Blackberry officially
announced the release of its low-priced, entry-level Z3 phone, which will go on sale tomorrow in Indonesia. The Z3 will see a special release named the "Jakarta Edition" when it goes on sale for $190. Blackberry's most recent device will try to recapture the Indonesian market share, which was as low as 14 percent in 2013.
The Z3 marks an attempt by the company to keep its mobile brand alive after it failed to sell the company in the face of declining revenues and world market share. The phone marks the first completed project from Blackberry's partnership with Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn.
"From conception to delivery, the
Blackberry Z3 Jakarta Edition was designed specifically with our Indonesian customers in mind. This device gives users more ways to connect, share and communicate, providing the best tool for secure, reliable communications and collaboration with friends, family and co-workers," says Blackberry CEO John Chen.
Technical specifications for the phone highlight a low-powered device, helping drive down the cost to compete with in a market it has lost ground on in recent years to Android-powered devices. The Z3 features a five-inch, 540x 960 qHD resolution screen, 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory and a 2500mAh battery that allows for 15.5 hours of talk time.
The device will run still run the Blackberry OS, with version 10.2.1 coming installed on the phone. While not different in the specs, the Jakarta Edition will have "Jakarta" inscribed on the back of the device. Details on an international release have not be disclosed, but previous statements from the company reveal it may not be available outside of Indonesia.