BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins introduces the new Z10 smartphone, which is powered by the new BlackBerry 10 OS
BlackBerry’s latest smartphone sporting the new BlackBerry 10 OS, the BlackBerry Z10, will launch in Ireland on the O2 (Telefónica) network on 1 March, sources have confirmed.
Today, the UK will be the first country in the world to get the new Z10 smartphone and its sister device, the Q10, is expected to launch around April.
Industry sources confirmed the Z10 handset will launch in the Irish market on 1 March.
Yesterday, Research in Motion (RIM) rebranded and will now simply be known as BlackBerry.
The company’s CEO Thorsten Heins announced the rebrand as he took the wraps off BlackBerry 10, the company’s new operating system.
Heins introduced on stage two new devices, the Z10, a touchscreen device, and the Q10, a BlackBerry device with the familiar keyboard.
The Z10 has a 4.2-inch screen and a resolution of 356 pixels per inch.
In terms of tech specs, the Z10 and Q10 both feature 1.5GHz dual core processors with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an expandable memory card slot.
They both feature a micro HDMI out port and NFC sensors to support mobile payments and the exchange of information with a tap off another BlackBerry device.
Available in white and black, they are capable of working on HSPA+ and 4G LTE networks. In addition, the Z10 and Q10 will come with an 8-megapixel camera that can shoot 1080p HD video. The camera includes a 5x digital zoom, burst mode and TimeShift.
A new hope for BlackBerry
BlackBerry has been working on its BlackBerry 10 operating system for three years now, after it acquired QNX in April 2010.
A big feature of the new BlackBerry 10 OS is the level of sophistication it offers in terms of productivity and innovation – users will be able to divide the device between work and life, enjoy split-screen experiences and even collaborate across apps with other users. It also includes an Evernote-style note recording suite called Remember, which is baked into the OS.
The new device family will be supported by 70,000 apps upon launch, including apps from Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, LinkedIn and Oovoo. Skype, Rovio and SAP are among the software giants that have committed to bringing out apps for the new devices.
