BlackBerrry Presents Priv Android Phone

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Customers missing the hardware keyboard from BlackBerry smartphones but want to keep Android as an OS are in luck-- the company presents the Priv, the first Android-powered BlackBerry handset.

BlackBerry PrivRevealed as part of the BlackBerry fiscal Q2 results report, CEO John Chen says the Priv "combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform."

Further details on the "flagship slider device" will only be available in the coming weeks, but rumours suggest it features a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge-style curved display, 18MP camera and, of course, a QWERTY keyboard.

However the company insists it is not dropping proprietary software-- work on the BlackBerry 10 OS will go on, with the next update (10.3.3) getting a March 2016 release. But it also hopes the Android-powered Priv will bring about at least some "modest sequential revenue growth" to the rest of the fiscal year.

Go BlackBerry Fiscal Q2 Results Report