The BlackBerry 10 launch event was definitely eventful – we saw RIM change their name of their company to BlackBerry, the introduction of the BlackBerry 10 operating system and two new BlackBerry handsets: The Z10 and the Q10.
The BlackBerry Z10 is the one that we’ve already heard about – a touch-screen BlackBerry running the new OS, with a rather beautiful design and some powerful internal hardware on par with some mid-range Android devices. The phone sports a dual core 1.5 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage and a 1280 x 768 4.2-inch display. It looks like a modern phone, and that’s a great thing to see from BlackBerry.
Most excitingly, the Z10 will be going on sale in the UK tomorrow! We’re already ready with a large raft of BlackBerry Z10 accessories, including a number of first and third-party BlackBerry Z10 cases in stock today.
The Q10 is one that we hadn’t seen before. It’s a phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard, which will definitely excite BBM aficionados, below a 720 x 720 pixel display. The back of the phone is quite interesting too, with an exclusive glass weave cover that is thinner, stronger and lighter than plastic. The handset is definitely an attractive one, and it’ll run the same new BlackBerry 10 OS.
We’re not sure when the Q10 will be released, but we’ve already begun sourcing BlackBerry Q10 accessories.
The BlackBerry 10 operating system is a step beyond what we previously available from the platform – it sports a number of interesting gestures that allow you to swipe through your apps without needing to press a home button. Pretty much everything can be done with a single thumb. Typing on the software keyboard looks pretty swish as well, with gestures to spell words, erase them, go to the numbers and symbols keyboards and more besides. The camera also looks to be an area of improvement, with quite a few handy features like being able to make a composite picture where each person isn’t blinking. And finally BlackBerry Messenger has seen an upgrade that adds video calling and screen sharing.
All in all, it’s a pretty exciting launch event for BlackBerry 10. Now all that remains is to see how well customers react to the new phones and the new operating system.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or write to us on Twitter @mobilefun! Thanks for reading and be sure to have a great evening.