The Verge - BlackBerry 10 event: RIM rebrands, the Q10, Z10, and everything you need to know

Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Z10 goes on sale March 28th, pre-orders begin tomorrow

2013-03-13T19:44:12Z

Verizon Wireless has filled us in on the rest of its BlackBerry 10 launch plans: it will begin selling the Z10 on March 28th in-stores and online, with pre-orders beginning tomorrow at 8AM ET. The carrier had previously announced plans to sell the Z10 and the keyboard-equipped Q10, but only today have we learned about its launch plans. Verizon won't be the first carrier in the United States to offer the BlackBerry 10 phone — AT&T recently revealed it would release the device on March 22nd — but it will be the only one to offer the Z10 in white. Like AT&T, Verizon is charging $199.99 for the BlackBerry Z10 with a two-year contract, putting it at the same price-point as the iPhone 5. If you're wondering about the Q10, we're still...

Sprint will still offer a full-touch BlackBerry model later this year

2013-03-11T20:50:47Z

Though it signed up to offer the Q10, Sprint may have made bigger news for the BlackBerry 10 model it wouldn't be carrying: the full-touch Z10, which has generally gotten more buzz than its QWERTY-equipped counterpart since BlackBerry's launch event in January.

We can independently corroborate a report from AllThingsD this afternoon that Sprint does intend to carry a full-touch BlackBerry 10 phone in 2013 — but not until the second half the year. Our sources describe Sprint's model as "a version 2.0" of the Z10; a BlackBerry executive has previously said to expect "at least" six BlackBerry 10 models this year, so it's reasonable to think that one of those could be a refreshed version.

While BlackBerry 10's ability to capture a...

AT&T to sell BlackBerry Z10 for $199.99 on March 22nd, pre-orders begin tomorrow

2013-03-11T13:48:02Z

AT&T has just announced that it will offer the BlackBerry Z10 to customers on March 22nd for $199.99 with a two-year contract. The carrier plans to open up pre-orders tomorrow, March 12th. At $199.99, the BlackBerry 10-equipped phone will be going head-to-head with the iPhone 5 and top-end Android phones like the Galaxy S III. The price isn't a surprise, but some were hoping BlackBerry would attempt to woo customers with a lower price-point than the competition. Today's announcement matches day and date with rumors that the Z10 would hit the US on the 22nd. Verizon has already announced that it plans to sell the smartphone for the same price in "mid-March," and T-Mobile has confirmed that it, too, will offer the phone. Sprint, meanwhile,...

BlackBerry Z10 rumored to make US debut on March 22nd with AT&T

2013-03-08T06:22:10Z

We're still to hear official word about when the BlackBerry Z10 will launch in the US, but Bloomberg claims to have the details for one carrier, at least. According to two sources, AT&T will start selling the phone on March 22nd, though BlackBerry said it wouldn't comment on the rumor.

Verizon and T-Mobile are also set to offer the Z10 at some point, but Sprint will only carry the hardware keyboard-equipped Q10. While Bloomberg didn't mention a price for the Z10 on AT&T, Verizon has already said it will sell for $199.99 with a new contract. If you're still making your mind up about BlackBerry's do-or-die play for relevance in the US market, you can read our review of the Z10 here.

Sprint confirms it won't offer the BlackBerry Z10, sticking solely with the Q10

2013-03-02T23:22:30Z

Sprint has now confirmed that it will not be carrying the BlackBerry Z10, the first phone to run the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Instead, the carrier will only offer the keyboard-equipped BlackBerry Q10. Mark Elliott, a spokesman for the carrier, told Bloomberg that "we aren’t saying there’s anything different about our customers... we think our customers will be happy with the QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen on the Q10."

The news was not wholly unexpected: Sprint drew a bit of attention to itself in January when it released a press release announcing plans to sell the Q10 while failing to mention the Z10 whatsoever. At that time, Sprint representatives wouldn't confirm that the carrier had no intention to sell the...

BlackBerry Z10 on sale across the UK: here's where to buy one

2013-01-31T08:53:51Z

BlackBerry’s new Z10 handset is going on sale in the UK today at Vodafone, O2, EE, Orange, T-Mobile, Carphone Warehouse, and Phones 4u. Pricing for the Z10 varies from carrier to carrier. O2 is offering the phone for free from £36 per month, while Vodafone is charging £69 on a £37 per month contract (or for free from £47 per month). EE — currently the UK's only LTE network — is typically pricey, charging £49.99 on a £41 per month contact. Orange and T-Mobile offer the phone for £29.99 and £49.99, respectively, on a £36 per month contract. Three UK has yet to announce pricing for the Z10, but has confirmed it will offer the device at some point.

Phones 4u offers deals from all the UK's major carriers, and also has an...

Why on Earth did BlackBerry hire Alicia Keys?

2013-01-30T23:00:02Z

Step, if you will, into the shoes of Thorsten Heins. Your company is on the defensive, struggling for third place in one of the most bloodthirsty marketplaces there is. You've got just a few more chances to show consumers you're worth their money. Your back is to the wall. What do you do?

The answer, as we learned this morning, is to hire Alicia Keys as your new creative director. That's not all they did, of course. (There were a few new phones, if we recall correctly.) But the choice reveals a lot about where BlackBerry is as a company, and it's not good news.

With major apps in the bag, Instagram could be BlackBerry's next big score

2013-01-30T22:24:16Z

One of the surprising stories from today's BlackBerry 10 launch was just how many apps the newly-renamed company landed: over 70,000. More importantly, it managed to snag important, big-name apps like WhatsApp and Skype. It's an essential metric for BlackBerry — a lack of apps hobbled Windows Phone out of the gate and continues to keep users from switching. The story of how BlackBerry got the support of so many large development houses is a mix of tenacity, courtship, and perhaps a little bit of muscle. As good as that story may be for BlackBerry's developer relations team, there's still one app in particular that is usually name-dropped when discussing whether a platform truly has the apps it needs for a successful launch: Instagram.

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