BlackBerry have just launched their latest device, the Passport, catering specifically for business and professional users.
Although it is yet to be released in Australia, it was officially launched in London yesterday. The Passport will sell in the US for US$599 (approximately AUS$677) without a mobile plan, which will make it US$50 cheaper than the iPhone 6.
The BlackBerry Passport offers business and professional users a wide variety of apps and features, its standouts being its 4.5-inch touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard and BlackBerry Assistant.
The 4.5-inch touchscreen gives the Passport its famous blocky square shape and enables easy reading of documents and webpages as it is able to fit 60 characters in one line on a screen. The QWERTY keyboard allows for easy use of the phone, easy typing and reduced typing errors. BlackBerry Assistant allows business users to be able to manage features such as their contacts, calendar and emails through voice and text command, which would be handy if driving.
Other features also include a 13 megapixel camera, 30-hour battery life, 32GB built-in memory and a micro SD card slot, which would be handy for those who do most of their work on a mobile device and/or would need or feel the need to back-up their work.
Although it is early days, the Passport is already receiving criticism for its huge screen which makes one-hand use difficult and the screen’s inability to adjust to being turned on its side or upside down. With iPhones and most smartphones, the screen can work horizontally and vertically.
BlackBerry is focusing on winning over business and professional users as its market is shrinking due to consumers’ preferring to bring their own phones and devices to work, rather than using company phones and devices. At the moment, BlackBerry consists of only 0.5 percent of the Australian smartphone market.
Only time will tell if the BlackBerry Passport succeeds in winning business and professional users over and how it will change or affect these users and their businesses. It will be interesting to see what happens when it eventually arrives in Australia, release dates are yet to be confirmed.
More information on the BlackBerry Passport can be found here.