BlackBerry and Android fans alike have been waiting anxiously to get their hands on the much anticipated BlackBerry Priv smartphone, the first smartphone that features BlackBerry hardware and runs on the Android mobile operating system.
The Priv looks to be an excellent and unique piece of hardware. With additional details about the phone now available, such as the 18-megapixel dual-flash camera on the rear, 3410 mAh battery that allegedly allows the Priv to last up to 22.5 hours between charges, and a microSD card slot that allows for up to 2TB of additional storage in addition to the 32GB of internal storage. You also get the dual-curved edge 5.4-inch AMOLED QHD display and vertical slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard, which give this BlackBerry device both a modern and a classic touch. Given that this phone is manufactured by BlackBerry, a company that deeply values security, the Priv has a major advantage over most competing Android products in that regard.
It has been a long time since I've thought about purchasing a BlackBerry based on the fact that I think I'll actually like the device, and I can't help but admire just about everything that the Priv has going for it. From the looks of things, based off of this AMA on CrackBerry's forums, there are certain features that could use improvements, but for the most part it would seem like the Priv is off to a decent start.
Well, except for the fact that it looks like it will only be available for AT&T customers for the foreseeable future, which seems like a poor move for a company that, presumably, wants to stay in the smartphone business.
I have never been a fan of carrier exclusives. I think early on they contributed towards innovation in the industry by inducing competition, but I also recall it to be a somewhat confusing practice for consumers. You'd sometimes have 4 slightly different variations of one phone by one brand for each carrier. Sometimes you would have what is happening with the Priv, which is to have one particular smartphone featured on just one carrier (like the iPhone, which was an AT&T exclusive until 2011). Regardless, the practice of carrier exclusives are simply outdated, and I think if there's one thing that's going to stop the Priv in its tracks it's the fact that it's only available on one carrier.
Anything is possible, though, and I suspect that the Priv will still do well on AT&T. My hope is that this exclusive contract between AT&T and BlackBerry’s Priv is a short-term deal, and this is simply a quick move to get the ball rolling for the device. But the holidays (and the respective shopping season for them) are approaching quickly, and smartphones are a hot gadget for holiday gift-giving. Not only that, but we are less than two months away from 2016, which means that many tech enthusiasts are already looking ahead to next year’s anticipated smartphones.
The bottom line is that the sooner BlackBerry can get the Priv to other carriers (if at all) the better. It just seems like this is a device that BlackBerry would want to get into as many people’s hands as possible.
I'm still excited for the Priv itself, but I'm not sure how high my hopes can get for any future BlackBerry/Android devices if the Priv stays as a carrier exclusive.
