The Android based BlackBerry PRIV – we have the seen leaks, heard all sorts of rumors and even saw John Chen playing with the device during an interview – now it is finally official and on BlackBerry’s website, where it can now be pre-ordered. The PRIV would certainly be considered a high-end device, but $899 may be a bit too much to arouse any interest other than diehard BlackBerry fans or corporate purchases. You can also pre-order the PRIV on Rogers website for a mere $799.99, so if you plan on using your BB PRIV on their network, you can save yourself a cool $100.
BlackBerry also opened pre-orders in the US at $699, but it does not look like BlackBerry is looking to peddle them through the carriers as they are doing in Canada – Rogers, Bell and TELUS will all be carrying the new PRIV. Chen and BlackBerry are stressing the fact about the security designed of the new device – after all, security is what BlackBerry is all about. Here they are combining “everything you expect from BlackBerry plus the full ecosystem of Android and its apps.” The PRIV comes with its own added security called DTEK by BlackBerry for Android that lets you know when your privacy could be at risk. DTEK will let the user know at a glance the overall security rating of your device. It monitors and controls application access to you microphone, camera, location and personal information.
The BlackBerry PRIV sports a 5.4-inch QUAD HD OLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 540 pixels-per-inch (PPI). It has dual curved edges – much like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, but not nearly as pronounced. It has a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage that is expandable via a microSD card slot. It has an 18MP sensor, a dual-tone flash, phase detection autofocus, OIS and a Schneider-Kreuznach certified camera for “dazzling photo quality.” A large 3410 mAh battery powers the device that will certainly get you through a full day.
Obviously, the PRIV would not be a true BlackBerry without offering up its infamous physical keyboard hidden under the display and virtual keyboard as a slider. Once you extend the keyboard, you can use your finger on the display as a cursor and scrolling controller…as if it were a trackpad. It all sounds like a nice, neat package, although no fingerprint sensor is included – it will be shipping on November 6 and we cannot wait to get one of these in-house for a complete review.
