BlackBerry Passport set for September launch date

By Joe Minihane Share:

BlackBerry could launch its unique new Passport smartphone as soon as next month, according to a leaked company road map.

The squared off device turned heads when it was first unveiled earlier this year by the beleaguered Canadian mobile maker. It has a narrow physical keyboard and, as the name suggests, a Passport–shaped design.


The road map, snared by N4BB, shows that the device will be up for grabs from the end of the third quarter, earlier than many had anticipated. It will be unveiled alongside a device codenamed Khan, which is said to be BlackBerry’s much–vaunted Porsche Design phone.

Plans for the release of BB 10.3.1 software in the fourth quarter, seen in the same document, also point to the release of the so–called BlackBerry Classic at the same time. That old–style QWERTY phone will likely be aimed at users still keen on a proper keypad as opposed to a touchscreen.

BlackBerry was last week shown to be behind Windows Phone in terms of UK users. That despite Microsoft’s platform having a torrid few months in the face of sustained competition from Apple and Google.

The mobile maker had appeared to be turning things around after a disastrous end to 2013, which saw a new CEO installed and the loss of thousands of jobs after it failed to counter the early success of the iPhone.

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