BlackBerry first Android-based phone named Venice is reportedly nearing launch, and leaks surrounding it have also started flowing at a fast pace. Several new features have already been leaked, and more about the Venice has been revealed by Evan Blass (@evleaks) over the weekend.
BlackBerry Productivity Suite on Venice?
An animated gif was tweeted out by Blass, showing a demo of what the BlackBerry Productivity suite could look like on the new device. Besides that, Blass also published a file list, suggesting a number of BlackBerry traditional features will be incorporated in the mix.
“If you’ll recall, the BlackBerry Productivity Suite essentially brings the Hub, BlackBerry Calendar, BlackBerry Contacts, Docs to Go, the BlackBerry Keyboard and finally, Universal Search, which would explain some of the APK files noted to be on the Venice as posted earlier by @evleaks,” CrackBerry explained.
BlackBerry Venice’s slider device will come with some of the most loved features and experiences of BlackBerry devices that are built right into the system, making it “no stock Android handset,” Blass said in a tweet. The device will not just have a slider keyboard, but a touch-screen as well. It will be up to the user whether they want to use the device as a touch screen one or with a physical keyboard.
Other features of the device
Other features of the upcoming phone, as informed by BGR, are a solid amount of RAM and an equally good camera. The BlackBerry Venice will come with an 18 megapixel camera and an image stabilization feature. The device will sport a 5.4-inch display, and come with RAM of 3GB. It will run on the powerful hexa-core 1.8 GHz Snapdragon 808 processor.
Blackberry has faced tough competition from Apple and Samsung over the last few years, and as a consequence has lost a major part of its smartphone market to these companies. In an attempt to gain back some part of its lost market share, BlackBerry is reportedly introducing a device that appeals to Android users with the advantages and experiences of a BlackBerry device.
The inclusion of Android in its smartphone portfolio is likely a smart move from the Canadian firm as the risk involved is low while the payoff could be huge.
