The Gen XY Lifestyle
BlackBerry Goes Android-gynous with the PRIV
It’s all about choices in this day and age, and BlackBerry is now offering that in the form of the PRIV, its first Android-powered phone.
A hybrid in more ways than one, the PRIV incorporates BlackBerry’s productivity, security and privacy features, as well as a slide-out physical keyboard, for the best of both worlds. Key BlackBerry 10 productivity features like the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Calendar have also been integrated into the PRIV.
Given that it’s a slider phone, the PRIV is rather slim – it measures 9.4mm thin – and even features nice touches like a dual curve screen and a large 3,140mAh battery. One long standing criticism of BlackBerry phones has also been addressed: it now features a 18-megapixel camera certified by Schneider-Kreuznach.
BlackBerry is certainly pulling out all the stops here, and they’re also offering a 5.4-inch OLED display with a 2560×1440 resolution. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 808 processor – a flagship class variant with extra security features. In addition, the PRIV has 32GB of onboard storage and microSD support for up to 2TB.
But of course, the slider keyboard is what many BlackBerry fans are interested in. While it’s slightly smaller than what most users are familiar with, it’s still a good enough compromise, and has the added feature of doubling up as a scroll wheel for web browsing.
Security has always been one of BlackBerry’s core strengths and the PRIV is no different, incorporating features like cryptographic keys at hardware level, compatibility with BES 12 (BlackBerry’s Enterprise solution for mobile) and a DTEK app that monitors application access to key phone modules like the microphone, camera, location and personal information.
PRIV will be available from mid-December at S$1,098 from M1, Singtel, StarHub and other BlackBerry authorised partners.
