RELEASING PRIV™, BLACKBERRY��S FIRST
POWERED BY ANDROID™
SECURE SMARTPHONE IN HONG KONG
PRIV
Delivers the Best of BlackBerry Privacy and Productivity to the Largest App
Ecosystem
Hong
Kong, November
12, 2015 �V BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global
leader in mobile communications, announced today that PRIV™ by BlackBerry®, the
first-ever BlackBerry smartphone powered by Android™ will be available in Hong
Kong in mid-November. Combining the best of BlackBerry��s productivity, security
and privacy features with the wide world of Google Play™ store apps, PRIV is
the epitome of form and function. It has been engineered with the world��s
finest technology and packaged in an ultra-thin device �V including a dual-curved
screen, touch and physical keyboards, state-of-the-art 18MP camera, and
long-lasting battery �V with unique tools that allow users to manage and control
their privacy.
��Building
our first BlackBerry smartphone powered by Android is one of the boldest and
most exciting steps BlackBerry has taken to expand and diversify our strategy
to help professionals and organizations around the world operate more
productively, effectively and securely across a wide range of platforms,�� said
Gallant Leon, Managing Director, North Asia, BlackBerry. ��For the first time,
users will have the best of BlackBerry while enjoying the access and
flexibility of Android. This step shouldn��t be a surprise as we��ve been quickly
expanding BlackBerry��s product portfolio across all operating system platforms
�V as we have done with BES12, BBM messaging and the rest of our enterprise
software and services portfolio.��
A
New Standard for Security and Privacy
PRIV was designed with security
at its core, building on BlackBerry��s legacy of security and keeping private
its customers�� data. Security highlights include:
- Advanced Privacy Controls: The exclusive DTEK™ by BlackBerry®
app for Android™ monitors and reports on application access to the microphone,
camera, location and personal information, enabling users to be confident that
their personal data is being kept private. Users can know at a glance when
their privacy could be at risk so they can take action to improve it.
- Secure Hardware: BlackBerry��s hardware root of trust, a unique
manufacturing process, injects cryptographic keys into the device hardware,
providing a secure foundation for the entire platform.
- Verified Boot and Secure Bootchain: Keys have been embedded
to verify every layer of the device from hardware to OS to applications in
order to make sure they haven��t been tampered with. Additionally, thousands of
modifications were made to harden the Linux kernel with numerous patches and
configuration changes to improve security.
- Fully supported on BlackBerry's EMM Solution: PRIV can be integrated with our leading
EMM solution, BES 12, which offers cross-platform management of PRIV and other devices;
providing a full end to end security solution and secure collaboration
applications for business users like Secusuite for secure voice and WatchDox
for secure file sharing.
A
New Standard for the Slider Form Factor
As
part of BlackBerry��s cross-platform strategy to provide a greater choice of
secure solutions to its customers, users will see a seamless merging of key
BlackBerry 10 productivity features like the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry
Calendar into PRIV. Additional key features
include:
- Full Android App and Ecosystem Experience �V PRIV brings
incredible new features to the Android platform and gives users full access to
over one million applications: whether it��s Instagram, Spotify, Uber or BBM®,
you��ll find it on Google PlayTM.
- Best of Both Keyboards �V offers the freedom to choose between a
virtual keyboard or a physical keyboard for speed and accuracy.
- Tough and Beautiful Screen �V A stunning 5.4-inch immersive dual-curve
OLED display offers plenty of room to work or play with rich colors, deep black
levels and less power consumption. At a resolution of 2560x1440, it sports an
incredible pixel density of 540 PPI �V 4x the amount of pixels of a standard
HDTV. Along the screen��s curved edge is the Productivity Tab that provides an
��at a glance�� view of the most pertinent info from BlackBerry Hub, Calendar,
Task, and Contacts.
- Full-day Battery Life �V PRIV has a
3410 mAh battery with enough power to work up to 22.5 straight hours of mixed
usage*.
- State-of-the-Art Camera �V Engineered to deliver professional
looking photos with minimal effort, an 18MP camera, certified by
Schneider-Kreuznach®, integrates technologies commonly found in DSLR
cameras.
- Powerful Performance and Expandable Storage �V PRIV is
powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, a premium-tier chipset
designed to offer consumers a superior and compelling user experience along
with peace of mind with Qualcomm® SecureMSM™ technology and Qualcomm®
Snapdragon StudioAccess™ content protection. Plus, with 32 GB of onboard
storage and support for micro SD cards up to 2TB, the new PRIV gives users the flexibility to add affordable and
hot-swappable storage to download, install, capture and share as their needs
evolve.
- BlackBerry® Natural Sound - PRIV comes with powerful speakers and a
three-microphone system that delivers a high-quality listening experience.
BlackBerry® Natural Sound Technology is built in to adapt Wi-Fi and cellular
call sound depending upon phone position and background noise, automatically
adjusting volume so users don��t have to.
- Android™ for Work �V PRIV comes ready for work. Android for Work support allows
for fast, simple and secure integration with the enterprise environment.
Seamless integration with Google Play for Work enables easy access to
IT-managed apps.
While PRIV will
provide a choice in operating system to new and existing customers, the company
remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, and will continue to
release platform updates focused on security and privacy enhancements.
Availability and
Pricing
PRIV is available at an MSRP of HK$6,488 and will be
available in mid-November at China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited, csl. and
1O1O under CSL Mobile Limited, SmarTone and 3 Hong Kong; as well as authorized
resellers including Broadway Photo Supply Ltd, Chung Yuen Electrical Co, Ltd,
Fortress, Hong Kong Suning, Nuance-Watson (HK) Limited and Wilson
Communications Ltd and authorized distributor Qool International Ltd.
For more information
on PRIV, go to www.BlackBerry.com/PRIV. Follow all updates to
PRIV on the Inside BlackBerry blog.
* Based on mixed usage
scenario. Many factors affect battery
life, including network connectivity, application usage, feature configuration
and battery age. Actual results may vary.
About BlackBerry
BlackBerry is
securing a connected world, delivering innovative solutions across the entire
mobile ecosystem and beyond. We secure the world��s most sensitive data across
all end points �V from cars to smartphones �V making the mobile-first enterprise
vision a reality. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates
offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and
Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols ��BB�� on the Toronto
Stock Exchange and ��BBRY�� on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com .
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