Tag: blackberry

BlackBerry Z3 Launched : Is This Another Disappointment?

As anticipated, the BlackBerry Z3 launched in India today. The large-screen smartphone has been priced at Rs.15,990. The smartphone will be available to pre-order from Flipkart, The Mobile Store, and BlackBerry stores from Wednesday, and it will officially go on sale from 2nd July .

Sunil Lalvani, MD, BlackBerry India at the BlackBerry Z3 launch in New Delhi

Blackberry is trying hard to get back into the business, but all of their strategies seems to be in vain. This phone might be the perfect example.

Specification-wise the Z3 runs on BlackBerry 10 OS (version 10.2.1) and features a 5-inch qHD (540×960 pixels) display offering an aspect ratio of 16:9. It is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8230) processor with 1.5GB of RAM. The device is powered by 2500mAh battery. This doesn’t excite us since you could find n-number of phones which have capabilities to deliver a better performance, in the same or lower price segment.

The smartphone includes 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. For a lower price you could invest in a Moto G which has an internal memory of 16GB.

The camera specs also fail to attract as the device is equipped with a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera and a 1.1-megapixel fixed-focus front-facing camera which can be found in a plethora of Smartphones in this segment.

The good bit about the phone is that Amazon has provided back-support to the company with its Appstore. Available on the new device, users can use it to download more than 200,000 apps. But then again the question arises, why wouldn’t a consumer just opt for an Android phone instead? Furthermore, loyalist have always enjoyed the BlackBerry Messenger and that too is now available on other devices.

Needless to say, the Canadian phone-maker failed to deliver a good gadget; its specifications fall short for the price it asks.

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June 25, 2014
What to Expect From the New BlackBerry Z3

They haven’t announced it officially, but rumor has it that Blackberry Z3 will be launched in India tomorrow. Invites to a special event have been sent out to the Indian press for tomorrow, although they don’t mention any Z3 launch plans.

According to reports online, the new phone by BlackBerry was received well at its Indonesian launch a month back. The device has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset along with an ARM-based 1.2GHz dual core processor and an Adreno 305 GPU. It is also equipped with 1.5 GB of RAM and a 5-inch 540 x 960 pixel (220ppi) display.

BlackBerry’s Z3 is equipped with a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera and a 1.1-megapixel fixed-focus front-facing camera. The smartphone includes 8GB of inbuilt storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. Also it fashions a 2500mAh battery, which delivers up to 15.5 hours talk time. It provides connectivity options through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, NFC and Micro-USB.

The smartphone comes loaded with some BlackBerry services such as BlackBerry Hub, BBM, Time Shift, Story Maker camera features, and BB10 browser. BlackBerry had announced the Z3 touchscreen smartphone, alongside a Classic model with a keyboard, the Q20, at the sidelines of MWC.

The device is said to belong to the affordable price segment. According to us, it is quite crucial for the Z3 to have its price set in the budget category, against other budget-focused Android devices. Especially since the popularity of this particular segment has picked up considerable speed recently.

Its cost is 2,199,000 Indonesian rupiah, which when converted to Indian rupees comes to approximately Rs 11,000. Although we cannot expect that this is the final price of the handset in the country, it would hover around that mark. BlackBerry was once a market leader in India and has recently lost out due to the tough competition. Can this be the company’s attempt at a comeback?

June 24, 2014
Amazon Lends a Lifeline to Blackberry

Just when we though that Canadian handset-maker Blackberry was counting its last days, they have come up with some exciting news. It looks like the former mobile giant is attempting a comeback, with a little help from Amazon. BlackBerry announced on Wednesday that when it launches BlackBerry OS 10.3 this fall, the Amazon app store – and its 240,000 Android apps – will come with it.

In an attempt to solve the app deficit that BlackBerry users are facing, the Canadian handset-maker has entered a licensing agreement with the Amazon Appstore. The deal will also allow BlackBerry to bundle Amazon Appstore on its devices. The company will provide access to two app stores BlackBerry World and Amazon Appstore when the BlackBerry 10.3 OS reaches the public in September-October 2014.

With the availability of Amazon Appstore on BlackBerry 10 devices, the company can meet two essential needs – greater app availability for its smartphone users and enhanced productivity solutions for enterprises. BlackBerry users can also access video and music through a number of popular third-party services available on Amazon Appstore and BlackBerry World.

Interestingly, BlackBerry 10 users (on BlackBerry OS 10.2.1) can also install third-party app stores like Amazon Appstore and 1Mobile Market through their websites and install Android apps through them.

With this move, BlackBerry is heavily expanding the app selection for its handsets, allowing for easy installation of Android applications in an officially-sanctioned way. And as Amazon lends BlackBerry a lifeline, the e-commerce company also announced its own foray into the smartphone market with the unveiling of a rumored 3-D mobile device called Amazon Fire.

June 21, 2014
BlackBerry’s Comeback : New Z3 to Launch in India Next Week
It’s been a hard two years for Canadian phone-maker Blackberry. And now, as part of an efforts to regain its lost status, BlackBerry Ltd is all set to launch its latest Z3 smartphone in India next week, on 25th June. The phone is likely to be priced below Rs.12,000 which will set it directly in competition with likes of Samsung, Motorola, HTC, Microsoft and Micromax.

The same device was launched in Indonesia earlier this year, the full touch screen device was priced at IDR 2,199,000 (USD 190 or INR 11,500) and is the most affordable device powered by the latest BlackBerry 10 operating system.

BlackBerry has already started sending out press invites to media houses for the launch event on 25th June. We have no doubt about the fact that the recently unveiled BlackBerry 10 OS-based Z3 will be the star of the event next week. BlackBerry Z3 is the first smartphone to come out of the partnership between BlackBerry and Chinese manufacturer Foxconn, which is popularly known for its relationship with Apple Inc.

BlackBerry has been a laggard in the global smartphone space, including India as it failed to keep up with the competition and has lost a significant market share in the past two years. But the latest launch is an effort to win back some of its lost market share in India where it once was on top of it smartphone sector.

Blackberry’s new Z3 fashions 5.0-inch qHD (960x540p) and is newly updated with OS (v10.2.2) powered by a 1.2GHz snapdragon dual-core processor with huge 1.5GB RAM and 8GB inbuilt storage (expandable up to 32GB). It is also backed by a 2500 mAh battery which is non-removable. The budget Smartphone is also equipped with 5.0-megapixel camera with flash, 5x digital zoom, image stabilization, and full HD video recording ability and a 1.1-megapixel fixed-focus front camera.

Recently, many Android KitKat OS powered low-cost devices have hit the market since the launch of Moto E such as Unite 2, Canvas Engage A019, Canvas A105, Lava Iris X1 and Xolo Q600s. Celkon Campus A35K also just released last week for just INR 2,999. It is touted as the cheapest KitKat OS based smartphone in India.

Indian market is furiously expanding in the budget Smartphone segment, mobilizing big players to cater to this segment. With Blackberry also joining the competition, market will become more intense. Besides India and Indonesia, BlackBerry would gradually introduce the Z3 in five other countries including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Key Features
- OS: BlackBerry 10.2.1 OS
- Dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400
- Dimensions: 140×72.8×9.26mm
- Weighs 164 grams
- 5-inch qHD (960×540 pixels) 220ppi
- 1.5GB RAM
- 8GB expandable up to 32GB using a microSD card
- 5MP rear/ 1.1MP front Camera
- 2,500mAh Battery
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June 18, 2014