With the new Passport Silver Edition out of the way, the next device to come out from BlackBerry would be their new Slider device. Dubbed as the “Venice” it offers a double edge display with a slide out QWERTY keyboard like its former Blackberry Torch.
Following @evleaks’s initial leak on the new slider, he has come back with another render, this time with its full QWERTY keyboard exposed. For the BlackBerry purist, you’ll appreciate that it retains the same 4 row keys instead of the Passport’s compact 3 row layout.
With the recent rumours that BlackBerry is exploring an Android device, the new slider could be their first device to run on Android Lollipop. In terms of availability, Evan Blass has added that it will be available in the US in November with all 4 carriers supporting it.
There’s still a market for QWERTY based smart phones and for it to run on Android is definitely interesting. Even Samsung has tried to reboot its QWERTY keyboard experience by introducing its Keyboard cover for the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 edge+. For Android users who are itching for the tactile feel of a physical keyboard, this is one device to look out for. In terms of pricing, don’t expect this to be cheap as BlackBerry will definitely position their slider as a premium device especially with that curve display.
