Blackberry still thinks people want phones with physical keyboards, and while they have been releasing some new devices with unusual form factors, good specs and even combining a touch screen functionality with their signature keyboards, those devices didn’t sell so well. The rumors of an Android-powered Blackberry are materializing into a device called Blackberry Priv, which still has a physical keyboard, but now it has all the apps people would want or need. The phone has been shown on video, so the final design of the phone with its sliding keyboard is now confirmed, but there are still many things that we don’t know for sure.
Apparently, Blackberry will use all their resources to make this new phone very secure and that’s why its name takes some letters from words like “Privacy” and “Privilege”. Plus, the company still focuses on productivity, as they consider other phones without keyboards to be “toys”. In a few words, the company is meant to build a phone with no compromises. Of course, we will have to wait to see Blackberry’s take on Android, but it will apparently have some of the best specs and technologies.
Now, Blackberry has published the first official images of the Priv, showing its design from a few angles. The first one shows the right side of the phone with the keyboard closed, it can be seen that the screen is subtlety curved and it’s a little raised so it can be easily slid when the keyboard is needed. The camera on the back is also a little raised from the body of the smartphone and it seems to be quite large. It has three physical buttons and the back seems to be made from a textured material. Another picture shows the device when the keyboard is opened, and the keys look less raised than in previous phones. Finally, there’s a picture with the phone on an angle with the keyboard opened, on the front, the display can be seen turned on with a logo on the top and a speaker grille on the bottom. At the bottom, there’s a Micro USB port and what looks like a headphone jack. The company has made clear that the software is still unfinished, but it looks like a stock version of Android. There’s still no word on when the phone will launch, but it is expected a little later this year.
