RIM rebrands as BlackBerry, launches BlackBerry Z10, Q10
updated 11:20 am EST, Wed January 30, 2013
Touchscreen-only, keyboard smartphones announced
BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion, has revealed two new smartphones at it's global press events. The BlackBerry Z10 is the touchscreen-only device that was previously leaked, while the Blackberry Q10 is the first with a physical keyboard, with both running on the newly-launched BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system.
The Z10 has a 4.2-inch, 1280x756-resolution screen with a pixel density of 356ppi, and uses the "latest screen technology." It will have a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor supported by 2GB of RAM, a microSD slot to extend the internal storage by up to 32GB, a removable 1,800mAh battery, and connectivity through BlueTooth 4.0, NFC, and Wi-Fi. It will also have LTE connectivity, ports for micro-USB, micro-HDMI, a front 2-megapixel camera, and a rear 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video capture.
The smaller Q10 is wrapped in a "glass-weave cover" for protection, and has a full QWERTY keyboard that existing BlackBerry users will be familiar with. The square 3.1-inch display, though smaller than the Z10, has a resolution of 720x720 pixels, despite the device having the same rough size as the company's earlier Curve devices. Internal specifications for the Q10 have yet to be revealed.
The BlackBerry Z10 will be out on 5th of February in Canada and tomorrow in the UK, with other global carriers expecting to receive it in March for around $200 on a two-year contract. The Q10 should be out by April, with pricing to be revealed at that time.
Research in Motion also took the time to rebrand the entire company as BlackBerry. Stock symbols will be updated to become BBRY on NASDAQ and BB on TSX, with CEO Thorsten Heins claiming "We have reinvented the company, and we want to represent this in our brand."
