New Delhi: After lengthy delays, Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled its first two phones with the new BlackBerry 10 system. The Q10 will have a physical keyboard, while the Z10 has only a touch-screen keyboard.
RIM also announced a company name change to BlackBerry to maintain a single brand. Most analysts consider a BlackBerry 10 success to be crucial for the company's long-term viability.
Worldwide, the company has several key markets that are revealing pricing and availability today, including the UK, Canada and UAE:
- In the UK, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available beginning tomorrow on pay monthly contracts and pre-pay plans from EE, O2, Vodafone, Phones 4u, BT, 3UK and the Carphone Warehouse. BlackBerry Z10 smartphones will be available fully subsidised on competitive monthly pay contracts. Price points will vary according to carriers and retail partners.
- In Canada, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 5th. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but it will retail for around $149.99 on a 3-year contract.
- In the UAE, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 10. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but unsubsidized it will retail for AED 2,599.
- In the US market, we expect availability with most carriers for the BlackBerry Z10 to be in March. Today, US carriers will start announcing pre-registration and price plans.
Many of the company's global partners have already launched or will be launching pre-registration and pre-order sites. The company expects the first global carriers to launch the BlackBerry Q10 in April. BlackBerry will announce new pricing and availability information as carriers roll out around the world.
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