Week 1 in review: Galaxy S8 rumors, Nokia and BlackBerry plans for 2017

CES or no CES, the stream of Samsung Galaxy S8 rumors is flowing steady. This week has brought us a release date, a hint at a Continuum-like feature, and a live photo, which may very well be a fake. Or it might be real, given that the phone is supposedly already in testing in China.
In the "tangible" folder we have the announcement of the Asus Zenfone AR this week in Las Vegas. A Google Tango-capable 5.7-incher with 8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 821 inside, it also supports Google Daydream. You can"t be Tango-Daydreaming, though – only one at a time. Asus also pulled the wraps off an iPhone 7 Plus-like dual-camera Zenfone 3 Zoom – unlike the Zenfone Zoom with its periscope 3x mechanism, the Zenfone 3 Zoom has a 2.3x range, courtesy of two separate cameras.
Also at CES, Xiaomi unveiled an even hotter looking white version of the already scorching Mi Mix bringing the number of borderless flagships available outside of China to zero – the Mi Mix will still be exclusive to i..

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Classic design bridges the path to BlackBerry"s future: hands-on with the BlackBerry Mercury

Fortunes rise and fall in the smartphone game, and even for giants of the industry, whose handsets seem to dominate the public"s interest, the future is rarely assured. For every Apple or Samsung there"s a Nokia or Palm, but no company"s struggle to stay aloft in a rapidly evolving ma..

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CES 2017: BlackBerry Mercury hands-on

Introduction BlackBerry is nothing short of a legend in the mobile realm. The brand easily matches the popularity of other titans, such as Motorola or Nokia and is still synonymous with quality and enhanced security. The latter has been the staple of the Canadian company"s existence, mostly as a trusted enterprise communication solutions provider over the last few years.
2016 marked a sea change in the company"s way of bringing mobile phones to the end users. And the BlackBerry Mercury is the first device to signal this change.
BlackBerry went through some hard times in recent years. In 2016 their two most recent models – the DTEK50 and the DTEK60 were manufactured by the Chinese OEM TCL. At first, this move looked like BlackBerry is outsourcing the hardware manufacturing to a third-party. And the controversy surrounding the two models continued as we discovered that both phones are only re-badged versions of existing Alcatel models. Of course, both also came loaded with Bl..

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BlackBerry starts rolling out January Android security update

It looks like BlackBerry is among the first non-Google OEMs to push the newest security update for Android devices. The Canadian company has just announced the January security patch released early this month is available for all BlackBerry smartphones purchased through its online store.
The update ..

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BlackBerry Mercury confirmed for MWC, new teaser video outed

TCL had some more info on the BlackBerry Mercury to share at it CES 2017 event. The company released a longer teaser video for it and gave us an announcement timeframe.
Cistulli said that “distinctly different and impressively designed BlackBerry smartphone” will be announced next month in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress.
Check out the video below to see more of the BlackBerry Mercury.
The press release says that the phone will focus on security, productivity and reliability, but unfortunately it didn"t mention any specifications.

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BlackBerry handsets included in TCL"s new product portfolio

TCL announced today at CES that it is changing its business model to one consisting of a portfolio of brands including Alcatel and BlackBerry. The portfolio includes different products including the entry-consumer, best-in-class enterprise, connected (IoT) and emerging segments. The first phone to b..

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BlackBerry Mercury teased again: a second snippet of an official presentation video shows us more

Alright, CES 2017 is on and the smartphone announcements have started rolling out. We know that TCL, the company that will be building BlackBerry handsets going forward, will be holding a press event in mere hours, where it will show us some of its new products. The long-rumored-about “Mercury” — an..

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New BlackBerry DTEK70 (Mercury) renders leak

A fresh set of renders alleged to be of the upcoming BlackBerry DTEK70 (Mercury) has leaked. The leak – which came in the form of a Weibo post – shows the black colored variant of the device, from both front as well back.
The front of the device revealed by these renders is broadly inline with what the live images of the handset – that surfaced in December – had revealed. Also, specifically, the physical keyboard looks similar to the one that was teased by a TCL executive recently.
Coming to the back of the device (it"s probably the first time we"re seeing the back of the DTEK70), it"s hard to miss the big rear-camera module on the top left. The BlackBerry logo is sits prominently in the middle.
As for the specs, the Weibo post reveals a 4.2-inch display, Snapdragon 625 SoC, 3GB/32GB memory configuration, and 3,400mAh battery. The post also notes that the handset will be made official on January 4 (today).
Source | Via

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TCL teases upcoming BlackBerry Mercury smartphone in short video

TCL has outed a short video teaser for the upcoming BlackBerry Mercury smartphone. Shared by Steve Cistulli – President and General Manager for TCL Communication (TCT), North America – the 4 second video focuses on the device"s physical QWERTY keyboard.
imPRESSively designed. distinctly different. #BlackBerryMobile#CES2017 pic.twitter.com/MGvvGXOtvi
— Steve Cistulli (@SteveCistulli) January 3, 2017 While earlier rumors had suggested that the device will be powered by Snapdragon 821 chipset, a recent one indicated the phone could pack in Snapdragon 625 SoC instead. Other rumored specs include screen size of around 4.5-inch, and a large battery, enough to get the handset through two days of use.
The handset is expected to be unveiled at CES 2017. In cased you missed, TCL has promised that it “will unveil an evolutionary first in the mobile industry” at this year"s CES. Not only this, the company will also offer a “glimpse into what new BlackBerry smartphones will offer.”
Sou..

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TCL executive sends out 4 second video showing the QWERTY on the BlackBerry Mercury

Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for TCL Communication, sent out a tweet yesterday that included four seconds of video showing the QWERTY on the upcoming BlackBerry "Mercury." BlackBerry and TCL entered into a licensing agreement that calls for TCL to design, manufacture, prom..

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Screenshot of Nougat-powered BlackBerry Mercury leaks

The BlackBerry Mercury smartphone has leaked again. Specifically, a screenshot of Android 7.0 on the device has been leaked, allegedly confirming a display of 1620×1080 pixel resolution (420 ppi density).
The leak came in the form of a tweet from popular tipster Roland Quandt.
Here"s a screenshot of Android 7.0 on the BlackBerry “Mercury” BBB100-x. 1620×1080 resolution 420dpi. pic.twitter.com/yoevL8IHc4
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) December 29, 2016 A quick look at the comment section of the aforementioned tweet reveals Quandt as saying that the handset is “highly likely” coming to Indonesia, and is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 625 SoC.
Rumor so far had suggested Snapdragon 821 chipset for the device. Other rumored specs include a screen size of around 4.5-inch, and a large battery, enough to get the handset through two days of use.
The Mercury – which features a physical QWERTY keyboard, a la original BlackBerry phones – has been the subject of only a handful of rumors ..

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Leaked BlackBerry Mercury screenshot seems to confirm Android Nougat and a 1620 x 1080 pixel resolution

In about a week"s time, at CES 2017, we"re going to see next generation BlackBerry-branded smartphones, made by BlackBerry in collaboration with its new hardware partner, TCL. One of these handsets is likely the BlackBerry Mercury, which is shaping up to be an unusual smartphone for this d..

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BlackBerry Mercury tipped to be coming to Verizon

The yet-to-be-announced BlackBerry Mercury smartphone will be available from Verizon in the United States. This was revealed by well known tipster Roland Quandt in a tweet late last week.
BlackBerry “Mercury” BBB100 is coming to Verizon in the US.
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) December 24, 2016 There was, however, no word on the device"s pricing and launch time frame.
So far, it was being said that the Mercury – which features a physical QWERTY keyboard, a la original BlackBerry phones – will be the last device to be released by the Canadian company, but Quandt revealed that it is in fact being built by TCL – design is from BlackBerry though.
Specs-wise, the phone is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 821 chipset and sport a curved display with a screen size of around 4.5-inch. It is also rumored to pack in a large battery, enough to get the handset through two days of use.
Source

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BlackBerry Mercury reportedly headed to Verizon

Last week, BlackBerry and its new hardware partner, TCL, confirmed that next generation BlackBerry smartphones would be unveiled at CES 2017 in early January. While there are no official details about these upcoming handsets, one of them might be the BlackBerry Mercury (model number BBB100) – an And..

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Renders of BlackBerry Mercury (DTEK70) appear, show slightly different design

Back in June this year, there were rumors that BlackBerry is working on three new smartphones, code-named Neon, Argon, and Mercury. While the first two have already been outed (as the DTEK50 and DTEK60, respectively), the third one hasn"t been much in news.
Earlier this month, live images of the device leaked, clearly showing its front:
And now, new renders alleged to be of the phone have leaked. Inline with what we"ve seen before, the new leaked images also reveal a physical QWERTY keyboard, a la original BlackBerry phones, but the location of front camera seems to be different – it"s on the right of the earpiece now. Plus, proximity and ambient light sensors are different as well.
The rest of the front broadly looks the same.
The device is said to carry the "DTEK70" moniker, and will be the last device to be released by the Canadian company (read: TCL will make and sell BlackBerry-branded smartphones from now on), something that is expected to happen in Q..

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Alleged BlackBerry Mercury renders surface showing off 4.5-inch screen and physical QWERTY

With BlackBerry and TCL expected to show off the next generation of BlackBerry devices at CES in Las Vegas next month, one of the handsets is expected to be the last model designed in-house by BlackBerry. As expected, this device is supposedly going to have a QWERTY keyboard. Previously leaked image..

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TCL"s to showcase upcoming BlackBerry smartphone tech at CES 2017

TCL – which has already worked with BlackBerry on the DTEK50 and DTEK60 in the past, and is now the exclusive global manufacturer and distributor for all upcoming BlackBerry-branded smartphones – has said that it “will unveil an evolutionary first in the mobile industry,” at the upcoming CES show in January.
The revelation was made by the company in a recent press release.
BlackBerry DTEK50 by TCL
“We"ll unveil more news at CES around our plans, showcasing the legacy of the BlackBerry smartphone brand, while also giving a glimpse into what new BlackBerry smartphones will offer as part of our bold new brand portfolio within TCT,” said Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for TCL Communication (TCT).
CES 2017 is set for January 5 to January 8 in Las Vegas US.

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New BlackBerry smartphones (made by TCL) officially coming to CES 2017

TCL, BlackBerry"s new hardware partner, today announced that next generation BlackBerry smartphones will be officially showcased at CES 2017 (January 5 – 8). According to the company, CES 2017 will see it “unveil an evolutionary first in the mobile industry, which will include the addition of t..

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Mysterious BlackBerry BBC100-1 spotted on regulator"s website

A mysterious BlackBerry device has been spotted on Indonesian regulator"s website. Listed as BBC100-1 on the Asian country"s e-Certification database POSTEL, the device comes from a company called BB MERAH PUTIH, PT.
Given that the DTEK60 is BBA100-1, and the yet-to-be-unveiled "Mercury" is BBB100-1, it"d be reasonable to assume that the BBC100-1 is a brand new BlackBerry phone. Sadly, there"s currently no more information available on the phone, including whether or not it"ll be available outside of Indonesia.
Source | Via

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TCL exec hints at game changing BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard to be unveiled at CES?

The other day, we told you that TCL was going to be designing, manufacturing, selling, promoting and handling customer service for BlackBerry"s new handsets. Considering that the BlackBerry DTEK50 and BlackBerry DTEK60 are both actually re-branded TCL related phones (the former is the Alcatel I..

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