BlackBerry smartphones yet. They feature 1.5 Ghz dual core processors with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and an expandable memory card slot. They include the latest enhancements in high density pixel and screen technology to display clear, sharp, and incredibly vivid images. Both feature a micro HDMI out port for presentations, and advanced sensors such NFC (near field communications) to support mobile payments and the exchange of information with a tap of the smartphone. They also have a removable battery.

Models of the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 will be available from carriers to support their respective 4G LTE or HSPA+ networks, and all the available models include connectivity support for global roaming. The BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones will also each come in White and Black. For more information about the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones powered by BlackBerry 10 please visit www.blackberry.com/blackberry10

A range of accessories for the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones, including the new BlackBerry® Mini Stereo Speaker as well as a variety of carrying and charging solutions including a unique charger that provides on-the-go charging, will be available from select carriers and retailers.

Pricing and Availability

Worldwide, we have several key markets that are revealing pricing and availability today, including the UK, Canada and UAE.

In the UK, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available beginning tomorrow on pay monthly contracts and pre-pay plans from EE, O2, Vodafone, Phones 4u, BT, 3UK and the Carphone Warehouse. BlackBerry Z10 smartphones will be available fully subsidized on competitive monthly pay contracts. Price points will vary according to carriers and retail partners.

• In Canada, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 5th. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but it will retail for around $149.99 on a 3 year contract.
• In the UAE, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 10th. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but unsubsidized it will retail for AED 2,599.
• In the U.S. market, we expect availability with most carriers for the BlackBerry Z10 to be in March. Today, U.S. carriers will start announcing pre-registration and price plans.

Many of our global partners have already launched or will be launching pre-registration and pre-order sites today.

We expect the first global carriers to launch the BlackBerry Q10 in April. We will announce new pricing and availability information as carriers roll-out around the world.

The post Blackberry Q10 and Blackberry Z10 Official, Launching Tomorrow in UK appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

As you already probably know, today is the day of the BB10 unveiling event– in fact it is going on right now. RIM has already revealed a pretty big piece of news. The name RIM is no more.

In order to better focus on their future efforts in mobile and to make it clear about the importance of the Blackberry brand to the company, RIM will now simply be called Blackberry. Keep an eye out at Mobile Magazine for more information about Blackberry’s handset and feature announcements in the coming hours.

What do you think of Blackberry ditching the RIM name? A good move or not?

The post RIM No More: Changes Its Company Name to Blackberry appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Blackberry has plans to fully unveil their new Blackberry 10 handsets later today, but right now pricing structures are pretty hushed up. We all know that handset prices can change a whole lot when considering different regions, carriers and contract options, but what can we expect to pay to get our hands on a Blackberry Z10 with no strings attached? 

An unnamed tipster has given Engadget a possible inventory screenshot belonging to Carphone Warehouse, a UK mobile phone retailer, showcasing the new Blackberry Z10′s price tag.

The screenshot, as you can see above, shows the Blackberry Z10 for just under £480. Obviously when comparing this to Apple’s iPhone in US dollars, the prices seem pretty close, with the Z10 equaling around $750. This price isn’t final though, and the price may be different depending on the market.

Would you pay an Apple-premium price for a brand new Blackberry? Or do you feel that RIM need to lower their prices a little to give a better incentive to switch operating systems from the others currently on the market?

UPDATE: The Blackberry Q10 and Z10 are now official. The Blackberry Z10 will launch tomorrow in the UK, through Carphone Warehouse and others. For more info, check out the new launch details.

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Blackberry 10 is almost here, and with that it mind, it seems that the Blackberry Z10 and X10 will both be following the launch shortly after.

According to a new rumor from N4BB, the X10 could actually be coming as early as the 330th of January. For those that don’t know, the X10 is the Blackberry model that is more “traditional” in that it has a physical keyboard.

That said, it also has a smaller-sized touch screen and has ditched the older trackpad/pointer. The X10 might be more ‘traditional’ but it clearly has a more modern style that better fits the times than the aging designs of many current Blackberry devices.

Hopefully we will know more soon enough. Do you plan on picking up a Blackberry 10 device right away or will you wait it out a bit longer to see how well the new OS does first?

UPDATE: Blackberry Z10 and Q10 (previously known as X10) are now official. For more details about pricing, release and features, check out the press release and accompanying article.

The post Blackberry X10 Handset Coming January 30th? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

About one week ago, RIM launched its latest attempt to gather apps with the Last Chance Android Port-a-Thon event.  The suspected last in a series of events promising developers $100 for every approved app submitted by developers, 20 max.  Not too long ago, RIM received 15,000 app submissions through one of these events, but the most recent attempt landed them nearly 20,000 with the official numbers coming in at 19,071 apps.

While they will still need to go in and weed out the bad and inoperable ones, this definitely helps them attain their previously promised 70,000 apps by the launch of the BlackBerry 10 on January 30^th.

BlackBerry is still far behind the number of apps available for iOS and Android, however the next big thing could be among these submissions.

A majority of the staple apps should be among this 70,000, but we will not know for sure until the official release on the 30^th.  So until then we can just speculate and hope. Are you planning on picking up the BlackBerry 10?  Is app selection a concern for you?  Or even a deterrent to not pick up the phone?

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The post RIM Gathers Nearly 20,000 New Apps Ahead of BlackBerry 10 Release appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While Blackberry 10′s launch is just around the corner, there are still those that say RIM has little chance of recovery if they keep down the same path. This is why many of those naysayers believe that RIM should consider selling its hardware business.

While I personally think RIM is a good company and Blackberry 10 could have a chance at revitalizing the Blackberry world, RIM’s CEO Thorsten Heins has now admitted that they are considering multiple paths for the future– including the posibility of selling its hardware division after the launch of Blackberry 10.

Heins mentions the possibility of selling their hardware through German newspaper Die Welt (translation):

This strategic review is still running, even if the pressure… has decreased. We do not want to limit our options… There are several options, including the sale of the hardware production… But there is no reason for us to decide in hectic. It is important first of all, BlackBerry 10 successfully putting them on the market. Then we shall see.

Keep in mind that Thorsten Heins is NOT confirming plans to sell RIM’s Blackberry line, he is simply stating that they understand various options and keep them in mind as they look to the future. What do you think, does BB10 have what it takes to make a big difference for RIM or are they better off moving out of the hardware business and focusing on other possible avenues?

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The post RIM CEO Admits They May Consider Selling Their Hardware Division in the Future appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Recently Samsung has been gearing up to move into the business world in a big way. The company has mentioned in the past that it sees strong potential in the BYOD model, and believes that its products could be perfect in these situations.

Now Samsung has a new commercial out that promotes the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 in a business. For a change, this ad isn’t pitted against Apple’s iPhone, but the formula is pretty similar – this time going after RIM.

The ad follows a game development studio that has now switched to a BYOD policy. It shows how some users are clinging to their Blackberry devices but Samsung shows how their devices can do more. The ad indicates not only a shift by Samsung into business targeting, but it also shows that RIM is truly back on the radar, in large part due to the upcoming Blackberry 10.

What do you think of the new commercial? Would you (or do you already) use a Samsung device for business or do you think that Blackberry is still the better solution? Additionally, what do you think of BB10, excited or not?

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The post New Samsung BYOD Advertisement Pokes Fun of RIM Blackberry Devices appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Recently RIM held a Blackberry 10 app port-a-thon weekend, promising $100 per approved app, a chance to win a Blackberry 10 Dev Alpha device and free Playbooks.  Since then, the competition has come and gone and there were a staggering 15,000 Blackberry 10 apps submitted for approval.

While some of these apps will likely be tossed, that’s a hugely impressive number. And as promised at $100 per app,  it appears as RIM will be paying out more than a million dollars to developers even after weeding the bad ones out.  RIM had promised to have at least 70,000 apps available by the time the Blackberry 10 is launched and with these added 15,000 apps, it will definitely help RIM meet that number.

Who is waiting for the Blackberry 10 release?  Are you excited for the large amount of apps that will be available by the launch date?

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Blackberry 10 is almost here, although there doesn’t seem to be too many surprises left at this rate. We know that there will be as many as six BB10 devices this year, we know what BB10 looks like, what the two launching phones look like and we know that RIM is targeting around 75,000 launch apps (many of which will be Android ports).

Now we have yet another leak, this time showing off the Blackberry Z10 handset in black and white color variations.

Beyond the picture above of the black and white color models, Rapid Berry has uncovered many more highly detailed (and very official looking) pictures that show off the BB keyboard, BBM Video with Screenshare and the Time Shift Camera functionality.

For a better look at all the revealing pictures, hit the source link directly below.

Are you getting excited for Blackberry 10 yet or do you feel we have enough solid mobile operating system choices on the market right now as it is?

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The post Blackberry Z10 to Arrive in Black and White Color Variations appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While Blackberry’s B10 event isn’t until later this month, that doesn’t stop RIM from talking about the future of Blackberry 10 at CES this week. Specifically, the conversation with RIM turned to hardware in a recent interview conducted by Fierce Wireless.

Yah, we know: there’s the BlackBerry Z10 and the Blackberry X10. Actually, while those are the first two devices that will launch, that’s far from their entire BB10 offering for 2013.

According to CMO Frank Boulben of RIM, we should expect at least six Blackberry 10 devices this year in order to cover the widest range of price points possible. Having a wide range of devices out the door within the first year of the platform’s life certainly sounds like a good plan, and really isn’t all that surprising.

The big question on everyone’s mind is if RIM and the Blackberry brand have what it takes to break out of being a niche product. While I personally don’t think RIM is going anywhere anytime soon, they are far from one of the big mobile players these days.

Do you think that Blackberry 10 can change their fate in the mobile market or are they doomed to stay a distant third (or even fourth?) in the mobile market going forward? Conversely, do you look forward to the Z10 and X10 or will you hold out for their other handsets later in the year?

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The post RIM Plans to Release Around Six New Blackberry 10 Devices This Year appeared first on Mobile Magazine.