MUMBAI: Research In Motion (RIM) is set to launch its new BlackBerry Q10 handset on 6 June in the Indian market. The QWERTY handset follows the flagship touch screen Z10 model which was launched in February.
After facing tough competition from Apple and Samsung, the Canadian manufacturer is attempting a comeback with new models- the QWERTY Q10 and touch screen Z10.
The handset runs on the BlackBerry 10 OS powered by 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor. With 3.1-inch HD 328 ppi (pixels per inch) display, it packs 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory which can be further expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. It sports an 8MP camera with LED flash on the rear, while a 2MP front-facing camera and 2,100mAh battery.
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It has quick swiping action on the 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen and multiple language support. On the connectivity front, the handset includes NFC, Bluetooth, GSM, 4G LTE, GPS, EDGE and GPRS, reports said.
It is expected to retail around Rs 30,000.
The Q10 has been favourably received in the UK and Canadian markets. It is expected to release in the US market at the same time as its India launch.
India is among the few markets where BlackBerry still has a sizable market share in the smartphone segment. The handset will be available nationwide across 5,000 retail points.
Moreover, RIM is also making available its messenger service BBM in competitors’ iOS and Android platforms. Although no official announcement is made on the release date, a tweet has surfaced, showing an iPhone running the BBM app and claiming 27 June as release date. Earlier, BlackBerry had announced that its popular BlackBerry Messenger app would be coming to iOS and Android this summer, but provided no official date for the rollout of the app.
What the Q10 and Z10 will do is facilitate a new BBM system.
