BlackBerry A10 Leaks, Q5 Hits Developing Markets

From DailyTech: BlackBerry, Ltd. (TSE:BB) is treading water financially, as it continues to spin its wheels at the herculean task of producing an industry-leading operating system on what is a lean budget compared to deep-pocketed competitors like Google Inc. (GOOG), Apple, Inc. (AAPL), and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).

So far BlackBerry's first BB10 devices -- the Z10 and Q10 -- haven't exactly been hot sellers. In fiscal Q1 (calendard Q2) 2013, BB moved only 2.7 million units of the Z10 and Q10. In the U.S. Z10s are now being given away for free on some networks, while rival smartphones sell for $100 or $200 USD.

The company is moving forward amid a fresh round of job cuts and executive departures, trying to bail out water with a fresh pair of handsets.

Based on CrackBerry's information, it appears the handset will head to Verizon Wireless (a joint subsidiary of Verizon Communications, Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc (LON:VOD)) -- America's largest network. AT&T, Inc. (T) seems another likely target in the U.S.

BB's other new device is official, and is launching this week in "developing" markets. Dubbed the Q5, the handset was first tipped in May and packs a [physical] keyboard. It has 3.1 inch (720x720 pixel) screen and is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 from Qualcomm.

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