DIALING UP SECURITY
BlackBerry looks for a hit
BlackBerry Ltd. has released a new mid-range, touchscreen Android smartphone with a heavy focus on security in its latest attempt to return its waning hardware business to profitability.
Billed as the “world’s most secure Android smartphone,” the DTEK50 is a modified Android design with BlackBerry security features baked in. It is available for pre-order in Canada for $429 and in the U.S. and Western Europe for US$299 — less than half the price of its predecessor the Priv, which sold poorly due to its high price tag.
The device enters the market as the clock ticks down on CEO John Chen’s promise to stop losing money in the handset business by September. Chen has refused to give up on handsets, which lost US$21 million in the most recent quarter, even though their rapid decline in popularity has overshadowed BlackBerry’s recent success selling mobile security software to high profile clients including the U.S. Department of Defence.
But it appears the Waterloo, Ont.-based company is betting the DTEK50 will piggyback on its position as a security leader to score a hit with consumers that left BlackBerry for iPhone and Android devices. (Even diehard fan President Barack Obama ditched his this summer.) Executives played up fears of security breaches in a Tuesday webcast unveiling the device, with chief security officer David Kleidermacher stating that data breaches on devices are growing “uncontrollably.”
“With an increase in cybercrime on smartphones, people need to recognize that the private details of their lives — where they live, their bank info, pictures of their kids — are at risk on their personal device,” Kleidermacher said. “You wouldn’t leave the doors of your house unlocked at night. Having a smartphone that doesn’t take your privacy seriously is the equivalent.”
The new phone uses the DTEK software to monitor security constantly and alert users when they’re at risk. It also features the BlackBerry hub, a 5.2-inch HD display, an eight megapixel front camera and a 13 megapixel rear camera, three gigabytes RAM and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.