The much awaited BlackBerry Classic handset from Canadian smartphone makers BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is all set to grace public hands from Thursday in this week. The handset, as such, will be available from Verizon, which markets itself as the US’s most reliable 4G LTE network.
Bringing back the old appeal
The BlackBerry Classic features a QWERTY keyboard, in a market where touch screen phones are easily the more dominating ones. While this is the present scenario, the Canadian firm believes that there are still QWERTY loyalists out there, who prefer keypads to touch screens.
BlackBerry was also one of the earliest smartphone makers to incorporate the QWERTY keypad feature into their phones, something that actually became synonymous with the manufacturer for almost a decade.
On a similar note, BlackBerry is looking to bring back that unique old flavor that made the QWERTY keyboard very appealing to the public.
Applications are the way
While featuring a QWERTY keyboard, the new BlackBerry Classic is all set to feature a whole lot of applications. Considering the important role apps play, in the mind of any smartphone buyer these days, BlackBerry made downloading of apps possible through BlackBerry World, as well Android apps through the Amazon Appstore.
Besides, there will also be the availability of BBM for messaging, and Power Optimization that’ll help conserve battery life.
4G LTE for better speeds
While many of the apps that are available are excellent, they still require the presence of formidable data connection to function. However, with Verizon’s 4G LTE network, this shouldn’t be a worry at all. The phone is XLTE-Ready, and thus will be capable of providing users with peak speeds and better network capacity.
Specifications of the BlackBerry Classic
The BlackBerry Classic features BlackBerry OS 10.3 and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. The display boasts of a 3.5inch HD display with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. It also has a 16GB of internal storage with an external microSD slot for 128GB. The phone will feature a 2500mAh battery.
Starting February 26, the BlackBerry Classic will be sold online and will also hit stores on the 5th of March. It will be available for $99.99 and will have new 2-year activation. This will also feature a $50 mall-in rebate debit card. Eligible customers can also avail Verizon Edge.
