To take on the poor sales in India, BlackBerry has launched a new smartphone - BlackBerry 9720 in India. The new device Blackberry has got the Blackberry 7.1 Operating System, QWERTY and touchscreen for those who like the hard keys while typing but a deft touch while gaming and BBM Voice, new feature which lets users chat over Wi-Fi for free.
Earlier this year, BlackBerry had brought out its BB10 operating system and launched two devices - Z10 and Q5 on that. So, one just wonders why the company is coming out with a launch based on the older OS. The answer is simple- It wants BB smartphones to be present across every mid and upper end price point.
BlackBerry 9720 is here :-) @TelecomTalk pic.twitter.com/Of3LclNwd5
— SANJAY BAFNA (@sanjaybafna) September 12, 2013
The key specifications of the phone are given below
· 2.8 inches (480 x 360 pixels) Multi-touch display, light and proximity sensor display
· Blackberry 7.1 Operating System
· Single core, 806 MHz, Tavor MG1 processor
· 512 MB RAM, 0.512 GB internal memory with expansion capacity up to 32 GB by using microSD card
· 5MP rear camera with LED flash
· GSM, 3G HSPA, Wi-Fi, EDGE, Bluetooth and GPRS for connectivity
· 1450 mAh battery to provide up to 7 hours of talktime and up to 432 hours of standby time
Our Take: The device scores poorly on processor, RAM and internal memory. These could prove out to be the game breaker. However, the leftover Blackberry fans may not mind this.
About a couple of years back, the Canadian handset maker was one of the top 3 in India in terms of sales. Today, it stands at the 7th position. Hence, the company seems to be in urgency.
It will be interesting to see whether this new smartphone can ignite any sales spark for Blackberry. The new handset will be available starting this weekend and will cost Rs 15,990 (MRP) to the retail buyers. It is a well rounded off deal and if you like the old school QWERTY keypad, touch and type smartphone, look nowhere else but at the BlackBerry 9720.
