BlackBerry is expected to launch its first smartphones running Google Android software, and up until now we’ve been calling one of those phones the BlackBerry Venice, because that’s its code-name. But thanks to Evan Blass, now we have a pretty good idea what it’ll be called when it hits stores:

The BlackBerry Priv.

blackberry priv

Yeah, I know… it sounds a bit silly. But so did Apple iPad and Nintendo Wii. We got used to those names. And at least this one kind of makes sense, since BlackBerry emphasizes the privacy and security features of its phones — including its Android phones (which will include a suite of BlackBerry apps and services).

While Evan Blass doesn’t have a perfect track record with leaks, he does have a pretty good record, and the folks at N4BB say their sources have confirmed the BlackBerry Priv name.

The phone is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, an 18MP camera, and a slide-out keyboard, making it one of the few flagship Android phones to sport a physical keyboard.

BlackBerry will likely officially introduce the phone before the end of the year. The company is also said to be working on an Android version of its BlackBerry Passport smartphone.

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14 replies on “BlackBerry’s first Android phone to be called BlackBerry Priv”

  1. Imagine the price of a viable hard case! Stick a fork in it Blackberry, your time has passed.

  2. I can’t be too surprised that somewhere a single engineer, who chose ‘Venice’ out-thought a room full of marketing people who chose ‘Priv’.

  3. I think the only Android phone available today with a physical keyboard.

    1. Yes, at least spell it with a long-vowel macron to avoid that association: Prīv.

  4. Vertical slide is wrong slide! But then again… being ridiculously out of touch with what the market wants from them is what brought them close to bankruptcy.

    1. Why do people type in landscape, for better accuracy? This is about as good as it gets for accuracy.

      1. – two finger typing
        – wider text field or bigger font for same width

        1. I type with both thumbs in portrait mode, with autocorrect working overtime but still with really good accuracy.

          You need at least 4.7″ display in order to not seem cramped, however most phones nowadays are over 5″ so it’s not as common anymore. I haven’t seen anyone type on the iPhone 6 (4.7″) horizontally because it’s so dang tall.

      2. For me, it’s to get more keys on the keyboard (ie. ctrl, alt, esc, arrow, etc. keys).

    2. Some prefer the portrait. BlackBerry would do this over anyone else because of their tradition of making phones good with one-handed operation

  5. Not a huge fan of Blackberry but I was hoping that they would take Android and make it their own I.E. Amazon Fire and OUYA. A custom version of AOSP modeled after Blackberry OS would have been nifty and might have given their longtime fans some familiarity. I also like the note about the naming. As a Nintendo fan I can attest to the name Wii (now Wii U) being a part of my daily life. The name “Priv” speaks to the traditional Blackberry, enterprise style user and I’m sure it will catch on. Best of luck to them.

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