BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) is gearing up to launch its weird-looking phone Passport in October. The Canadian company ‘s low-cost Z3 smartphone has been a success, at least in Indonesia. But the company needs a massive hit to turn around its fate in the smartphone market. A design and UI that compels people to switch to BlackBerry. And BlackBerry L could be that product if it comes with the same wow factor as shown in this new concept.
BlackBerry L concept: stunning images
A new concept design of the BlackBerry L redefines slider phones. The images make us wanting something like that in real life. This concept comes from Russia’s Andrew Zhilin of Behance.net. The concept shows a display that slides across and on top of the famous QWERTY keyboard. It looks different, but stunning.
Zhilin said his goal was to break the common perceptions people have when they hear ‘concept phone.’ He chose a BlackBerry device because the company has a distinct style and works with different form factors. Meanwhile, IDC said that BlackBerry sales picked up sequentially during the second quarter. The research firm said the Canadian company’s shipments rose 15% in Q2 compared to the first quarter of this year.
Blackberry shipments rise sequentially in June quarter
It’s the first sequential gain in shipments since CEO John Chen unveiled his aggressive turnaround plan. The Waterloo-based company shipped 1.5 million units during the June quarter, up from 1.3 million units in January-March quarter. However, its share in the smartphone market remained a meager 0.5% as the overall market continued to grow. On YoY basis, the shipment was down a whopping 78%. The company hasn’t seen a market share increase since the third quarter of 2009.
John Chen has shifted BlackBerry’s focus to selling software-based services to enterprises and governments, though it continues to push further into consumer markets. Yesterday, the company got a glowing endorsement from British prime minister David Cameron when he said he could run the government affairs by his BlackBerry phone, even if he is holidaying.
BlackBerry shares fell 2.46% to $9.91 at 11:34 AM EDT on Thursday.
