Blackberry announced a new Android slider (yes, you read that right) called the BlackBerry Priv last week, a surprising comeback into public relevance. Their rationale for shipping a phone running a competitor’s operating system is evident in BlackBerry’s depressing last few years of revenue.
Blackberry has lagged behind drastically in the smartphone war against competitors like Apple and Samsung. Because of this stiff competition, Blackberry has had to redirect their path for a while with advances in security tools for their current products, as well as security advances in other products. This kind of cross-platform development is one of the few reasons Blackberry has managed to stay afloat.
Until now.
Aesthetically, Blackberry is bringing old school to the new age. There will be a slide-out physical keyboard along with all the apps available on Android’s expansive ecosystem. This is likely to appeal to veteran users of Blackberry that left years ago for more modern operating systems still longing for physical keyboards again. No word on the pricing of the phone as of yet.
This new device has been named “Priv” as a reference to the companies dedication to user privacy, and is expected to sell 5 million units. Unfortunately, as Blackberry chief executive John Chen stated, their projected sales are down from their original goal of 10 million units. Nevertheless, the anticipation for Blackberry’s new entry into the smartphone game is exciting. This could mean a lot for the company and consumers as well. A phone kept under wraps for a long time can prove to be surprisingly dashing, considering the leniency of actually developing this product. Unlike Apple and Samsung, with their rigorous annual release schedules, the folks at Blackberry can take the time fine-tune their product and perhaps even re-revolutionize the mobile world.
Although that may be well and good, there is still no telling how the Priv will combat the successful Galaxy phones and iPhones. As a brand new addition to the smartphone team, Priv still needs to measure up against Apple and Samsung in terms of sleekness and innovation. Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see Blackberry move away from tasteful side projects that are accessories to other phones, and begin to jump back into the smartphone pit. Could this be another mobile revolution?
