BlackBerry 10 event: RIM rebrands, the Q10, Z10, and everything you need to know – The Verge

Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Z10 goes on sale March 28th, pre-orders begin tomorrow

2013-03-13T15:44:12-04:00

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Verizon Wireless has filled us in on the rest of its BlackBerry 10 launch plans: it will begin selling the Z10 on March 28th in-stores and online, with pre-orders beginning tomorrow at 8AM ET. The carrier had previously announced plans to sell the Z10 and the keyboard-equipped Q10, but only today have we learned about its launch plans. Verizon won't be the first carrier in the United States to offer the BlackBerry 10 phone - AT&T recently revealed it would release the device on March 22nd - but it will be the only one to offer the Z10 in white. Like AT&T, Verizon is charging $199.99 for the BlackBerry Z10 with a two-year contract, putting it …

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Sprint will still offer a full-touch BlackBerry model later this year

2013-03-11T16:50:47-04:00

Sprint store (STOCK)

Though it signed up to offer the Q10, Sprint may have made bigger news for the BlackBerry 10 model it wouldn't be carrying: the full-touch Z10, which has generally gotten more buzz than its QWERTY-equipped counterpart since BlackBerry's launch event in January.

We can independently corroborate a report from AllThingsD this afternoon that Sprint does intend to carry a full-touch BlackBerry 10 phone in 2013 - but not until the second half the year. Our sources describe Sprint's model as "a version 2.0" of the Z10; a BlackBerry executive has previously said to expect "at least" six BlackBerry 10 models this year, so it's reasonable to think that …

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AT&T to sell BlackBerry Z10 for $199.99 on March 22nd, pre-orders begin tomorrow

2013-03-11T09:48:02-04:00

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AT&T has just announced that it will offer the BlackBerry Z10 to customers on March 22nd for $199.99 with a two-year contract. The carrier plans to open up pre-orders tomorrow, March 12th. At $199.99, the BlackBerry 10-equipped phone will be going head-to-head with the iPhone 5 and top-end Android phones like the Galaxy S III. The price isn't a surprise, but some were hoping BlackBerry would attempt to woo customers with a lower price-point than the competition. Today's announcement matches day and date with rumors that the Z10 would hit the US on the 22nd. Verizon has already announced that it plans to sell the smartphone for the same price …

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BlackBerry Z10 rumored to make US debut on March 22nd with AT&T

2013-03-08T01:22:10-05:00

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We're still to hear official word about when the BlackBerry Z10 will launch in the US, but Bloomberg claims to have the details for one carrier, at least. According to two sources, AT&T will start selling the phone on March 22nd, though BlackBerry said it wouldn't comment on the rumor.

Verizon and T-Mobile are also set to offer the Z10 at some point, but Sprint will only carry the hardware keyboard-equipped Q10. While Bloomberg didn't mention a price for the Z10 on AT&T, Verizon has already said it will sell for $199.99 with a new contract. If you're still making your mind up about BlackBerry's do-or-die play for relevance in the US market, …

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Sprint confirms it won’t offer the BlackBerry Z10, sticking solely with the Q10

2013-03-02T18:22:30-05:00

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Sprint has now confirmed that it will not be carrying the BlackBerry Z10, the first phone to run the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Instead, the carrier will only offer the keyboard-equipped BlackBerry Q10. Mark Elliott, a spokesman for the carrier, told Bloomberg that "we aren't saying there's anything different about our customers… we think our customers will be happy with the QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen on the Q10."

The news was not wholly unexpected: Sprint drew a bit of attention to itself in January when it released a press release announcing plans to sell the Q10 while failing to mention the Z10 whatsoever. At that time, Spr …

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BlackBerry Z10 on sale across the UK: here’s where to buy one

2013-01-31T03:53:51-05:00

BlackBerry Z10 angle (912px)

BlackBerry's new Z10 handset is going on sale in the UK today at Vodafone, O2, EE, Orange, T-Mobile, Carphone Warehouse, and Phones 4u. Pricing for the Z10 varies from carrier to carrier. O2 is offering the phone for free from £36 per month, while Vodafone is charging £69 on a £37 per month contract (or for free from £47 per month). EE - currently the UK's only LTE network - is typically pricey, charging £49.99 on a £41 per month contact. Orange and T-Mobile offer the phone for £29.99 and £49.99, respectively, on a £36 per month contract. Three UK has yet to announce pricing for the Z10, but has confirmed it will offer the device at some poi …

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Why on Earth did BlackBerry hire Alicia Keys?

2013-01-30T18:00:02-05:00

Alicia Keys BlackBerry Thorsten Heins (STOCK)

Step, if you will, into the shoes of Thorsten Heins. Your company is on the defensive, struggling for third place in one of the most bloodthirsty marketplaces there is. You've got just a few more chances to show consumers you're worth their money. Your back is to the wall. What do you do?

The answer, as we learned this morning, is to hire Alicia Keys as your new creative director. That's not all they did, of course. (There were a few new phones, if we recall correctly.) But the choice reveals a lot about where BlackBerry is as a company, and it's not good news.

The core problem is that most tech companies aren't cool

The celebrity creative …

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With major apps in the bag, Instagram could be BlackBerry’s next big score

2013-01-30T17:24:16-05:00

BlackBerry Z10 BlackBerry 10 (800px)

One of the surprising stories from today's BlackBerry 10 launch was just how many apps the newly-renamed company landed: over 70,000. More importantly, it managed to snag important, big-name apps like WhatsApp and Skype. It's an essential metric for BlackBerry - a lack of apps hobbled Windows Phone out of the gate and continues to keep users from switching. The story of how BlackBerry got the support of so many large development houses is a mix of tenacity, courtship, and perhaps a little bit of muscle. As good as that story may be for BlackBerry's developer relations team, there's still one app in particular that is usually name-dropped whe …

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BlackBerry Z10 ‘Smart Cover,’ Bluetooth speaker, and auxiliary battery charger revealed

2013-01-30T12:28:30-05:00

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BlackBerry - formerly known as RIM - has just revealed its Z10 full-touch smartphone, and here at the launch event it has a few accessories for the new device under glass. Among a plethora of cases, the company has a nifty charger that includes a slot for a backup battery. The idea is that you'll be able to charge your phone and the backup battery at the same time, though we're told that you'll also be able to use the kit as a portable charger if for some reason you don't want to swap out batteries. In addition, there's a Bluetooth 4.0 speaker on display that can clip onto a messenger bag strap. We're not sure how many people will use that fe …

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Thorsten Heins says BlackBerry plans to upgrade ‘all existing PlayBooks’ to BB10

2013-01-30T11:55:54-05:00

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As part of a post-presentation Q&A, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins answered a question about RIM's future with tablets and whether the ill-fated PlayBook would be upgraded to BlackBerry 10. Fortunately for those who purchased the company's first tablet, the answer was affirmative. "Our plan is to upgrade all existing PlayBooks to BlackBerry 10," Heins said. As for future tablets, he was a little more cagey - it sounds like future plans will depend on how successful BlackBerry is with its reinvention. "The way we look at tablets right now is it is difficult on a cost to profits standpoint," Heins said, "so we are still exploring various use cas …

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