Reference Auto

With Apple’s iPhones and Google’s Android handsets ruling the roost in the mobile phones’ market, BlackBerry seems to have finally woken up with the launch of the BlackBerry 10 series handsets – that is, the Z10 and Q10 – which must be smartly priced in order to compete with peers.

The Z10 as well as the Q10 are likely to be priced in the range of $500.

BlackBerry, which is using a new operating system to drive sales of its new handsets, could be in for a shock (at least initially) as it will require its customers to get used to the new operating system.

The new operating system has been dubbed ‘Peek and Flow’, which allows users to view their social media messages, emails, appointments, tweets and updates in one inbox, called the BlackBerry Hub, with just the swipe of a thumb.

BlackBerry initially projected itself as the high-flier corporate executive’s handset but later it shed its image and has also started targeting the youth and college goers.

The Q10 (as it is quite obvious) is a Qwerty phone with the typical BlackBerry keyboard. This has been probably done to target existing customers and also give them add-ons such as full-fledged music and movie services.

The Q10 and Z10 have been devised in a manner to provide enhanced Web browsers so that BlackBerry users can this time surf internet in a seamless manner, unlike the previous BlackBerry devices.

The BlackBerry Z10 paves the way for business users to separate their professional and personal profiles with the help of Balance.

This feature, along with music and video hubs and over 70,000 applications, will see the Z10 being lapped up in markets (if the price is not too steep), especially the developed ones, and cause a worry to Samsung Galaxy S III and Apple’s iPhones.

The BlackBerry Z10 has features such as 4.2-inch (diagonal) display along with a resolution of 1,280X768 pixels, touchscreen keyboard, 16 GB memory, which is expandable via a microSD card of up to 32 GB, has 8 MP camera on the back, a 2 MP camera in front and video recording is high-definition for rear camera (comparable to the resolution of a 40-inch flat TV).

It has a lower resolution in the front (720p).

Among other features, battery life is nearly 10 hours on 3G and the Z10 has 60 hours of audio playback along with 11 hours of video playback. The operating system is the new BlackBerry 10, which will pave way for seamless use of applications.

The BlackBerry Q10 has 3.1-inch (diagonal) display with a resolution of 720X720 pixels, has touchscreen as well as physical keyboards (the physical keyboard is of both Qwerty and Azerty types) and memory capacity is 16 GB, which can be expanded to 64 GB.

The cameras are the same as the Z10, that is, 8 MP and 2 MP (front), while video resolution is very high and is similar to the Z10.

Operating system is also the BlackBerry 10 but battery life is still unknown.

The BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 have been launched at a time when companies like Samsung and homegrown Micromax along with Nokia are launching new products and although the former’s phones are rich in features, the game will be played on the price front, where BlackBerry doesn’t usually budge.