BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry Faithful Prepare to Make the Switch to BlackBerry Z10
Blackberry users’ interest in the launch of BlackBerry Z10 is high, if the recent traffic of device trade-in company NextWorth is any indication of where the minds of BlackBerry lovers are.
According to CMO Jeff Trachsel, in the last ten days, his company NextWorth, has seen a huge increase in traffic to its estimate pages related to Blackberry devices. There’s also been a 92% increase in the number of trade-in quotes being requested for older BlackBerry devices. In fact, Mr. Trachesel found the numbers so high that he believes BlackBerry users are strongly considering taking the plunge with the Blackberry Z10:
“Clearly, people are researching BlackBerry values in anticipation of acquiring the new Z10.”
NextWorth pays users for older devices that they’d no longer like to use. Phone owners simply request a quote from the site and then ship their phone off to the company. So far owners of the BlackBerry Curve have been the most interested in trading in their device: of all of BlackBerry trade-in offers in the last ten days, 41% of them were for the Curve.
Read More: BlackBerry Curve 9310 Arrives on Verizon
This news should be music to the ears of beleaguered BlackBerry, whose hardware and software are the culmination of almost two years of hard work. The Z10 and the software that powers it represents the first time that its new hardware and software strategies will have a date with the smartphone-buying public in the United States. BlackBerry 10 is Blackberry’s first stab at rebuilding an end-to-end smartphone experience since Apple’s iPhone & iOS changed the nature of the smartphone industry in 2007.
Though the BlackBerry 10 operating system does follow Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows Phone, the company has stuffed in its own unique ideas of what a smartphone operating system should be. These user experience features include things like “Active Frames,” which provide constantly updating information on the operating system’s home screen, and the use of gestures for most of the user’s navigation in applications. These swiping motions are necessary for everything, including opening and closing applications and multitasking.
The BlackBerry Z10 device itself is a huge evolutionary step for the company. The device includes Qualcomm’s SnapDragon S4 Plus dual-core CPU, 2 GB of Ram, 16GB of onboard storage, an 8 Megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing 2 megapixel camera. On paper it competes well against mid-range to high-end smartphones of the day.
Read More: AT&T BlackBerry Z10 Release Date Set
As of today, AT&T subscribers can pick up the BlackBerry Z10 for $199.99 with a two year service agreement at their local retail location or on the company’s website. T-Mobile users won’t be able to get their hands on the Z10 until March 26. These carriers join a growing list of carriers already selling the device. In the UK: o2, Orange, and T-Mobile UK. In Canada: Bell Mobility, Mobilcity, Rogers Wireless, SaskTel and VideoTron Mobile.