BlackBerry’s Android phone will be known as the ‘Priv’
BlackBerry’s upcoming Android phone has been called “Venice” for quite some time, but that’s apparently nothing but a moniker meant to be shed and replaced by its real model name. According to Evleaks and N4BB, it will be released as the BlackBerry Priv, presumably due to its privacy features. Evleaks also revealed a new stock photo of the phone, which you can see below the fold. Don’t expect to see anything new, though: it’s still a QWERTY slider with a curved screen and an 18-megapixel camera. Hopefully, we’ll find out more about it and its release date soon. If the device turns out to have killer features, then it doesn’t matter what it’s called: after all, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Source: Evleaks (Twitter) (1), (2), N4BB
BlackBerry Venice is no more, say hello to the Priv
There has been a ton of talk about BlackBerry and their Venice phone lately. However, famous tech leaker @evleaks is stating that the name “Venice” will be changed to “Priv” once it hits store shelves.
The news has also been confirmed by N4BB who reached out to their BlackBerry contacts to get a comment. Although I kind of liked the name “Venice”, it was always a code name. The new name “Priv” is said to be “a nod to their privacy and security features that are being brought over to Android”.
Source: Evleaks (Twitter), N4BB
Come comment on this article: BlackBerry Venice is no more, say hello to the Priv
BlackBerry Venice said to be named BlackBerry Priv upon release
Liking that BlackBerry Venice moniker? I am too, but it is about time we stop forgetting about it. A new rumor coming from retired leaks extraordinaire Evan Blass (more commonly recognized as @evleaks) suggests this is not a name the device will keep once the phone is released. The popular upcoming slider phone is said to come as the BlackBerry Priv.
This new name definitely doesn’t flow as well as Venice, but it does make sense once you refer back to BlackBerry CEO’s comment on making an Android phone; John Chen told us he wouldn’t mind making an Android device if it was possible to make it as secure as BB10 handsets. The BlackBerry Venice is to have a high focus on Privacy, making the new Priv name very sensible.
At retail, Venice transforms into the… BlackBerry Priv
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 23, 2015
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Regardless of what it will be called, though, the upcoming BlackBerry Android smartphone looks to be a pretty awesome gadget. Its specs include a Snapdragon 810 processor, 3 GB of RAM, a 5.4-inch QHD display, 18 MP/5MP cameras and that sexy physical keyboard that has become BlackBery’s stamp.
You can read up on all the murmurs in our BlackBerry Venice rumor roundup. Otherwise, all we have left to do is wait around until the official announcement comes around. What do you guys think of the BlackBerry Priv name? I am not the biggest fan of it, but we have definitely seen worse, and it still looks to be an awesome handset.
I’m excited about the BlackBerry Venice, are you?
With so many leaks of upcoming products, it’s hard to get excited about new devices, especially as most are seen and talked about a long time before they become anything near a physical device.
The BlackBerry Venice, however, is different. Although it’s been leaked a few months ahead of its upcoming release, the handset has been received as a shock. No one had predicted that BlackBerry would create a Galaxy S6 Edge-style handset, running Android, with a slide-out physical keyboard.
We’ve already been treated to renders, a leak of the physical handset and our own hands on video and the BlackBerry Venice is certainly interesting. But for me, the Venice is more than just interesting. It’s exciting! Here are five reasons why!
The design
Until recently, the Galaxy S6 Edge was my daily driver and the BlackBerry Venice brings that same dual-edged design that is so unique on Samsung’s curved device. While Samsung didn’t do too much with the edge screen, I’m hoping that BlackBerry (or other developers), will find a way to use that screen to its full potential.
The curved edge will also make the handset easier to hold in the hand, which when considering it will have a slide out keyboard, is certainly a welcome improvement. The design will also stand out amongst a crowd of otherwise mostly-uninspiring smartphone designs.
That keyboard
There’s nothing quite like a physical keyboard and BlackBerry pretty much has one of the best keyboards in the smartphone market. That’s not saying much when you think about the lack of devices with physical devices, but I am still happy to see BlackBerry bringing the thing that is best known for to the Android world.
Having used a BlackBerry Passport (albeit briefly), the keyboard was certainly unique and the BlackBerry Venice has a similar keyboard. The Passport – which ran on BlackBerry’s own BB10 operating system – is widely accepted as offering an excellent typing experience and the Venice should hopefully offer the same.
As revealed in our hands-on, the keyboard comes with a touch-sensitive layer that supports gestures, such as being able to scroll up or down a page with a swipe on the keypad. It’s unknown if there’s anything further it can do but the possibilities are (hopefully) endless: as discussed in the podcast, imagine being able to simply swipe across the physical keys to draw out a word, in a similar way to the Swype/Flow feature found in on-screen keyboards.
BlackBerry Hub
If there’s one thing I do miss about my days of using BlackBerry devices and the BB10 OS, it’s BlackBerry Hub; the hub acts as a single notification centre and lets you view notifications from email, calendars, instant messengers, social apps and a lot more in one single place.
From viewing a timeline of notifications (even after you’ve already read them) to replying from a single screen and even publishing new emails or tweets, BlackBerry Hub is by far the best notification centre across any mobile device. A key part of the BlackBerry experience, I can’t wait to see it running on the BlackBerry Venice.
Forcing innovation
It’s fair to say that innovation in mobile generally comes in cycles, and this year has been very slow
For BlackBerry, bringing back the keyboard could be an experiment that has the potential to pay off. But a successful Venice could have a positive effect on an industry that desperately needs differentiation. If the handset does gain significant demand and exposure, it’s likely we’ll see other companies thinking about innovating with moving parts in their devices and this can only be a good thing.
Look back to the last decade and there’s one thing that’s certainly clear: manufacturers were a lot more imaginative back in the day. Currently, OEMs can innovate with design but handsets are all candy-bar devices with large touch screens (and very little else). Imagine what introducing moving parts, unique designs and physical aspects, with today’s level of reliability and quality, could do to the industry as a whole.
A possible BlackBerry comeback
Think back to your first mobile phone and chances are, it was made by either Nokia, Motorola or Research in Motion (RIM), which renamed itself to BlackBerry in 2013. While the first two companies have met with darker ends, BlackBerry is still alive and kicking (just).
I profess to being a fan of the BlackBerry keyboard in the past but issues delivering BlackBerry 10 was pretty much the final straw in an otherwise problematic relationship. That being said, far too many companies are producing smartphones that are soulless and almost identical to other devices and I’d love to see someone create unique smartphones again.
Related: BlackBerry Venice rumor roundup
Just because we’re now in a smart era doesn’t mean that innovation has to die and while there’s still a lot of questions surrounding things like the camera, battery life and software, I’m excited about the BlackBerry Venice. Are you? Vote in the poll and let us know your views in the comments below guys!
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Does Blackberry “Venice” have what it takes to become your next phone?
Looking back, the past couple years of Android have been incredible for smartphone buyers. We’ve seen amazing devices come from all the major players, all of them desperately wanting their phone to become yours. Samsung’s latest Galaxy phones this year have brought a new level of polish and luxury that we’ve never seen from the company before. LG’s G4 introduced many improvements over last years popular G3 and is a very worthy contender of best flagship of 2015. Motorola recently announced it’s highly customizable and fairly affordable Moto X Pure Edition on top of that. While most manufacturers have announced fantastic devices this year, we can all agree that they’ve been more “evolutionary” than “revolutionary”. Do we have anything more to be excited about for the rest of this year? The new Nexus devices are bound to be announced at the end of this month, but there is something else I’ve been paying even more attention to.
Blackberry has got something very special for Android fans, and it demands your attention. Many leaks have been showing up for Blackberry’s upcoming flagship, code named “Venice”, including a hands-on video, confirming that it is indeed running Android. Right when I had very little hope for the Canadian smartphone maker, the sky started raining frogs, and I’m genuinely hyped for this device.
As I mentioned above, “Venice” is Blackberry’s first commercial phone running Android, a move they presumably hope will draw in more customers afraid of Blackberry’s older OS which lacked many of the apps Android and iOS have. Blackberry is taking a similar path as Microsoft, accepting that Android is not going anywhere any time soon, and that Google’s open-sourced OS might benefit them more if it is utilized rather than fought. Like Microsoft, Blackberry is expanding their powerful software services into Android and other areas, such as their “second-to-none” mobile security software. While Android’s security is as strong as it’s ever been, it still carries the stereotype of being easily susceptible to malware and viruses. Blackberry’s incredible security plus the world’s most popular mobile OS sounds like a match made in heaven.
Besides running Android, Venice is reportedly packing some serious hardware. Blackberry has always constructed very durable and beautiful devices, and Venice is no exception. This device is rumored to sport a 5.4 inch Quad-HD AMOLED display, a 1.8GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 808 processor, 3 GB of RAM, a large 18-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. As for the battery size, we are expecting a 3,000mAh non-removable battery. These specifications alone make this device quite tempting, but what’s even better? The phone’s slide-out keyboard, offering Blackberry’s most signature hardware feature.
Despite nearly every modern smartphone not having a physical keyboard, I miss having one on my messaging phone before I got my first Android. Looking back, I typed way faster with less errors, and it just felt better. Blackberry’s move to bring a slide-out keyboard onto a powerful 5.4 inch Android phone will be one of the boldest things to happen to the market in a while. Thank you, Blackberry, for trying to change things up again.
The “Venice” device is expected to bring all of 2015’s flagship hardware features, a near-stock Android experience with multiple very useful added tweaks and features including a re-tooled launcher, more shortcuts when sliding up from the home button including Blackberry Hub and Blackberry’s universal search feature, improved security features, and a more productive experience. Another feature Blackberry is bringing to this device is the touch sensitive keyboard, allowing you to scroll just by moving your finger over the keyboard like in previous Blackberry devices. The nice thing is, even if you don’t always want to use the physical keyboard, you can also use a software one too. If you’re concerned about the thickness of this device, the leaked hands-on video shows some promising looks of the device, as the actual screen is quite thin on top of the keyboard and body.
So far, does this phone compete with other flagships? A big, not huge 5.4 inch QHD AMOLED (slightly curved on the sides) screen, fast and competitive CPU, a large 18-megapixel camera with OIS, plenty of RAM for serious multitasking, very strong security and productivity features, a large battery, slide-out keyboard, and even expandable storage as confirmed in the video. This is a phone I’ve got my eyes on, and you can definitely expect further updates on it here at AndroidGuys.
What’re your thoughts on “Venice”? Does it have potential to be your next phone?
The post Does Blackberry “Venice” have what it takes to become your next phone? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Android Authority this week – September 19, 2015
It’s been a busy week in the world of Android, and much of the buzz was generated by an unlikely player – BlackBerry. Check out our BlackBerry Venice close-up and the other news of the week: Qualcomm announced details about Snapdragon 820 and Quick Charge 3; more rumors about the HTC One A9 surfaced; Google announced the date of its Nexus event; Google Now on Tap became available; Amazon introduced its newest Android tablets; and details about the next Chromecast leaked out.
Inside AA HQ
Can we still be excited for new smartphones? In a world where leaks are the norm and truly new features and designs are increasingly rare, is there room left for genuine surprises? Matt wrote a very interesting piece on how the “leak culture” makes it increasingly hard to experience the joyful wonderment that used to accompany new product announcements “back in the day.” But while genuine surprises are harder to come by, we just can’t quit our addiction. “It is this lust for more that paradoxically encourages further leaks, and yet in the process, only further traps us into the vicious cycle of information excess,” as Matt puts it.
It’s definitely ironic that just a couple of days after Matt published his post, we brought you an exciting (and exclusive) leak. Perhaps even more ironic, the device that’s got all of us excited is a slider-phone with a mechanical keyboard from BlackBerry. And it runs Android. Those are words I never thought I would ever type. Check out hands-on images and video tour of the BlackBerry Venice, and thanks again to the fine folks at Baka Mobile for sending the media our way.
Sunday Giveaway: A big congratulations to last week’s winner of the OnePlus 2 giveaway: Sergiy G. from Ukraine. This week we are giving away a Samsung Galaxy Note 5, enter here.
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Tips and tricks: Here are Edgar’s tips for making the most out of your smartphone camera
- Unboxing: Josh takes a very unusual phone out of the box: the Marshall London
- Quick look: Will a fresh look and a focus on cloud integration set the Nextbit Robin apart?
- Opinion: Simon looks at the dangers that could bring down the high flying Xiaomi
- How to: You can get close to stock Android, without rooting: here are some pointers
- Opinion: Apple’s latest products speak about the dominance of Android, argues Matt
- Comparison: Galaxy S6 vs OnePlus 2: bold marketing can only get you so far
- Review: Is Google’s Project Fi worth your attention? Edgar weighs in
- Review: Lanh reviews the highly anticipated Moto X Pure
Top news of the week
Qualcomm’s next big things
- Qualcomm introduces Quick Charge 3.0 – powering up devices 4x faster!
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 to feature super fast LTE, powerful WiFi and smarter connectivity
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 and 430 processors – performance meets affordability
One A9 rumors
- HTC One A9 rumored to launch in November with modest specs
- HTC A9 Aero flagship reportedly will feature Marshmallow out of the box
Nexus 5x is coming
- Here are the front and back of the Nexus 5X in mint
- Google announces an event to be held on September 29th
BlackBerry Venice: up close
- Exclusive: New leaked images of the BlackBerry Venice
- Blackberry Venice shown off in quick look video
Google Now on Tap is here
Amazon sells a tablet six-pack
- Amazon announces latest Fire tablets, priced as low as $50
- Amazon announces revised Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
Next Chromecast
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Here are the videos you don’t want to miss this week – September 19, 2015
We’re only a little over a week away until we see the new Nexus smartphones, but that can feel like an eternity to dedicated Android fans. To tide you over until then, we’ve managed to bring you a wide range of video coverage this week.
Lanh just recently unboxed the Moto X Pure Edition, and we’ve already brought you our full in-depth review of the new handset. We’ve also brought you some hands-on coverage of the Nextbit Robin and Marshall London, as well as an exclusive first look at the upcoming BlackBerry Venice. This has been a pretty interesting week in the Android world, and you definitely don’t want to miss any of it.
If you happened to miss any of our coverage, fear not. We’ve rounded up all of the Android-related videos you don’t want to miss this week.
Don’t miss: CTIA 2015 highlights: phones, drones and Internet of Things
Reviews
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (Moto X Style) review
Motorola has made some huge improvements with the Moto X Pure Edition, but does the phone fall short in any key areas? Check out Lanh’s in-depth review to learn more.
When flagships go head to head
OnePlus 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S6
The OnePlus 2 and Samsung Galaxy S6 are two of the most controversial smartphones of 2015. So everybody is wondering, how do they compare? Josh pits the two flagships head to head.
iPhone 6S vs the Android competition
Apple just recently announced its new flagship smartphone, the iPhone 6S. Wondering how it compares to the Android competition? Rob walks us through the stats in the written portion below, and be sure to check out Jayce’s video to get all the details.
BlackBerry’s upcoming Android phone
Exclusive: New leaked images of the BlackBerry Venice
BlackBerry’s upcoming Android-powered handset has been in the rumor mill for some time. Thanks to a few sources close to Android Authority, we’ve been able to bring you some hands-on images of the phone in the wild. Check out our full written post below for all of the pictures, and don’t miss Jayce’s video above.
BlackBerry Venice quick look
Just a few days after we brought you the exclusive images of the Venice, our friends at Baka Mobile were able to bring you a hands-on video, showing off the device’s software, hardware and more. Be sure to check out that video attached above, and don’t miss the written portion below for some extra leaked images.
Hands on and first impressions
Nextbit Robin quick look
Nextbit is setting out to change the way we use our smartphones, and the Robin is one heck of a start. Nirave goes hands-on with the Nextbit Robin and gives you his first impressions.
Marshall London unboxing and first impressions
The Marshall London smartphone focuses on high-quality, lossless audio for a superior listening experience. Want more information on this audio-focused device? Josh unboxes and gives us his first impressions on the Marshall London.
Android Apps Weekly
Apple’s first app, Russia tells Google no, Order & Chaos 2 – you don’t want to miss Joe’s newest episode of Android Apps Weekly!
Best gadgets for your dorm
Looking for some awesome tech gadgets to spice up your dorm room? We’ve got you covered! Check out Krystal’s video for the best ways to pimp your dorm.
Hands-on video of the BlackBerry Venice shows almost 4 minutes of the unannounced device
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The other day we were treated to some very clear photos of the upcoming Android-powered BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry Venice, but naturally that’s now been trumped by an almost 4 minute hands-on video of the BlackBerry Venice. Courtesy of Baka Mobile, the video walks through some of the features that have been difficult to surmise from photos, such as tap to wake. Despite this being only an evaluation unit, the Venice in the video looks very close to a production unit, but we’ll still have to wait for BlackBerry‘s official announcement. Check out the video for yourself down below:
A few features are quite interesting – the biometric touch swipe that is possible on the slide out keyboard is an unusual feature, especially considering the device has a touchscreen. Also, the confirmation of the swipe up command on the home button which allows quick navigation to Google Now, BlackBerry Hub or search is a really nice touch too. If nothing else, the BlackBerry Venice is still an extremely exciting device even though we’re finding out so much about it in the news – just goes to show that BlackBerry still knows their stuff.
What do you think about the BlackBerry Venice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: BlackBerryOS.com via Droid-life
The post Hands-on video of the BlackBerry Venice shows almost 4 minutes of the unannounced device appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
BlackBerry Venice Slider shown off in new hands-on video
We have for weeks now been seen leak after leak regarding the new BlackBerry Venice Slider, which will be the company’s first Android-based smartphone. Baka Mobile, a Bell authorized dealer in Toronto, got their hands on the device and today released a video demoing the unit.
The device Baka Mobile is showing off is indeed an evaluation unit, so things are most certainly subject to change before the Venice hits the market. Check out the hands-on video below!
Click here to view the embedded video.
The video shows off what seems to be your average Android device–power button, volume rocker, micro-USB port on the bottom, microSD, SIM card tray, and so on. However, what makes the Venice unique is that when you slide the screen upwards, you reveal a physical keyboard.
One thing’s for sure, we’re getting closer and closer to the BlackBerry Venice release in November, and we’re bound to see more juicy details as we near launch day. Anyone excited?
via: BlackBerryOS
Come comment on this article: BlackBerry Venice Slider shown off in new hands-on video
Blackberry Venice shown off in quick look video
Earlier this week we brought you an exclusive look at some new pictures and features from the upcoming Blackberry Venice. At the time we didn’t reveal our source, but they have now decided to step forward with a new hands-on quick look video!
In the video above, our friends at Baka Mobile gives us a rundown of the Venice. We highly recommend watching it for yourself, but let’s run through some of the biggest takeaways.
First, design. In terms of the design, the key layout is quite similar to what you’d find with other Blackberry devices, offering a physical camera button on the left and volume rockers and a smart action key on the right. Baka also confirms that the phone has a front facing speaker grille and a microSD slot.
Of course, one of the biggest stories here is the keyboard. One thing we didn’t know about before this is just how well the keyboard would work, or how it would affect how the phone feels. According to the video, the keyboard is actually really well balanced. Unlike devices such as the Blackberry Torch, the Venice isn’t too bottom heavy and should be comfortable even when used open or closed.
We have also learned that the keyboard offers biometric sense touch similar to the Passport. What this means is that you can swipe up or down on the keyboard to scroll, which could be handy when browsing or for reading.
Turning to the software experience, you’ll notice that the phone packs a near-stock build at first glance. Under the surface though, you’ll find some cool additions. For one thing, the phone has tap-to-wake functionality. For another, swiping up on the test software brings Blackberry Hub, Blackberry Device search, and Google Search. We imagine there are at least a few other enhancements to be found with more digging.
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While we still don’t know much about when the Blackberry Venice is coming, the fact that Baka got its hands on a test unit indicates that an official release might not be terribly far off. Again, special thanks to Baka Mobile! You can learn more about the company by following their Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or heading to their website.
What do you think, excited for the Blackberry Venice?
AIVAnet 