BlackBerry Z30: Former Smartphone Kings Quietly Announce Big New Device (PICTURES)

BlackBerry Quietly Announces Big New Device...

BlackBerry has released its latest smartphone - though you'd be forgiven if you didn't notice.

The former king of the smartphones announced the BlackBerry Z30 with a simple press release, rather than the sort of bombastic event which has becoming typical for the industry.

The quiet launch appears to mirror the company's currently tempered mood. Sales of its Z10, Q10 and Q5 devices, which run the recently relaunched BB10 OS, have not been strong and the company is constantly bombarded with rumours of a potential sale.

Despite that the company has found time to develop and unveil the Z30 - a new five-inch device which is physically the biggest device in the current range.

The phone ships with a 1,280 x 720 pixels super AMOLED display, a 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB RAM, a 2,880mAh battery and a new version of BlackBerry's OS -- BB10.2. Exact price and availability in the UK are TBA.

BB10.2 adds a few new features, including enhancing the audio of its voice and video chat apps.

"The [Z30] is designed for people looking for a smartphone that excels at communications, messaging and productivity. Having apps like the full Documents To Go suite that comes preinstalled, together with its 5-inch touch display, the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone gives you a best in class productivity experience on the go," said said Carlo Chiarello, Executive Vice President for Products at BlackBerry, in a statement.

However the launch hasn't exactly bowled the press over. Techcrunch said that the low-key release "feels like BlackBerry going through the motions of being a handset maker, while it tries to find someone else to take on its handset-making business".

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