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Why isn't the keyboard-rocking BlackBerry Q10 out sooner?

commentary With BlackBerry 10 and the all-touchscreen BlackBerry Z10, Research in Motion is looking to the future.

But BlackBerry shouldn't forget its heritage and position its QWERTY keyboard-rocking BlackBerry Q10 play as the second-string product.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what BlackBerry is doing by launching the Z10 first. CEO Thorsten Heins said the Z10 will launch in mid-March in the U.S., while the Q10 will likely launch in April.

BlackBerry wants to create the impression that its all-touchscreen BlackBerry can compete against the iPhone and elite Android smartphones such as the Galaxy S3. Heins wants to barrel into … Read more

BlackBerry Q10 may hit market in April

BlackBerry's highly anticipated smartphone with keyboard may hit the market in April, the company's chief executive said.

Thorsten Heins, speaking during a Q&A with reporters following the company's BlackBerry launch today in New York, said the timing for the Q10 depends on testing. Either way, it appears the device will hit the market after the Z10 full touchscreen smartphone.

BlackBerry, which today rebranded itself from its former Research In Motion name, launched a completely redesigned operating system and hardware that it hopes will convince users to stick with its platform. The Canadian company's fall … Read more

Carriers throw support behind new BlackBerry 10 smartphones

Minutes after BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins introduced the two new BlackBerry smartphones, U.S. carriers began releasing statements to officially back the new devices.

Verizon was the first to announce it would sell the touchscreen BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 with QWERTY keyboard, going so far as to attach a price -- $199 on contract. Big Red also said it would exclusively sell the Z10 in white in addition to its all-black color.

AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile also came forward today, with Sprint committing to a 4G LTE BlackBerry Q10, and AT&T backing both. T-Mobile said in a statement … Read more

BlackBerry Z10 review: RIM fans will love it; everyone else won't

Members of the BlackBerry Faithful, meet your new phone. The BlackBerry Z10 has everything you've been waiting for: a sleek, modern, and professional touch-screen body with an up-to-date OS to match and 4G LTE support. You'll revel in the virtual keyboard's ease and in BlackBerry Messenger's seamless voice chats. You'll crow about the Z10's Micro-HDMI port, and enjoy the 8-megapixel camera with its built-in editing tools.

In the most important ways, everything comes together: a lovely HD screen, a fast processor, a camera (with tricks!) that's good enough to stand alongside those of … Read more

BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 smartphones make big debut

BlackBerry, which previously called itself Research In Motion, today unveiled two new smartphones that it hopes will aid its efforts to return to favor with consumers and business users.

One phone, dubbed the BlackBerry Z10, features a full touch screen -- no QWERTY keyboard on this one. The 4.2-inch display has a pixel density of 356 per inch, compared to the iPhone's 326ppi density.

The other, dubbed the BlackBerry Q10, includes a full keyboard similar to those on older versions of the BlackBerry. … Read more

BlackBerry Z10 may sell in U.K. starting January 30

While we've known for a while that RIM plans to launch its newest mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10, on January 30, new leaked documents report that the first handset running the OS (dubbed the BlackBerry Z10) may be available for the U.K. market on that same day as well.

According to The Verge, an employee working at Vodafone UK leaked a photo of an in-house memo stating that the carrier will start selling the device at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

The notice also said Vodafone will only sell a black version of the Z10 first, and will … Read more

Intel's Yolo low-cost smartphone debuts

Safaricom today announced a smartphone based an Intel design -- part of the chipmaker's effort to enter the global low-cost phone market.

The Yolo smartphone is aimed "cost-conscious...first-time buyers" in Kenya, said Intel, which is responsible for both the core electronics and phone's design.

That design was announced at CES 2013.

Inside the 3.5-inch Yolo is an Intel Atom Z2420 processor that can run at speeds up to 1.2 GHz and Intel's XMM 6265 modem with HSPA+ support for global roaming.

Yolo will be sold in Safaricom shops in Kenya at an … Read more

Sony's new tablet is sliced thinner than the iPad Mini

Sony's new tablet is really thin. How thin? Thinner than the already-very-svelte iPad Mini.

The 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z measures 6.9mm or about 0.27 inches. The uber-thin Mini is 7.2mm and 0.28 inches, by comparison.

Thinness is important in tablets because it translates to very light, easy-to-hold designs. And here Sony delivers too: it weighs in at 485 grams or just over one pound.

That also beats the 10-inch class competition: Apple's iPad 4 is 1.44 pounds.

The 10.1-inch Xperia sports a 1,920x1,200 "Reality Display." That's not quite the pixel density of the iPad 4's Retina display but it's pretty close. The Xperia is about 224 pixels per inch (PPI), while the iPad's 9.7-inch display is 264 PPI.

But, to be fair, both fall short of Google's Nexus 10 with a PPI of 300. … Read more

The 404 at CES 2013: Where we change out $100 (podcast)

We've seen plenty of innovative gadgets at this year's show, but Jeff wants to talk about a few things we'd be thankful to never see again.

We'll also talk about the trend of indestructibility with regard to smartphone cases and screen protectors, alternative computer displays, and more.

Finally, we'll check out a local bar called Insert Coin(s) that dispels the myth of video game stereotypes. It's a unique take on nightlife that lets patrons choose from a selection of 60 vintage cabinets and modern games that you can play on 44 HDTVs plastered … Read more