A high-ranking official from Blackberry has officially announced on Thursday that the company is planning to create a new Android smartphone. Blackberry CEO John Chen has revealed in a video interview that the company will release the second Android phone in the first quarter of 2016. However, he noted that this will only be materialized if the BlackBerry Priv sales will bring more profits to the company, a report from iDigital Times said.
According to the report, the company's soon-to-be-released Android smartphone will be called "Vienna." It was said that the new phone will be equipped with new features.
The phone is also rumored to have a fixed keyboard unlike Priv, which has featured a slider keyboard. As of press time, the company has yet to announce the device's official release date. However, sources who are privy to the plans of the company claim that it will be announced in the coming months.
"It looks like BlackBerry will add a brushed metal finish to the smartphone, available in silver, black, dark blue, dark green, and red. Vienna may use capacitive buttons instead of software buttons found on the Priv. A front-facing mono speaker sits at the top of the phone, alongside a front-facing camera. Volume and power buttons are located on the right side of the device, and on the other side a MicroSD or SIM card slot. We don't know the megapixel size of Vienna's camera, but the sensor looks smaller than the 18-megapixel OIS camera on the Priv. We wouldn't be surprised to see it downgraded to an 8-megapixel or 13-megapixel sensor, similar to most mid-range Android devices," Digital Trends said, describing the features of Blackberry Vienna.
iDigital Times said that Blackberry has recently offered a special Bundle especially for new purchases this Yuletide holiday to gain favorable sales. "The bundle includes the Priv Android-powered smartphone, a leather smart flip case, and a Priv sync pod with a 1.2m USB cable for $699. Normally BlackBerry sells the Priv for $699 before accessories," the site said.