BlackBerry Z10’s QWERTY sibling, the Q10, will be available in Rogers Communications retail and dealer locations across Canada in the “coming weeks,” according to the carrier.
The smart phone, which features a physical keyboard and touch screen, is being offered by Rogers at a starting price of $199.99 with a three year plan.
Earlier this month, Rogers expanded its LTE 26000 network to 44 new markets. Among the 44 LTE markets launching this spring are: Saint John, N.B.; Medicine Hat, Alta.; Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.; Guelph, Ont.; Muskoka, Ont.; Collingwood, Ont.; and several cities in Quebec. At that time, Boynton said Rogers will be releasing more 26000-enabled devices in the coming months. He said among there were the LG Optimus G2600, the Rocket Stick, Rocket Hub and the Rocket Mobile Hotspot.
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The Q10 has a 3.1-inch display with a resolution of 720×720; it is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 Plus processor. It has an 8MP camera that can shoot 1080p HD videos, a 2MP front facing camera and 2GB of RAM. The handset has 16 GB of internal storage and a 2100mAh battery. The phone’s dimensions are 19.6mmx66.8mmx10.35mm and it has LTE, Wi-Fi and near field communications (NFC) capability.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government yesterday announced that it has lent the Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica SA the equivalent of $265 million to help the company purchase BlackBerry smart phones.
Export Development Canada said the agreement will help strengthen the relations between the Spanish carrier and BlackBerry. Release of the Q10 in Europe is also underway.
