Published in Mobiles

Blackberry releases Classic

by on18 December 2014

Who needs touch screen?

Blackberry launched its long-awaited Classic which it hopes will woo those still using older versions of its physical keyboard devices.

The new device, which bears striking similarities to its once wildly popular Bold and Curve handsets, boasts a larger screen, longer battery life, an expanded app library with access to offerings from Amazon.com Android App store, and a browser three times faster than the one on its legacy devices.

Chief Executive John Chen said that the conversation about Blackberry has changed in the last year. Instead of when the company is going to the wall, people are now thinking that there is life in the beast.

"We are here to stay; there is no question about that. Now we have to engineer our growth."

Blackberry had listened to its fans and brought back the command bar functionality that helped make its legacy phones easy to navigate, he said.

When the company initially introduced its new BlackBerry 10 operating system and devices early in 2012 it put more emphasis on touchscreens, alienating many fans of its physical keyboard.

Those who moved to the new physical keyboard phones that Blackberry launched later were unhappy that command keys such as the Menu, Back, Send and End buttons, along with the trackpad had been dropped.

With the Classic and the recent launch of its Passport smartphone, Blackberry is re-emphasizing the physical keyboard, rather than trying to compete directly against the touchscreen handsets of dominant rivals like Samsung Electronics and Apple.

Blackberry unveiled a new suite of enterprise applications and software bundles targeted at major corporate clients, said the Classic is on sale immediately on Amazon.com and shopblackberry.com.

Canadian carriers Rogers, Telus and Bell would have limited availability before Christmas, with major US carriers Verizon and AT&T getting the Classic shortly afterward. No word about when they will be seen across the pond.

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