No. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you and neither is this post bumped up from the archive. This is latest smartphone from the Ontario-based handset maker and it is called, well, Blackberry Classic. We have absolutely why Blackberry (formerly Research in Motion or RIM) choose to reboot the classic design. Oh, actually we might. According to the official press release, this ‘new device’ is a response to “custom demands for a familiar design merged with the security and speed of Blackberry 10..” and it went on to say how it is superior than the Blackberry Bold 9900, including three times faster browsing, 60 percent more screen space, 50 precent longer battery life and finally, more applications available through Blackberry World and Amazon Appstore.
As you can see, it appears to look like any Blackberry device of the past. Taking the center stage is the iconic QWERTY keyboard, now optimized for speed and accuracy, plus the obligatory trackpad and classic navigation keys for one-hand use. Also fronting the device is a 3.5-inch HD touch display boasting 294ppi, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Digging further under the hood, you will find a large capacity battery which works in conjunction with “state-of-the-art” battery optimization software to offer up to 22 hours of battery life. Other aspect of the spec-sheet is no flagship-grade but ample, with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chip handling the clockworks, a healthy 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage, microSD card slot for expandable storage, and a pair of cameras, namely an 8MP and a 2MP item, with upgraded imaging sensors.
Elsewhere, it is all about software. The Classic runs on Blackberry 10 OS 10.3.1 which includes Blackberry Blend that brings together messaging and contents on the Blackberry to your computer and tablet, and also Blackberry Assist, the Waterloo handset maker’s answer to Apple’s Siri and Google Now. And then there is the Blackberry 10 web browser which is totally HTML 5-friendly and rated by HTML5TEST.com as one of the top mobile browsers for “web fidelity”, plus Blackberry Hub that offers a single place to manage all your conversations, available at a swipe away. If you are all for a throwback smartphone design with modern software wonder, then you’d be glad to know the Blackberry Classic is available as we speak for $449.99.
