Good option for web browsing.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BANGALORE: The CEO of BlackBerry, John Chen, unboxed a large-screen, square shaped smartphone dubbed BlackBerry Passport at an event in Toronto on Wednesday. The launch event was also held simultaneously in Dubai and London.
The new BB Passport is a square shaped smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard and a capacitive multi-touch trackpad. Interestingly, the device has the same dimension of a US Passport which is not a much-experimented design for a smartphone. But with the new square design, BlackBerry is trying to emphasize the importance of a modern day gadget that seamlessly integrates everyday requirements of a user such as making phone calls, reading eBooks and editing documents.
When BlackBerry first started selling smartphones, the QWERTY keyboard was one of their main attractions. The new BB Passport also has a QWERTY keyboard, but this time it is coupled with a capacitive multi-touch trackpad.
While using the new BB Passport users will have to use both hands. Though it seems awkward this will increase the attention of the users while typing and save lot more time. Passport is a good option for people who love web browsing. By flipping Passport to 90 degree angle, users can scroll down using the keyboard, thus reducing the hindrance caused by their hands while reading in a touchscreen smartphone.
BlackBerry Passport comes with Blend Software which allows the users to do secure messaging and calendar management on iOS/Android devices or PC/Mac.
Though Passport is not an Android smartphone, it can use Android apps without any glitch, thanks to the Amazon’s app store that features the best Android apps from Google’s play Store.
BlackBerry Passport is powered by a 2.2 GHz Quad Core processor coupled with 3 GB RAM. It has a 13MP camera with optical image stabilizing software. BB Passport runs on an improved and customized version of the latest OS from BlackBerry, BB 10.3.
Passport has a 4.5-inch screen square shaped 1440×1440-pixel display with 453 ppi. According to BlackBerry it can display 66 characters per line, when compared to 33 per line on the iPhone or the 29 char of the Samsung Galaxy S5.
BB Passport also sports a big 3450mAh battery giving backup for 30-hour. According to BlackBerry the battery can last for two days with normal usage. For an aggressive user who uses power draining Android apps, the battery can last for a minimum full day.
The BlackBerry Passport is available in online store for £529, whereas buyers in France and Germany will have to pay €649, and in Canada it will cost $699.00.
Blackberry has been going through tough times in the last few years after its market went for a nose dive due to the high demand for Android and Apple phones. BlackBerry, popularly known by the acronym BB tried to make comebacks by launching a new OS and phones with superior built quality, but they couldn’t reap success with these tactics.
But the Canadian company is not yet ready to throw the towel as it once again accumulated the courage to come up with a smartphone, which BlackBerry believes can take them out of the current precarious situation.
BlackBerry decided not to host the launch event of BB Passport in the US where buyers have shown less interest in their products after the influx of Apple iPhones.
The downfall of BlackBerry started in early 2007, after Apple launched their first iPhone in the market. Till then BB devices had the lion’s share in the smartphone market. After the introduction of Google Android OS in 2008, BlackBerry’s market started plummeting further.