With its recent struggles, it’s a safe bet that expectations were low for BlackBerry going into Mobile World Congress. However, just because bigger names in mobile are unveiling new flagships and announcing exciting new wearables — an area which BlackBerry confirmed it has no interest in entering any time soon — and BlackBerry isn’t, doesn’t mean the company has nothing to show.
On the contrary, BlackBerry has had an interesting week so far at MWC, but only if you pay close attention. Indeed, its maneuvers so far have been pretty strategic. Take, for example, its partnership with Nokia to put BBM on Lumia and Nokia X devices; it’s an excellent way to expand the potential user base of perhaps BlackBerry’s most popular software offering.
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Meanwhile, on the hardware side of the coin, BlackBerry is playing a similar game with the unveiling of the BlackBerry Z3, a new all-touch BlackBerry 10 smartphone designed specifically for the Indonesian market. The goal of this device is to continue BlackBerry’s strong market position in Indonesia where its devices are still quite popular by providing the kind of features being offered by devices from Samsung, Apple and HTC at a lower price.
In particular, the Z3 features a large five-inch display, a long-lasting battery and the latest version of the BlackBerry 10 OS, version 10.2.1.
"We are excited to introduce the new BlackBerry Z3, the first smartphone to emerge from our strategic partnership with Foxconn, which was announced in mid-December, 2013," said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO at BlackBerry, in a statement. "The BlackBerry Z3 embodies all that BlackBerry 10 offers, with its exceptional productivity features and reliable communications, in a stylish, all-touch design made affordable for customers in Indonesia."
When Chen took over as CEO at BlackBerry, he maintained that the company still has a place in the device business. Based on how the Z3 is being handled, his claim seems a bit more believable.
Edited by
Cassandra Tucker 
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