BlackBerry confirms Priv is a ‘flagship Android slider’ launching later this year

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It’s official: BlackBerry is joining the Android family.

BlackBerry today confirmed that it’s working on a new Android-based smartphone called the BlackBerry Priv, a name that CEO John Chen says reflects “BlackBerry’s heritage and core mission of protecting our customers’ privacy.” BlackBerry didn’t say anything about the device’s specs, but it did describe the Priv as a “flagship slider device.” The Priv is slated to launch in late 2015.

Here’s Chen’s full statement on the BlackBerry Priv:

“At the same time, we are focused on making faster progress to achieve profitability in our handset business. Today, I am confirming our plans to launch Priv, an Android device named after BlackBerry’s heritage and core mission of protecting our customers’ privacy. Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform.”

While BlackBerry hasn’t said anything about which carriers will offer the Priv, past reports have suggested that it will launch on T-Mobile. That’s exciting news because the Priv is an interesting device. Not only is it BlackBerry’s first Android phone, but it’s the first time in a long time that we’ve seen an Android phone with a physical keyboard.

It’s rumored that the Priv will launch in November.

Source: BlackBerry (Marketwired)

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