Surprise! Surprise! BlackBerry is not releasing its new smartphone as BlackBerry Venice like what previous reports, rumors and speculations claimed its name to be. The Waterloo, Canada-headquartered device that will run on full Android will hit the market with a different name instead. And it is BlackBerry PRIV.
The world of smartphones is definitely growing rapidly. A few weeks ago, Apple released its iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus smartphones; today we hear from BlackBerry that its new handset will be launched under a different name.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen took to the company's blog today to announce that the Android smartphone they have been working on for months has been named PRIV.
Chen's announcement comes with a image of BlackBerry's logo alongside PRIV and below them are the words "Privilege" and "Privacy" as though hinting that not only will the slider device provide both to consumers, the words are also the source of the smartphone's new name.
The BlackBerry CEO highlighted in the press release that the their products "invoke this mantra that your privacy is our privilege."
Two days prior to Chen's official announcement on BlackBerry's blog, credible tech tipster Evan Blass already got the word about the device's new name. He wrote, "At retail, Venice transforms into the.... BlackBerry Priv" on Twitter.
The news was however not received well by many Twitter users with Robert Squyres commenting, "I like Venice better," and JT. Teran asking: "Priv? Did you run out of characters in this tweet or something?"
Nevertheless, despite the change in the device's name, Chen assured its loyal consumers and potential new clients that it has collaborated with Android phone to "bring the best of BlackBerry security and productivity to the Android ecosystem."
Meanwhile, Chen also decided to show off the device with a hands-on demo in front of BNN's Amber Kanwar. However, CrackBerry noted that the CEO may have forgotten that the new device is full Android, so his simple walkthrough didn't go well since he intended to handle it as though it was a BlackBerry 10 smartphone. Watch Chen's hands-on below.
Also, check out Android Authority's hands-on/quick look video below.
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