BlackBerry to officially launch in more than 30 countries by the end of 2014
NEW YORK: BlackBerry phones have lost consumers attraction therefore no one considers buying them anymore. But with the release of the company’s new Passport smart phone, it’s possible that the brand will once again be viable and put the company back on track.
The BlackBerry Passport has helped reverse the company’s dire fortunes, according to CEO John Chen. The unusually shaped ‘Passport’, named because of its passport-like dimensions, is something of a return to the Black Berries of yesteryear. It includes a full QWERTY keyboard, square screen designed to make it easier for reading emails and customizing spreadsheets as well as other business-related activities normally undertaken by BlackBerry wielders.
According to foreign media reports, BlackBerry is trying to capture the market dominated by Samsung and Apple. Starting from Monday, Dec. 1, BlackBerry is offering up to $550 for people who trade in their iPhones for a new ‘BlackBerry Passport’. The trade-in value differs depending on what model, storage size and carrier iPhone you have, but it starts at up to $90 for the iPhone 4S and goes up to $400 for the iPhone 6 (the iPhone 6 Plus is excluded from this offer). But for all iPhone models, BlackBerry is giving customers an additional $150, effectively making the trade-in value of the iPhone 6 up to $550.
The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch 750x1334p or 326 ppi display. Meanwhile, the ‘BlackBerry Passport’ has a smaller but higher resolution 4.5-inch 1,440×1, 440p or 453 ppi displays. Both have a multi-touch LCD display with a scratch resistant glass cover. The iPhone 6 has a dual core processor with 1 GB ram while BlackBerry Passport sports a quad core processor with 3 GB ram.
Passport was launched in selected regions in September 2014 but it will be officially launched in more than 30 countries by the end of 2014.
