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BlackBerry launches Z10 touchscreen BB10 phone, unveils QWERTY Q10

The wait is finally over. BlackBerry has announced its new BlackBerry 10 device – the Z10.

Shunal Doke|Jan 31, 2013, 18:54:30 IST

The wait is finally over. BlackBerry has announced its new BlackBerry 10 device – the Z10. The phone was announced by BlackBerry during its BlackBerry 10 launch event on Wednesday. The company claims that it is the best BlackBerry smartphone to date. It features a screen that has been designed specifically for touch input. The company has also announced the full QWERTY-based Q10, though not much is known about it yet. It is worth noting that the device will make it to Indian stores before it goes on sale in the US.

“Today sees a re-invented BlackBerry launching an entirely new mobile experience,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry. “We are thrilled to be introducing BlackBerry 10 on the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones, to deliver a faster, smarter experience that continuously adapts to your needs. Every feature, every gesture, and every detail in BlackBerry 10 is designed to keep you moving.”

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The company claims that BB10 and the device were designed together. The heart of the device, according to the company, is BlackBerry Flow. This essentially means that the interface is touch-based and everything is one swipe away. “Whatever you’re doing, you’re only one swipe away from the heart of all your activity,” said Heins

The BlackBerry Z10 is a full touchscreen phone running on BB10

Here is a quick look at some of the highlights of the Z10:

4.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 768
LTE, 3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi, NFC
GPS with A-GPS support
Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
8 megapixel AF camera with 1080p recording; 2 megapixel front facing camera with 720p recording
16GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB via microSD
Micro HDMI for AV out

The phone runs on a dual core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor and will support a quad band radio featuring HSPA+/UMTS, quad band GSM/GPRS and quad band LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 13, 17. It comes with 2GB RAM and supports all the standard Wi-Fi networks. All of this will be powered by an 1800 mAh battery. Going by the prices for the UAE, the Z10 is set to cost approximately Rs 38,000. The BlackBerry Q10 is a full QWERTY phone running on BB10

The BlackBerry Q10 is a full QWERTY phone running on BB10

The BlackBerry Q10 will satisfy those who insist on a physical keyboard

The OS also features the new BlackBerry Hub. The ever-present BlackBerry Hub is a single place to manage all your conversations whether personal or work email, BBM messages, social media updates or notifications, and the ability to “peek” into the BlackBerry Hub from anywhere, so you’re always only one swipe away from what matters to you.

One of the biggest selling points of BlackBerry 10 devices will be the BlackBerry World storefront. According to the company, it now includes 70,000 BlackBerry 10 apps. In addition, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare apps for BlackBerry 10 are preinstalled, and BlackBerry 10 customers will have access to apps from around the world.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the latest device from BlackBerry. Also check out the live blog of the event.

By Shunal Doke

Ever heard of one of those people who just never seem to shut up about something? Shunal is like the nerd equivalent of that guy. Believe us when we say that he can go on talking about games and smartphones for hours on end. We do manage to find some insight in his insane ramblings though, and through his moronic facade, he does seem to know more than he lets on. Sadly enough, it always ends up being about gaming with him. Or stupid, stupid puns.