BlackBerry Priv Android Phone Ships Soon

BlackBerry have started taking preorders for the all new BlackBerry Priv, the company’s first phone that runs the popular Android OS.

The device is being sold in the US, UK, and Canada, with pricing at £559.lackberry say that in the US and Canada, the device will start shipping November 6th, and in the UK the Priv will ship “starting the week of November 9.”

Blackberry, according to Ars Technica, have included some of the much loved android functions that are not used on many devices these days. There is a hardware keyboard that slides out from the bottom, a physical camera shutter button on the side. It also has a Micro SD card slot and a hardware convenience key.

The CEO of blackberry stated that he was willing to leave the hardware market if he feels that the profits are non-existent. The Priv will probably become the make or break device for Blackberry. However, the approach that blackberry has taken is slightly different to other manufacturers. The price may make it harder to sell, especially when other flagship devices are selling for £200 less than the Priv. However, the unique features may draw some users in.

I can see a lot of businesses adopting the Priv, if Blackberry makes it work with their mobile device management solution (BES12) as well as their Blackberry OS devices do, then a lot of corporate environments will probably use the device. They will, however, have to catch up on the software front as the Priv ships with 5.1 instead of the newer 6.0 (Marshmallow).