BlackBerry's new DTEK50 smartphone targets U.S. sales
Company relying on software security that appeals to IT managers with 'secure' device
As BlackBerry pushes forward with another new smartphone, one technology analyst says it's becoming less attached to its Canadian roots.
"Blackberry is increasingly a U.S. company," Daniel Bader, a Canadian technology analyst who works for various websites, said Tuesday. "You hear less and less about hearing it being a Waterloo-based company."
On Tuesday, BlackBerry announced the launch of the DTEK50, its second Android-powered mobile device that the company hopes will become the preferred option for businesses seeking a safe and affordable smartphone.
"When it comes to security, BlackBerry is leading all other Android smartphones," the company said on YouTube. "BlackBerry lives and breathes security and has taken extra steps to help protect you from malware and hacks."
The company says the DTEK50 target audience is "everyone" due to the increasing threat that mobile security risks now pose to the public at large.
People who are familiar with the BlackBerry brand and use its enterprise services can deploy it to employees in bulk while knowing that it is secure, explained the analyst who works for the Android Central website.
"It's probably one of the most secure phones," he stressed. "It's really all about the BlackBerry software suite and how the company plans to market it."
There's nothing unique about the design, which doesn't include a keyboard, but it does mark a change in how the business moves forward.
The BlackBerry DTEK50 will cost $429 in Canada, but that comes with an external battery charger<a href="https://t.co/clW4cG7wAw">https://t.co/clW4cG7wAw</a>
—@journeydanSouthern sights
BlackBerry chief executive officer John Chen has so far shown no inclination to get out of the hardware business, having promised earlier this year to release two mid-range, Android-powered phones before the company's fiscal year ends on Feb. 28, 2017.
"It's not a particularly remarkable phone, what's remarkable is that it exists at all," Bader commented. "They're going to have to sell a lot of these to justify bringing it out."
Even as fortunes have faded over the past few years for the company, there's still some interest south of the border in the BlackBerry software, which is layered on top of what Android has to offer.
According to Bader, it's the promised security that keeps U.S. government departments coming back for more BlackBerry products.
The tech analyst adds that most of the top BlackBerry executives are now based south of the border.
The BlackBerry DTEK50, the "world's most secure Android phone," doesn't come with a fingerprint sensor. Cool.
—@journeydanWith files from Kate Bueckert, The Canadian Press