To stem losses and win back customers in emerging makets where customers are gravitating toward devices powered by Google’s Android operating system, Canada based BlackBerry has announced two econimical smartphones at the ongoing MWC in Barcelona. These two smartphones are : BlackBerry Z3 and Q20, which are manufactured by Foxconn of Taiwan.
BlackBerry Z3 smartphone is an all-touch BlackBerry 10 smartphone designed for customers in Indonesia. The stylish yet affordable 5” smartphone will come with the latest BlackBerry 10 OS, version 10.2.1, and exceptional productivity features. The BlackBerry Z3 is the first product to emerge from the company’s strategic partnership with Foxconn.
“We are excited to introduce the new BlackBerry Z3, the first smartphone to emerge from our strategic partnership with Foxconn, which was announced in mid-December, 2013,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry. “The BlackBerry Z3 embodies all that BlackBerry 10 offers, with its exceptional productivity features and reliable communications, in a stylish, all-touch design made affordable for customers in Indonesia.”
BlackBerry Q20 smartphone is QWERTY smartphone with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, which is the largest display yet on a QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone. The BlackBerry Q20 features BlackBerry’s patented QWERTY keyboard design with frets and sculpted keys. It has Menu, Back, Send and End Buttons, and an integrated Trackpad.
The new BlackBerry Z3 smartphone is expected to be available from leading carriers and retailers in Indonesia in April. The new BlackBerry Q20 smartphone will be available in the second half of 2014. BlackBerry has not disclosed the prices of these devices, and as usual the same will be announced at the time of the launch. These phones are expected to be introduced in other emerging markets like India in the month of May or June.
At MWC, BlackBerry has also announced today announced new enterprise solutions, namely:
The next generation of BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES), BES12, will enable organizations to develop enterprise-grade applications that are quickly deployed to BlackBerry smartphones and other mobile devices.The flexibility and scalability of the new BES12 architecture will also provide customers with the ability to move securely from on-premise to the cloud effortlessly and securely.
A new EZ Pass program will enable a free migration path for customers to move from BES and other MDM platforms to BES10.
A new BES pricing and licensing structure will provide two simple tiers, Silver and Gold. Silver includes full device, application, email and security management for BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices, including the unique BlackBerry Balance technology, a containerization solution that separates personal and work data on BlackBerry 10 smartphones.
Enterprise BBM (eBBM) Suite, a new family of products and services that work with BlackBerry smartphones and BES and BES10 to provide enterprise-class mobile messaging that brings together the core strengths of BBM with features and capabilities aimed at enterprises.
“We have engineered a new strategy to stabilize the company and restore our customers’ confidence in BlackBerry,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry. “The announcements made during Mobile World Congress demonstrate that BlackBerry is looking to the future and bringing solutions to market that matter most to our customers. These secure solutions emphasize our strengths in enterprise mobility, while empowering end users to become more productive with technologies that drive communications and collaboration.”
The BES12 platform will be available by the end of 2014. The EZ Pass offer including Advantage-level technical support will be available March 31, 2014 through January 31, 2015. The Silver and Gold pricing structure will be in effect beginning March 31, 2014.
