Blackberry

Verizon customers need not be too jealous of their AT&T counterparts. At least not when it comes to BlackBerry's latest superstar. Over at its Twitter account, the US carrier revealed that the BlackBerry Priv will indeed be available from its product portfolio. At least soon. Verizon isn't giving much detail aside from that and simply asks interested customers to sign up for updates. Given how the market work this time of year, however, we'll probably see the smartphone in time for the holidays later this month.

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BlackBerry is gearing up to release the BlackBerry Priv, its hottest product in a long time. And it might need all the help, publicity, and profits it can get from it because according to Strategy Analytics, the fourth largest smartphone platform this quarter, behind Android, IOS, and, yes, Windows Phone, isn't BlackBerry anymore. That spot belongs to an unlikely contender: Tizen OS. Considering how Tizen-powered smartphones are so few compared to BlackBerry devices, that evaluation sounds almost too good to be true. But if it is, the BlackBerry is in for a world of pain.

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The recent spate of Android vulnerabilities, especially the Stagefright security hole, has left Google and many OEMs rethinking their update strategy. While Google confidently announced a regular monthly cycle for vanilla Android and its own Nexus devices, other manufacturers couldn't make the same commitment. Considering how BlackBerry's upcoming Priv smartphone revolves around the concepts of privacy and, therefore, security, it is only reasonable to expect the company to promise quick responses to such security issues, both on a monthly schedule and as needed.

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While the brand new, Android-powered BlackBerry Priv is already available for pre-order from BlackBerry's own online store, AT&T has announced that it will launch the smartphone on November 6th, making it the first US carrier to offer it. While buying an unlocked Priv directly from BlackBerry comes at a hefty price of $699, it will be only $250 from AT&T, as long as users sign up for a new two-year contract.

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I want to root for the underdog - I want BlackBerry to return to prominence, I really do. But if I'm trying to be objective about the BlackBerry PRIV and its chances in the market amongst some of the other top-guns that it'll be released alongside, I can't imagine most modern consumers really wanting a device from the business-oriented smartphone maker. It might be great for a BlackBerry user from way back - even someone that's been forced to use touchscreens for several years even though they prefer hardware keyboards. But for any iPhone or Android device consumer, the appeal may be lacking.

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It's still a good week before the BlackBerry Priv actually shows up in stores, but it seems that BlackBerry has learned how to ride on the hype of its upcoming smartphone. The company has released two videos that speak of what the Priv is all about. Well, of course, it stands for Privacy and Privilege, which is what BlackBerry wants us to think its name stands for. But aside from that, the smartphone is also probably one of the most interesting Android devices to hit the market this year.

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It looks like the BlackBerry Priv's dual curved edge won't just be for show. We're still not sure if Samsung has had any hand in this, but it seems that those edges will have some hidden features much like, actually even more than, the Galaxy S6 edge. Canadian carrier Telus "accidentally" put up a BlackBerry Priv simulator that acted as an interactive manual for the smartphone's features. Although the simulator has since then been pulled down, quick eyes and hands have ensured that we have plenty to look at.

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Just two days after an early listing, the new BlackBerry Priv is now officially available for pre-order in the US, Canada, and the UK. The good news is that the Android-powered device is priced at $699 for the US, a little better than the original $749 that was hinted at earlier this week. Along with a sliding physical keyboard and a focus on BlackBerry's specialty of security, the rest of the phone's specs were listed, with a US shipping date of November 6th.

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The Internet is like an elephant. It really doesn't forget. And there are a lot of people willing to help the world remember any kind of mistake, for better or for worse. So when BlackBerry "accidentally" publishes the pre-order page for the much talked about BlackBerry Priv but later pulls it down, the details it has revealed can no longer be unseen. Which is probably good for us, because we're looking at BlackBerry's first Android smartphone that is slated to ship November 16 for a price of $749.

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It's probably not an understatement to say that the Priv is BlackBerry's most interesting smarpthone of late. While the Passport was a curiosity because of its shape, the BlackBerry Priv tries to meld the company's well-known manufacturing skills and enterprise software with Google's mobile platform. But while the most recent leaks and insider information has focused on the hardware features of the smartphone, BlackBerry is now trying to shift the focus to what it says the Priv is all about; privacy and privilege in the mobile world.

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The BlackBerry Priv might just be around the corner if the company already has a pre-registration system ready, although the exact date is still unknown. Together with the pre-registration page, however, BlackBerry is also giving a few clues about the Android smartphone's features. Some we've already heard about and are confirming this time around. Some are a bit completely new to our ears. Suffice to say, BlackBerry is building up the hype bit by bit for what could be the most interesting Android smartphone this time of the year.

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BlackBerry fans, now you have one less reason to fret over the upcoming Priv. Despite what earlier leaked photos and hands-on testimonies, the BlackBerry Priv might not come with the 18 megapixel rear camera that is clearly marked on the smartphone's rear. Instead, BlackBerry's first fully Android smartphone is now rumored to utilize Sony's IMX230 sensor, which would give it a larger 21 megapixel count. More than that, it could possibly fix the camera's poor low light performance shared by early testers of the much awaited smartphone.

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