Telecom Lead America: The LTE-enabled BlackBerry Z10 will be available in February in the US, UK, Canada, UAE, among other markets. But American users need to wait till March.
In the UK, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available beginning January 31 on pay monthly contracts and pre-pay plans from EE, O2, Vodafone, Phones 4u, BT, 3UK and the Carphone Warehouse. BlackBerry Z10 smartphones will be available fully subsidized on competitive monthly pay contracts. Price points will vary according to carriers and retail partners.
In Canada, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 5. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but it will retail for around $149.99 on a 3 year contract.
In the UAE, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 10. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but unsubsidized it will retail for AED 2,599.
In the U.S. market, BlackBerry expects availability with most carriers for the BlackBerry Z10 to be in March. Today, U.S. carriers will start announcing pre-registration and price plans.
BlackBerry expects the first global carriers to launch the BlackBerry Q10 in April. IT will announce new pricing and availability information as carriers roll-out around the world.
Research In Motion (RIM) will be renamed as BlackBerry with immediate effect. The company will adopt the name of its BlackBerry smartphone to coincide with the launch of its new mobile computing platform, BlackBerry 10.
“This change from Research In Motion to BlackBerry comes at a defining moment in our company’s history. RIM created the first BlackBerry smartphone and changed the way millions of people around the world stay connected. We have used that same ingenuity and innovation to redefine mobile computing with BlackBerry 10. As we launch BlackBerry 10 around the world, now is the right time to adopt the iconic BlackBerry name,” said Thorsten Heins, president and CEO of BlackBerry.
“Today sees a re-invented BlackBerry launching an entirely new mobile experience. We are thrilled to be introducing BlackBerry 10 on the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones, to deliver a faster, smarter experience that continuously adapts to your needs. Every feature, every gesture, and every detail in BlackBerry 10 is designed to keep you moving,” Heins added.
