BlackBerry announces the BlackBerry Q20 - A keyboard phone with the trackpad and function keys

The physical keyboard device is the third BlackBerry 10 QWERTY model with one striking difference — it marks the return of the "tool belt" (trackpad and function keys) that we haven't seen since BB7.

The "BlackBerry Classic" will be out before the end of the year. No info on pricing or availability just yet.

Press Release
BlackBerry Unveils New Flagship BlackBerry 10 Smartphone Designed to Deliver the Full Classic QWERTY Experience
BlackBerry Q20 to Feature the Familiar 'Menu', 'Back', 'Send' and 'End' Buttons and the Integrated Trackpad
BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwired - Feb. 25, 2014) - Mobile World Congress 2014 - Embodying feedback from its millions of passionate QWERTY customers around the world, BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today unveiled a new flagship smartphone designed to deliver its full and distinctive QWERTY experience on BlackBerry® 10. The new BlackBerry® Q20 smartphone will feature the familiar and classic 'Menu', 'Back', 'Send' and 'End' buttons and the integrated trackpad to enable the fast efficient navigation and one-handed use that has endeared the brand to its QWERTY customers.
"In my first 90 days on the job, I consistently heard from our ardent BlackBerry customers that the hard buttons and trackpad are an essential part of the BlackBerry QWERTY experience, that made their BlackBerry smartphone their go-to productivity tool. I want these customers to know that we heard them, and this new smartphone will be for them," said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry. "Today, we're delighted to announce the new BlackBerry Q20 smartphone, which is designed to give you the distinct experience that every BlackBerry QWERTY loyalist and high-productivity business customer absolutely loves. With the BlackBerry Q20 smartphone, you'll get the familiar hard buttons and trackpad that you want, along with the best email service, the best keyboard experience and the best battery life possible."
The new BlackBerry Q20 smartphone will give customers the familiar workflow, efficiency and one-handed use that distinguish the BlackBerry QWERTY smartphone experience. Key features will include:
The 'Menu', 'Back', 'Send' and 'End' buttons and trackpad will be made an integral part of the device and user interface, enabling fast, precise navigation and a natural workflow within and between apps.
The new smartphone will feature BlackBerry's patented QWERTY keyboard design with frets and sculpted keys for the best typing experience.
The best email service including features like BlackBerry® Hub, where you can access all your messages in one place, and enterprise connectivity with BES10.
The BlackBerry Q20 smartphone will include a generous 3.5" touchscreen, the largest display yet on a QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone, giving you more space for viewing messages, browsing Internet and intranet sites and accessing other apps.
The smartphone will be crafted from premium materials and designed for reliability and durability.
A large battery to provide superior battery life.
The BlackBerry Q20 smartphone will come with the latest enhancements in BlackBerry 10 that continue to set the brand apart as the best and most secure tool for mobile productivity and reliable communications. The new smartphone will be available in the second half of 2014. Further details on pricing and availability will be announced at launch.

For more information about BlackBerry 10, visit www.blackberry.com/blackberry10OS.

Canadian carriers will be offering up the full-QWERTY BlackBerry Q10 starting May 1st.

 Rogers, TELUS, Bell and a handful of other Canadian carriers will be offering up the full-QWERTY Q10 starting May 1st. While pre-orders have been available for a few weeks now, just a few more days and you'll be able to grab one for yourself in stores and online.

The Q10 will run you $199 on a 3-year term and will also be available on Virgin Mobile Canada, Fido, Koodo Mobile, and Sasktel. Best Buy, Future Shop, TBooth Wireless, The Source, Walmart Canada and WIRELESSWAVE will all sell the Q10 as well.

Still no word from WIND on a release date nor anything at all regarding the Q10 from Mobilicity.

Related articles

• BlackBerry 10 N-Series QWERTY Phone makes an appearance in leaked video
• The BlackBerry Q10 has the largest battery of any BlackBerry smartphone, ever.
• BlackBerry Making Same Profit Off One Z10 as Nokia Does Three Lumias
• Nokia to launch a QWERTY phone, compete with BlackBerry

The BlackBerry Q10 has the largest battery of any BlackBerry smartphone, ever.

Thorsten Heins presents the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry Q10 (Photo credit: Official BlackBerry Images)

The BlackBerry Q10 has the largest battery of any BlackBerry smartphone, ever. The BlackBerry Q10 battery is 2100 mAh in size, which means, well, you can talk, work and play nearly all day on a single charge.

BlackBerry OS 10.1 update coming

It looks like the first major software update to BlackBerry 10 OS will start rolling out later this month – just in time for the BlackBerry Q10 launch. In fact, quite a few of the new features it will bring are meant for BlackBerry Q10 users as they take advantage of its physical QWERTY keyboard. 

Among them will be the new Type N Go, which is a perk that provides quick access to a number of commands straight from the search bar. For example, typing "email" and then a contact's name will launch the email client and add them as a recipient. That works with BBM, videocalls, SMS, phone calls, and more. In addition, the keyboard's hardware buttons will work as shortcut keys after the update: "i" and "o" will zoom in and out respectively, while "r" or "f" will reply to or forward an email. The OS' word prediction feature will also be modified in accordance to the BlackBerry Q10 and its form factor.

BlackBerry 10 'R-Series'; is this the new BlackBerry 10 Curve?

If BlackBerry's Z10 and QWERTY-keyboard equipped Q10 aren't enough for you, how about a successor to the venerable Curve series? This image popped up on the BlackBerryOS forums and purports to be an "R-Series" device that will fill the lower-end hole in the lineup, with 8GB storage, less RAM, the QWERTY keyboard you see and side mounted SIM and SD card slots.

Related articles

• Are You Holding Out For The BlackBerry Q10?
• QWERTY BlackBerry 10 R-Series leaks online