Items tagged with priv
If you’re one of the few out there running a BlackBerry Priv on T-Mobile’s wireless network, you’ll be happy to learn that the flagship Android smartphone is just now receiving Marshmallow. BlackBerry first rolled out an open beta for Marshmallow in early May for unlocked devices, and the update started heading to carrier-backed Priv smartphones last month. The new build is designated AAF153 and will update your Priv to Android 6.0.1. In addition, it also brings some performance and stability improvements for the smartphone. This is likely bitter sweet news, as T-Mobile has already bailed on the BlackBerry Priv from a sales perspective. The third-place wireless carrier began selling the Priv...
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It hasn't been a rough stretch for BlackBerry over the past several years. The once dominant smartphone outfit has tried numerous strategies to claw its way back to relevance—a name change, new CEO, inevitable layoffs, and more recently going all-in with Android. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be working for BlackBerry, and its flagship Priv handset isn't the savior the company hoped it would be.An executive at AT&T who asked not to be blamed put it rather bluntly when speaking with CNET, saying the Priv is "really struggling." The executive noted also noted that AT&T is seeing more returns on the device than it anticipated. That's something BlackBerry should be worried about, especially...
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Time are tough for BlackBerry, as they've been for an uncomfortably long stretch now, but the Canadian handset maker isn't throwing in the towel. BlackBerry continues to have high hopes that supporting Android will reinvigorate the firm, and taking a step in that direction, it's making available a custom Android 6.0 Marshmallow build in beta form to Priv owners.When this whole Android initiative kicked off, BlackBerry introduced its Priv handset with a security-focused version of Android 5.1 Lollipop. Right away customers began asking when BlackBerry would update the Priv to Marshmallow, and the questions and appeals to do so "have only gotten stronger" since then, BlackBerry says.Here we are...
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We can’t say that we didn’t see this one coming. BlackBerry has been circling the drain for quite some time, and its Blackberry 10 (BB10) operating system — which was supposed to be its savior in the face of immense pressure from iOS and Android — has proven to be anything but. That became even more clear when BlackBerry announced its flagship Priv smartphone last year, which just so happens to run the Android operating system. In an interview conducted during CES, BlackBerry CEO John Chen confirmed that it will no longer develop smartphones running on its own BB10 operating system. Instead, like the Priv, it will concentrate on using Android with its own security software and enhancements baked...
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BlackBerry CEO John Chen definitely didn’t leave a good impression when he demoed his company’s upcoming Android slider: the PRIV. The PRIV is BlackBerry’s latest effort to remain relevant in the smartphone market, and Chen’s antic on camera revealed a chief executive that wasn’t familiar with the product he was displaying, and a prototype device that wasn’t quite up to production performance levels. With that embarrassing incident behind it, BlackBerry is going more mainstream with the first official commercial for the PRIV. The video shows the PRIV being used for everyday tasks and gives us a great look at the slide out QWERTY keyboard in action. It’s a short video that lasts a mere 41 seconds,...
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It's official, BlackBerry is planning to launch an Android handset called Priv (codenamed Venice). BlackBerry CEO John Chen confirmed the rampant rumor in a statement accompanying the Canadian outfit's financial report (PDF) for its fiscal 2016 second quarter, though he may want to familiarize himself with the handset between now and when it releases to retail. Mr. Chen granted Business News Network's Amber Kanwar a worldwide exclusive first look at the upcoming phone by way of a video interview, but instead of showing off the Priv (short for Privacy) and drumming up excitement for the device, he may have inadvertently gave BlackBerry users cause for concern as he struggled with the interface....
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With devices based on the BlackBerry 10 operating system languishing compared to industry stalwarts running iOS and Android (the company sold just 800,000 smartphones in the previous quarter), BlackBerry needs a backup plan to ensure its survival in the cutthroat smartphone market. As we’ve been reporting for months, BlackBerry is shacking up with Google to deliver an all-new, premium flagship smartphone that runs Android. BlackBerry CEO John Chen has now confirmed the device and its name: Priv. “Today, I am confirming our plans to launch Priv, an Android device named after BlackBerry's heritage and core mission of protecting our customers' privacy,” said Chen. “Priv combines the best of BlackBerry...
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