Official roll out of BlackBerry 10.3.1 begins, brings BlackBerry Blend, Assistant and thousands of apps

BlackBerry has started rolling out BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 globally for Blackberry 10 devices including BlackBerry Passport, BlackBerry Z3, BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Q5, BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9983 and P’9982 smartphones. BlackBerry Classic that was released recently in December comes pre-loaded with BlackBerry 10.3.1.

The latest update brings with it several new enhancements and features including BlackBerry Blend and BlackBerry Assistant as well as improvements in BlackBerry Hub, battery, camera, calendar, multimedia and much more. The new OS version will also give the user access to thousands of apps through two app stores – the BlackBerry World storefront and the Amazon Appstore. The BlackBerry 10.3.1 also features an instant action bar and updated icons.

BlackBerry Blend will let you access your BlackBerry phone’s messaging and other content such as documents, contacts, calendar and media on your computer or tablet. It works on many OS including Windows, Android, Mac and iOS.

 BlackBerry Assistant is an intelligent voice-activated personal assistant like Google Now, Siri and Cortana. It can be used for text and voice commands and assists the user in managing both work and personal tasks such as email, contacts, calendar and other apps.

Then there’s the BlackBerry Hub with Instant Actions. It helps the users to better manage all their conversations including texts, emails, phone calls, BBM and social media. With Instant Actions users can instantly organize their Inbox without accessing each individual message and quickly change their communication mode from email to SMS, voice call or meeting invitation.

The BlackBerry 10.3.1 update also brings with it other features including time saving keyboard shortcuts, new camera functions, boost to battery life, better sound media, ability to add songs, photos or videos to favorites for quick access, new meeting mode option and weekly agenda view in calendar and BBM meetings to work smarter.

BlackBerry 10.3.1 has started rolling out in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Download notification will be received in the BlackBerry Hub.

 

Source BlackBerry

Official roll out of BlackBerry 10.3.1 begins, brings BlackBerry Blend, Assistant and thousands of apps

Unlocked BlackBerry Passport available for $599, company announces many new features

BlackBerry has officially announced its new flagship smartphone, the BlackBerry Passport on Wednesday, September 24 at three simultaneous events held in Toronto, London and Dubai. The device is available unlocked for $599 just as BlackBerry CEO John Chen had said earlier this week.

The BlackBerry Passport (unlocked) is available through ShopBlackBerry.com in Canada, US, UK, Germany, France soon after the launch at ”special introductory rates”. You can get the handset in Canada for $699, in UK for £529, in US for $599 and in Germany and France for €649. You can also buy the unlocked device through Amazon.com but the retailer has not announced its price yet.

Canada’s Telus is offering the BlackBerry Passport at an introductory price of $200 until October 1 after which it will be available at the regular rate of $250. The exclusive carrier for US will be AT&T. BlackBerry announced that the handset will be available in over 30 countries by the end of the year. These include Canada, US, UK, France, India, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Spain, Romania, Saudi Arabia and the other parts of the Middle East, Nigeria, South Africa, Vietnam, Mexico, Venezuela, Slovakia, and Colombia.

Special features of the BlackBerry Passport include:

• The innovative touch-enabled Keyboard


• Massive 3,450 mAh battery with 30 hours battery life


• Big square 4.5-inch 1440 x1440 resolution screen


• Natural Sound technology that gives high audio and call quality


• The new BlackBerry 10.3 OS that comes with the BlackBerry Assistant


• BlackBerry Hub with Instant Action feature that allows users to perform actions such as deleting a file or managing the inbox just by tapping the related icon etc.


• Two appstores preloaded – BlackBerry World and Amazon Appstore and users will get 1 free Android app everyday out of thousands of Android apps giving them access to games such as Minecraft, Temple Run 2, Candy Crush Saga, Cut the Rope 2 and Pinterest. The BlackBerry OS 10.3 update will enable users of other BlackBerry 10 devices to download this too.

Other features of the Blackberry Passport include 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB via microSD card, a Nano-SIM card slot, a 13MP rear OIS camera and a 2MP front-facing camera. The dimensions of BlackBerry Passport are 128×90.1×9.3mm and its connectivity options include 3G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Micro-USB + Micro-HDMI via SlimPort, USB OTG, NFC, GPS, GPRS/ EDGE, DLNA, Glonass.

Unlocked BlackBerry Passport available for $599, company announces many new features

Yet another BlackBerry Passport Video shows off its unique features

BlackBerry Passport with its unique square screen and touch-enabled QWERT keyboard has created waves in the smartphone world. We have yet another video of the device that has a beautiful woman showing off the key features of the device. It seems that the company is trying to keep the public interest alive until the phone is actually launched.

BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen had himself shown off the BlackBerry Passport over a month ago. Then there was a leaked video showing the handset in action. This generated a lot of interest among the consumers who are waiting expectantly for a glimpse of the real thing. Till then, here’s another promotional video of BlackBerry Passport showing some of its unique features.

The video was produced and posted by the leading UK mobile retailer Carphone Warehouse. The retailer later pulled it down but some Russian user had saved the YouTube video and so fortunately it has become available for viewing again. Check it out:

As you can see, the woman in the video highlights the unique QWERTY keyboard which is makes typing of emails and messages easy. The keyboard is also touch sensitive and you can scroll web pages or delete words by swiping your fingers across the buttons. Also emphasized are the 2.3GHz quad-core processor, the 10MP camera, the tough stainless steel edges and the 4.5-inch square display with a resolution of 1440 x 1440 which is convenient for reading and editing of documents and spreadsheets.

The video also highlights the BlackBerry digital assistant that sets reminders, searches the internet and much more just by voice command.  The features of the BlackBerry Passport indicate that it can be used for fun as well as work. Release of the promotional video points to the fact that its official launching is not far off. Pre-registrations for the BlackBerry Passport have already begun.

Yet another BlackBerry Passport Video shows off its unique features

Watch the BlackBerry Passport in action in a leaked video

The upcoming BlackBerry Passport is an unusual smartphone having a square 4.5-inch QHD screen with a resolution of 1440x 1440. The handset was unveiled by BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen himself recently. Now a leaked hands-on video gives a good idea about the smartphone.

A unique feature of the BlackBerry Passport is its three-row QWERTY keyboard and a virtual 4th row above it on the screen that automatically shows the numbers and symbols based on what you are typing. For example, the @ symbol is displayed when you are typing an email or the ‘: ‘ and ‘/’ are displayed when you are surfing the web. If you have made a mistake, you can just swipe back to delete it. According to BlackBerry, this ‘smart’ keyboard will enable users to type ‘faster than ever before’.

Now, a video has been uploaded on YouTube showing how the BlackBerry Passport operates. It shows how the QWERTY keyboard also works as a touchpad. The touch-enabled keyboard enables you to scroll the apps, emails and web pages by just brushing your fingers lightly over the keys. You can double-tap the keyboard to position the cursor wherever you want it on the screen.

You can watch the video for yourself here:

The BlackBerry Passport features a 3GB of RAM and a powerful 3450mAh battery. For better sound, it has stereo speakers and four microphones on board. The smartphone has the BlackBerry 10.3 OS and comes with the BlackBerry Assistant.

The BlackBerry Passport is expected to be launched sometime in September this year but its pricing is not yet known.

 

Watch the BlackBerry Passport in action in a leaked video