The new devices based on Blackberry’s latest operating system have received rave reviews from analysts and product watchers raising hopes of a comeback by the handset maker in the high stakes smartphone game.
“The BlackBerry 10 platform offers a differentiated user experience in today’s crowded and homogenous smartphone market. The BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 will stand out from the Android masses and look distinct from Apple’s iPhone,” said Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum.
“The iPhone, Android and Windows Phone all entered life missing important features. Not this one; BlackBerry couldn’t risk building a lifeboat with leaks. So it’s all here,” Pogue wrote in his blog.
The new operating system has been launched at a time when BlackBerry has been losing market share to rivals Samsung and Apple globally. “The company is coming back into the game with force, that much is clear. Its new touchscreen smartphone is the serious contender BlackBerry has been claiming it would be, packing in the specs, software prowess, and services to take on even the most entrenched players in the game,” Joshua Topolski, gadget reviewer at tech website The Verge said.
Gartner India’s Consumer Devices expert Anshul Gupta said the new OS with a competitive touch user interface that puts BB10 on par with other OSes in the market. “Having said this BlackBerry would still need compelling ecosystem to win customers,” he said.
Thomas.thomas@thehindu.co.in