BlackBerry debuts curved-screen slider smartphone


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BB prototype



BlackBerry has thrown a bit of a curveball by offering a glimpse at an ambitious curved-screen smartphone with a slide-out keyboard.


At the company's MWC 2015 event, BlackBerry's handset boss Ron Louks pulled out an unexpected new smartphone with an unusual design.


Offering a dual-curved display reminiscent of the futuristic Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and a slide-out keyboard reminiscent of the BlackBerry Torch 9800, the as-yet-unnamed BlackBerry took MWC 2015 attendees by complete surprise.


This was backed up by a tweet on the official BlackBerry Twitter page stating "What a Surprise! Ron just pulled out a dual-curved, all-touch display with a Keyboard - yes a slider device!"


There were no real details provided on this mysterious new handset, other than the fact that it will launch later in the year, and that it will sport a "dual-curved, all-touch display with a keyboard."


Given the leaked price range for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, it seems likely that this mystery prototype will be at the premium end of the smartphone market.



Read More: How to install Android apps on a BlackBerry phone


BlackBerry also used its MWC 2015 slot to launch the BlackBerry Leap, a 5-inch all-touch smartphone with an affordable price tag and alleged 25-hour battery life under heavy usage.


The Leap sees BlackBerry returning to a mainstream form factor that hasn't proved too successful for the company in the past, prompting it to focus on traditional keyboard devices for much of 2014.