BlackBerry reported their Fiscal 2016 Second Quarter Results today and, as expected, finally announced the existence of their upcoming Android smartphone, the BlackBerry Priv.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen finally acknowledged the existence of the slider and the fact that it will be BlackBerry’s first ever smartphone not to be running a proprietary BlackBerry OS but Android.
BlackBerry state that the device will be available “late in the calendar year” and that they will be releasing further details in the next few weeks.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen stated:
“First, the company will launch a flagship slider device, Priv, which will run on the Android operating system, bringing together the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform. In combination with BlackBerry’s efforts to support Android for Work on the BES12 platform, the new device will offer best in class security for enterprise customers. BlackBerry expects the device to be available late in the calendar year in major markets in-store and online, and will release further details in the coming weeks. While the new device will provide a choice in OS to new and existing customers, the company remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which enables industry-leading security and productivity benefits.”
BlackBerry followed this up by announcing that they will be continuing to develop the BlackBerry 10 OS and users can expect an upgrade to 10.3.3 in March 2016.
“Second, the company will continue to develop and enhance the BlackBerry 10 operating system and is confirming plans to release platform updates focused on security and privacy enhancements, with version 10.3.3 scheduled to be available in March 2016.”
