Cheaper BlackBerry Handset Confirmed

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has confirmed a mid-range phone similar to the Z10 that will debut later this year is running the company's newest operating system. BlackBerry seems to be falling back on its decision not to manufacture a cheaper phone, citing a "big demand" for mid-range handsets in a host of markets. This mid-range device is expected be released sometime around September 2013, which is roughly around the time of the next iPhone launch.

Along with the premium price tag for the two current handsets, consumers have been weary on picking up the new handset compared to it's competitors due to the lack of apps in the ecosystem, despite having 10 000 titles in the BlackBerry World App Store. Many developers are hesitant to create applications compatible with BB10, but BlackBerry has offered a $10000 guarantee for each developer. BlackBerry's app store has grown in the amount of apps, but the main reason is due to the porting application created by BlackBerry to allow app developers to load their Android app and watch a BlackBerry compatible one come out the other side. The resulting apps aren't optimized well for the new BlackBerry OS but it works nonetheless, a factor that should be considered as well. Roughly 20 percent of the BlackBerry 10 000 apps are "emulated" Android apps.

Will you purchase a cheaper BlackBerry 10 device?
Source: Canoe

Martin Tam

Martin Tam is an editor and the Director of Video Production at [blank]’s Universe. He is also a technology enthusiast that particularly enjoys computers and photography. He enjoys breaking things and sleeping in his spare time.