The BlackBerry Q10 Comes Available with Skype

The end of January saw the launch of the new BlackBerry. The U.K. was the first to see the new Z10; we had to wait until the end of March. I had mine activated on March 22. Now, BlackBerry is ready to release the much-awaited BlackBerry Q10. Of course, the U.K. will see it first this month.

We should see it here in the U.S. toward the end of May. All the major carriers -- AT&T, Verizon and Sprint -- will have it available. It will cost a little more than the Z10, coming in at around $249. If you have forgotten, the difference between the two models is that the Q10 has the physical QWERTY (Q – get it?) keyboard.

The Q10 will have all of the features that the Z10 has; both are using the new BlackBerry 10 OS. Some of the features for the Q10 that are listed in BlackBerry’s release are;

• The new BlackBerry Q10 combines the power of BlackBerry 10 with a classic BlackBerry keyboard to help you communicate and collaborate faster and more efficiently.
• Classic physical keyboard has been made even better with a straight keypad design, larger sculpted keys and thicker frets between the rows designed to help you type fast, accurately and with the least amount of effort.
• The classic BlackBerry Keyboard with Instant Action allows you to type and perform tasks faster by using shortcuts.
• Together, the classic BlackBerry Keyboard and Instant Action make it easy for commands to be taken quickly and directly from the home screen.

As you should expect, since the OS is brand new, there are going to be periodic updates to fine tune all the functions. There were two updates to the OS before I even activated my Z10. With the appearance of the Q10 we have another update. To deal with the QWERTY keyboard the Q10 will be running BlackBerry 10.1. In a few weeks, version 10.1 will be made available for the Z10.

The BlackBerry 10.1 OS will feature enhancements for the Hub, camera, phone, calendar and notifications. There will also be additional built-in functionality to support IT policies and controls for customers who are connected to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.

Along with the launch of the Q10 smartphone, a new app will also be launching. The Skype app for BlackBerry is now available. Skype will only run on the new BlackBerry 10.1. Users will have the ability to have face to face video, phone calls and instant messaging, and can also take advantage of low cost voice calls to landlines and text messages to mobile devices over Wi-Fi.

BlackBerry makes it clear that the Skype app is still technically in a preview state. That means there may still be some changes made, but the overall experience is what you should normally expect from using Skype.