News Blackberry Android Phone Release Date News: New Slider Called 'Priv'

By Paula Dela Cruz, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, October 04, 2015

Blackberry officially announced to the public that they are developing a new Android-powered smartphone to be called 'Priv.'

As part of Blackberry's Q2 Fiscal 2016 results, the company is planning to release Priv by next year. The new blackberry phone will run on Android OS, but will also come with Blackberry security and productivity. There are no further details regarding the specifics of the handset were given, but the company decided to officially announce Priv's existence since a lot of leaks have surfaced recently.

"I confirmed today that the slider phone we very briefly unveiled earlier this year will indeed be an Android smartphone named PRIV by BlackBerry." John Chen, Executive Chairman and Blackberry CEO, said in the Official Blackberry Blog.

Priv is described to be "born from Blackberry's ultimate mission," which is protecting customer's privacy, according to Blackberry's official Priv page. "In recognition of our long history of valuing our customers' privacy we've named our next generation phone Priv, a name that has tremendous value for everyone worldwide," the website explained.

When the company announced their hardware roadmap, they assured loyal Blackberry users that Blackberry 10 will still continue, even if they will release a new Android device. "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. 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," said Blackberry, according to Crackberry's report.

There are still plenty of changes on the Blackberry Priv that might happen before its official released, and fans are super excited for Blackberry's new flagship smartphone.