Blackberry's Black Friday deals on November 28 will feature the Red Blackberry Passport; the Blackberry Classic is also scheduled to launch December 17.
The Blackberry Classic release date on December 17 is simultaneous in New York, Singapore, and Frankfurt. What does the new QWERTY smartphone offer to a touch-phone saturated market? Android apps, for starters.
Last week's BES 12 event saw the unveiling of products and surprise partnerships. Notable is a tie-up with Samsung to integrate KNOX to BES12; two Blackberry products were also teased for release in the next few weeks.
A Red Blackberry Passport will be released next week, apparently as part of Blackberry's Black Friday deals on the 28th. The unveiling of the red Passport has been preempted by an online leak, though.
QWERTY smartphones are somewhat at a disadvantage in a market preferring touch, but fans have the Blackberry Classic (Verizon and Sprint are out, units initially available off-contract) to look forward to on December 17, with preorders now available. Notable in the new Blackberry devices is compatibility with Android apps, available at the Amazon App Store.
Android apps work on new Blackberry releases, though some not as efficient as expected. The latest OS also comes installed with the Classic.
The Blackberry Classic specs are considerably mid-range, but reliable: a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 2GB RAM, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front, and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 (mobilesyrup.com).
The Blackberry Classic's price starts at $450 off-contract, already available (some with a refundable $40 down) on several retailers, and on the official site.
The Red Passport is priced at $599, launched next week as Blackberry's Black Friday deals square off with the competition. Compatibility with AT&T and T-Mobile networks have been confirmed.
The Classic, also known as Blackberry Q20, is expected to replace users' current handsets. GSM-compatible by default, a Blackberry Classic Verizon or Sprint is yet to be confirmed. The new Blackberry units (Passport) integrate touch input, with a QWERTY keypad that doubles as a touchpad.
