BlackBerry is back in game with plans to license its new operating system to entry-level devices.
Read more: [url=http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/blackberry-aims-high-at-lowcost-devices-20130214-2ee9q.html#ixzz2KpXSTO1R
BlackBerry 10 OS Licensed To Entry Level Devices: Z10, Q10: Photos[/url]
]BlackBerry is considering licensing its smartphone software to other phone manufacturers in an attempt to get low-cost devices running its new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system.
"We are looking into licensing [for lower-cost devices]," BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten Heins told Fairfax Media on Thursday during an international media briefing at the company's headquarters in Waterloo, Canada.
BlackBerry is back in the game.
Kevin Michaluk, Crackberry.com
"It's a question of the business model and timing to trigger the decision of if and when you would do this."
This would include "a mid-tier device or, for certain markets, even an entry-level device".
"The question is which price points can we achieve. The cost of the technology is pretty high at the moment for a full-fledged smartphone," he said.
"If you think about the display resolution, the processors and memory you need, and then run the math, we're probably not going to get there in the next six months."
New BlackBerrys to launch here next month
The first of the new BlackBerry handsets, the all-touchscreen Z10, will go on sale in Australia in late March on the 3G and 4G networks of Telstra and Optus.
BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins dismissed reports of subdued and even underwhelming sales of the Z10 on its debut in Canada and the UK earlier this month.
"I completely disagree with that. This was the best launch ever in BlackBerry history, it was beyond expectations, and we have numbers to support that," he said.
But he cautions that "we need to maintain that momentum, we need to ensure this is just not fireworks".
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BlackBerry 10 OS Licensed To Entry Level Devices: Z10, Q10: Photos