Industry Updates

BlackBerry announced the availability of a new five-inch all-touch smartphone for consumers and enterprise users who value security and privacy. The company said that unlike some other smartphones, the BlackBerry 10.3.1 based device will have more than a full day’s battery life.

Additional features include:

• BlackBerry Blend – BlackBerry Blend brings messaging and content that is on your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer and tablet. Get instant message notifications, read and respond to your work and personal email, BBM™ or text messages, and access your documents, calendar, contacts and media in real time on  whatever device you are on, powered by your BlackBerry. BlackBerry Blend  works across desktop operating systems, including Mac OS X 10.7 +, Windows 7+ and Android tablets running Android 4.4+ via cellular, USB or Wi-Fi connections.
• BlackBerry Assistant – The BlackBerry Assistant is BlackBerry’s first digital assistant and can be used with voice and text commands to help users manage work and personal email, contacts, calendar and other native BlackBerry 10 applications. It’s the only smartphone assistant on the market today that can access both personal and work content in your work perimeter. BlackBerry Assistant intelligently determines how to respond to you based on how you interact with it – if you type, it responds silently, if you speak, it speaks back and if you activate over                Bluetooth, it speaks back with additional context because it assumes you might not have access to the screen.
• Dual app storefronts preloaded for access to a huge selection of apps for work and play:
• BlackBerry World – BlackBerry World offers essential business and productivity apps for professionals looking to drive efficient communications and collaboration including Box, Evernote, Cisco WebEx Meetings and Documents to Go.
• Amazon Appstore – Discover and download popular Android apps and games   through the Amazon Appstore including Candy Crush Saga, Pinterest, SoundCloud, Kindle and Amazon Shopping.

Cameron Vernest, Managing Director for Singapore at BlackBerry, said: “With an all-touch screen, the BlackBerry Leap rounds out our portfolio of BlackBerry 10 devices, offering an affordable choice to mobile professionals who require a smartphone that safeguards sensitive communications and keeps them productive.”

BlackBerry Leap will be on sale in Singapore from May 23, through M1Shop outlets island-wide, as well as via the enterprise sales teams of carriers M1, Singtel and StarHub at a SRP of S$389.