UAE to be part of BlackBerry 10 global launch on Jan 30

Research In Motion (RIM) is all set to launch its best BlackBerry on January 30. Dubai will be one of the six markets to witness the launch of re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented device — BlackBerry 10, which may help the company return to profitability in fiscal 2014.

It’s a major event in the smartphone industry as the company is going to redefine the BlackBerry brand with this all-new platform in addition to the launch of two new devices based on this programme.

The most amazing feature of new device is its camera with time shift that creates the perfect shot every time. Pinpoint and adjust elements of picture to get the photo of choice with Time Shift mode as it captures milliseconds before and after the photo. So the users can scroll back on the dial to open one friend’s eyes, then forward to catch another friend smiling, before combining it all to create the perfect picture.

TechRadar claimed recently that it has got a document, which provides details for the upcoming smartphone, revealing its screen size, battery and memory. The document shows there are two models in the L-Series that will run the new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system, one with a touch screen and the other that will feature a full keypad.

The touch screen version, rumoured to be called the BlackBerry Z10 and it will have a 1,280×768 4.2-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 1,800mAh battery, according to the document.

The X10, the smartphone model with a keyboard, should have similar internal specs and, along with the Z10, will sport two cameras, the documented added. The front-facing camera will be 2 MP with a 2× digital zoom and 720p video recording and the rear camera should be 8 MP and include a flash, auto focus, 1080p video recording and a 5× digital zoom.

The new device is also said to have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, as well as NFC, which is sorely lacking from the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3.

The all-touch screen phone Z10 is a single device for work and play both. It will be used for work, and access email, apps and documents without compromising on personal content. BlackBerry Balance keeps personal information separate and private from work data. It will provide switch between profiles with one simple gesture.

The new device comes with super-fast browsing, so discover a BlackBerry browser with speed, simplicity, powerful page rendering and built-in sharing to favourite social networks.

Since the launch is being considered very important for the industry and RIM as well, stock analysts upgraded the share. RIM’s share price surged to its highest in almost a year after upgrade.

RIM rose 6.2 per cent to $15.84 at the close in New York on Friday, its highest level since February 9.

The company’s share price has more than doubled since late September amid growing investor optimism that the new software set to debut on January 30 can engineer a sales recovery and return to profit. RIM has so much market share in recent years mainly because of Apple’s and Google’s operating systems.

The Blackberry manufacturer was poised to finish last year with a 4.7 per cent share of the global market, compared with almost 90 per cent for Apple and Android combined, according to IDC.

RIM, a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionised the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day.

Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com