BlackBerry announced the BlackBerry Q20 at MWC 2014. The smartphone will not only feature a physical QWERTY keyboard but will also bring back the classic function keys, ‘Menu,’ ‘Back,’ ‘Send’ and ‘End,’ and trackpad found on earlier devices.
When it was announced, BlackBerry only said that it would launch sometime in the second half of the year. In an interview with Bloomberg late last week, CEO John Chen has narrowed that down to a fall release. “I’d like to be there yesterday,” said Chen, adding that a later launch date was required because the user interface blends modern technology with elements that will be familiar to users of older devices such as the Bold 9900 series. “I’m bridging the two worlds, so that takes a little while.” As a result, BlackBerry is aiming for a launch in the September of October timeframe.
Details about the BlackBerry Q20 are still slim. Manufactured by Foxconn (along with the new BlackBerry Z3), it will come with “a generous 3.5” touchscreen,” a large battery and will “be crafted from premium materials and designed for reliability and durability.”
Chen also revealed that he prefered the old Research In Motion name better than BlackBerry but quickly added that he had not given any thought to changing the name back. “Naming is the naming, we just have to compete and do the right thing. Whatever. We have a good brand and we [are going to] continue that brand.”
If you want to see the entire interview, it starts at the 1:20 mark.
Note: The device shown above is a concept rather than the actual BlackBerry Q20 first obtained by N4BB.