BlackBerry fans looking for an affordable smartphone could consider the
BlackBerry KEYone, which has been discounted to $270 on Amazon. The KEYone was launched back in April 2017 and usually retails between $350 and $400 these days.
The BlackBerry KEYone features a 4.5-inch display, a physical keyboard, 32GB of internal storage with microSD, a 12-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front camera and a Snapdragon 625 chipset with 3GB of RAM.
The handset on sale is unlocked for GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile.
The
BlackBerry KEYone for Verizon is also available on Amazon but is priced much higher at $430 since its still offered by the carrier.
BlackBerry KEYone for AT&T is now
reported to be receiving a software update marked ABI975 which comes with Android 8.1 and includes the Android
October security patch. The update has not been listed on the AT&T website yet, so we don't know what changes it offers.
Since updates like these are rolled out in waves, you may not see a notification appear immediately. You could head to your device settings and check for it manually. Once you receive the notification make sure your battery is fully charged and that you are connected to Wi-Fi before initiating the update.
Besides the AT&T variant, unlocked versions of the BlackBerry KEYone and the
BlackBerry Motion are also
reportedly receiving a new ABI087 software update.
While no official changelog has been released by BlackBerry, the update is said to be 530MB in size and include the October security patch from Google along with several bug fixes and speed improvements to the platform.
The
BlackBerry KEY2 LE is a budget-friendly variant of the
BlackBerry KEY2, coming in at around $250 lesser than its more expensive predecessor. U.S. consumers interested in this handset can now pre-order one from Amazon.
The KEY2 LE features the same 4.5 inch LCD display with its 1080 x 1620 pixel resolution. It trades in the Snapdragon 660 for a Snapdragon 636 chipset, comes with up to 64GB of internal storage and has 4GB of RAM. You get a 13MP + 5MP dual camera setup on the rear while it retains the 8MP front camera.
The battery has been reduced slightly from 3500mAh down to 3000mAh. But you still have features like the Speed Key, the same physical keyboard, and all of the BlackBerry apps and services like BlackBerry Hub, BlackBerry Privacy Shade, and the DTEK privacy app.
If you are interested in pre-ordering the BlackBerry KEY2 LE in the US you can grab one from Amazon by using the links below. The handset is available in
Slate and
Champagne and will ship out to you on October 12.
BELL- BlackBerry KEY2 - $0 with two-year pact ($100 off).
- BlackBerry Motion - $0 with a two-year pact.
ROGERS- BlackBerry KEY2 - $0 with two-year Premium Tab pact ($100 off).
- BlackBerry KEYone - $0 with a two-year pact.
TELUS- BlackBerry KEY2 - $0 with two-year pact ($100 off).
- BlackBerry KEYone - $0 with a two-year pact.
- BlackBerry Motion - $0 with a two-year pact.
If you are living in Canada and have been waiting to get one these BlackBerry handsets, you can grab one through the carrier of your choice using the links above.
source -
CrackBerry
The BlackBerry brand is known for keeping its devices secure, so it's always a welcome sight to see the manufacturer release updates focussed on security. In line with this expectation BlackBerry has started pushing out the August Android security update for the
BlackBerry KEY2.
The update is around 400MB in size and comes with the ABE181 software version. The update will be pushed to handsets over-the-air and you should receive an update notification when it is available for your device. You can try manually checking for the update by heading to Settings > Systems Updates > Check for updates now on your KEY2.
Before installing the update, make sure you are connected to a strong Wi-Fi signal. Also, make sure your battery is fully charged before you download and install the update.
Besides being one of the few modern smartphones to feature a physical keyboard, the BlackBerry KEY2 specs include a 4.5 inch display, dual (12MP+12MP) rear cameras, an 8MP front camera, up to 128GB of internal storage with microSD expansion, a fingerprint scanner, a3500mAh battery, Type-C USB and an octa-core Snapdragon 660 CPU with 6GB of RAM.
ALSO AVAILABLE ON
The
BlackBerry KEYone is now receiving the Android Oreo software update. The new version is being rolled out over-the-air starting in Canada and will reach both unlocked and carrier devices.
With Android Oreo, the BlackBerry KEYone will gain features like Picture-in-Picture, smart text selection, Autofill, and background limits. Wi-Fi calling is also expected to arrive on the model on Rogers network.
Once the rollout in Canada has been completed successfully, we expect the Oreo update will reach devices in other regions as well. Since such updates are usually rolled out in waves, expect the OTA notification to take a few days before it reaches your device. You could also manually check for the update on your device by heading to 'Settings' and navigating to 'System Updates'.
The
BlackBerry KEY2 is currently receiving its first OTA update in the form of the Android security patch for July. The handset comes with the latest version of Android 8.1 Oreo pre-installed out of the box, which means the update will mostly be patching any vulnerabilities on Android.
Besides the improvements to security, the only notable change is the removal of Wi-Fi calling from the KEY2, but we expect that feature will be added back in a future update.
Before installing the OTA update, make sure your device battery is fully charged and that you are connected to a strong Wi-Fi network. Since OTA updates are pushed out on a staggered basis, it may not appear on your device immediately. You can try manually checking for the update by heading to Settings > Update on your KEY2.
source -
AndroidCentral
While the
BlackBerry KEYone has been succeeded by the newer
BlackBerry KEY2, the older handset is still available for purchase through many carriers in the U.S. For those looking to purchase a cheaper BlackBerry handset, AT&T has an ongoing promotion which lets you get the BlackBerry KEYone for just $0.99.
In order to get the discounted price, you will have to sign a two-year service contract with AT&T. The carrier will waive the activation fee, which is another $45 in savings. The downside is that the deal is only available to business customers, and is only available online.
So if you have a business account on the AT&T Premier site, and you don't mind signing a two-year contract with AT&T, the BlackBerry KEYone maybe a phone worth considering at such a low price. When you are checking out, you will see the price reduce down from $99.99 to $0.99 in your cart.
source -
AT&T
GUEST POST
The mobile phone market is extremely dynamic and has been growing rapidly over the years. The Indian market itself is a good example of how the market has grown, and is expected to continue to grow in the years ahead. Gadget research website 91mobiles has put together their own study of emerging trends in the Indian smartphone market, and compiled some infographics predicting what we can expect in the coming months.
As per their predictions, phone launched in India this year are expected to increase by around 50 percent. Indian companies like Intex and Micromax have been largely responsibly for the number of product launches in the country this year, offering an affordable selection of products to compete against global brands like Samsung, HTC and Sony.
91mobiles has many other facts of interest regarding the Indian smartphone market, which you can go over in detail in the following infographics.
source -
91mobiles
BBM for iOS beta has been updated to
version 2.9.0.6 with several new features and improvements. After installing the update, users will be able to retract a message that has been sent hastily. This will be useful in case you have accidentally sent a message you wish you hadn't. With the new update, you can rescind the message as long as it wasn't already read. The message can be then edited (to replace the word "hate" with "love") and re-sent.
You can also set a timer to give your message a certain shelf life before it self destructs. If you don't want something you've written to linger afterward just in case it is read by the wrong people, the Timer feature can give you peace of mind, knowing that your message is no longer available to be read. In other words, you are giving the recipient of your missive a certain amount of time to read what you have to say before it disappears forever. The message retraction feature and the Timer are available via a separate subscription.
The beta update also offers several bug fixes to BBM for iOS. One such bug would freeze or crash the app if someone making a call using BBM hung up at the same time that the person being called answered the phone. Another bug fixed wouldn't allow Arabic numbers to be used when typing in a PIN to start a chat. If you come across any new bugs, the update will allow users to report a bug from the left menu on BBM's main screen.
BBM for iOS is available through TestFlight to only select members of the BBM beta community. You can download the update through the TestFlight app on your iOS device if you have subscribed for the beta program. Remember to back up your current messages by going to BBM > Settings > Toggle Save Chat History ON > Click Back-up Now. There is no word on when this build of BBM for iOS will drop the beta designation.
source - BlackBerry |
CrackBerry
The all-touch
BlackBerry Leap was
announced last month running BlackBerry OS 10.3.1, and it is now available for pre-order in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. For some reason, in its home country BlackBerry is not accepting pre-orders for the model.
The BlackBerry Leap features a 5 inch display with a 720 x 1280 pixel resolution, 16GB of internal storage which can be expanded through microSD, an 8MP rear camera, a 2MP front camera, a 2800mAh battery and a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon 8960 processor with Adreno 225 graphics and 2GB of RAM.
Even though the handset cannot be pre-ordered in Canada, the manufacturer has priced the BlackBerry Leap at $349 (CAD). While the handset is not offered on pre-order it shows that it is in stock, so dont be surprised if the BlackBerry Leap is launched in the Canadian market ahead of the others.
 |
| BlackBerry Leap now available for pre-order |
source -
ShopBlackBerry |
CrackBerry
