Today, BlackBerry launched its highly anticipated smartphone – the BlackBerry Classic – a no-nonsense smartphone built to meet the needs of productive people who appreciate the speed and accuracy that can be found with a physical QWERTY keyboard.
The BlackBerry Classic responds to customer demand for a familiar design, but upgrades the classic look with high-performance and modern features. Similar in appearance to the iconic BlackBerry Bold 9900, the BlackBerry Classic has a three times faster browser, 60 percent more screen space, 50 percent longer battery life, and greater variety of apps through BlackBerry World and the Amazon Appstore. The BlackBerry Classic also comes preloaded with the BlackBerry 10.3.1 OS, which means users will have access to features including BlackBerry Blend, BlackBerry Assistant and dual app storefronts.
Other exciting pieces of news today include:
- The Secure Productivity Bundle and the Enterprise Communicator Bundle, for corporations looking to extend productivity benefits to their employees at a reduced cost. Organizations can take advantage of BBM Protected and BBM Meetings to enhance security and productivity. Additionally, BlackBerry’s VPN Authentication eliminates one-time password tokens and PIN reset costs, and BlackBerry Blend for Enterprise seamlessly brings messaging and content from BlackBerry smartphones to computers and tablets.
- Global Availability Statement, BlackBerry is working with carriers and partners to deliver BlackBerry Classic to customers around the world. North American customers can purchase the BlackBerry Classic online today through Amazon.com and www.BlackBerry.comfor $449 in the U.S. and $499 in Canada.
- Mackenzie Health, a dynamic regional healthcare provider serving a population of more than half a million people, announced that they will use BlackBerry Classic within their organization.
- Ingram Micro Inc. announced that they will launch BlackBerry Classic. They also announced that they will offer two Enterprise Bundles, the Secure Productivity Bundle and the Enterprise Communicator Bundle.
- Enterprise Application Portfolio, BlackBerry announced today an expansion of its enterprise application ecosystem available on the BlackBerry Classic, including partnerships with Aderant, Bighand Inc., Bloomberg LP, Box Inc., CellTrak Technologies, Cisco Systems Inc., Entrust, GoldCare, InterAct, Onset Technology, Rekoop, Salient Federal Solutions, and SAP.