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05/05/2024 01:38:38 am

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BlackBerry Classic, Passport Coming To AT&T on Feb. 20

blackberry-classic

(Photo : Reuters) BlackBerry is bringing its two new smartphones to AT&T.

BlackBerry is bringing its two new smartphones - the Classic and Passport - to AT&T on Feb. 20, after a few months of waiting for the U.S. carrier to verify the phones.

The BlackBerry Passport has been available for a few months now, but AT&T showed no interest in the smartphone. Perhaps BlackBerry looked to funnel the Passport on the carrier's service alongside the more popular Classic.

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AT&T is the only carrier in the U.S. to pick up the BlackBerry Passport, and it will be available for $199 on a two-year contract or $649 off contract. The cheaper Classic will be available for $49 on a two-year contract or $419 off contract.

Both smartphones offer something a little different from the current crop of devices, most importantly both feature the BlackBerry keyboard, in a time where almost all devices offer full touchscreen.

The Classic and Passport also feature square displays instead of the typical 16:9 on most Android and iPhone displays.

BlackBerry has been moving towards business-centric customers after five years of decline in the smartphone market. The Passport shows the current goals of BlackBerry, to continue offering the physical keyboard alongside a smaller touchscreen.

The software is the real killer, but since BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) is available on Android and iOS it is once again not a great deal for consumers. For businesses BlackBerry offers a unique way to sort personal and business contacts, and offers more encryption than the typical Android device.

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