BlackBerry Bets on Old-school Design with the Classic

  • Thursday, December 18th, 2014
  • Author: Tim Maytom
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blackberry classicBlackBerry is hoping to recapture its glory days with new smartphone model the Classic, which sees the manufacturer return to the full physical Qwerty keyboard the brand was known for.

The phone, which also incorporates a 3.5-inch touch display and a digital assistant which responds to voice and text commands, was launched at an event by the company which aimed to recapture its enterprise-focused audience following years of slumping sales.

In addition to the phone, which integrates BlackBerrys app storefront focused on productivity and business applications, and BlackBerry Hub, which manages emails, texts, social media and calendar appointments, the company announced new enterprise solution bundles aimed at capturing the business market.

The Secure Productivity bundle includes two factor authentication to ensure data remains secure, encrypted messaging and tools for IT administration, while the Enterprise Communicator bundle groups together collaborative meeting software with secure messaging capabilities.

BlackBerry also unveiled partnerships with healthcare provider Mackenzie Health and mobile communications firm Ingram Micro Mobility, both of which will be adopting the BlackBerry Classic throughout their company, and with a wide variety of app developers who will be populating BlackBerrys ecosystem with enterprise-focused software.

“This device underscores our commitment to helping BlackBerry users be at their most productive and respond to the demands of business from anywhere, at any time,” said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO at BlackBerry. “By bringing back the trusted functionalities, incorporating our latest operating system and building a speedier browser, our users can feel confident they are using the best communications tool out there.”

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