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Josh Miller/CNET
Verizon customers who still long for a physical keyboard will soon get a chance to buy a BlackBerry Classic phone.
Selling for $100 with the usual two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, the QWERTY keyboard-equipped phone will be available through Verizon’s online store starting Thursday. It won’t pop up at Verizon’s physical stores until March 5.
With a mobile phone market share of less than 1 percent, BlackBerry is a shell of its former self. The company has been fighting back by introducing new phones with features designed to appeal to traditional BlackBerry users. The BlackBerry Classic adopts a familiar design and shape, includes a physical QWERTY keyboard and runs the latest BlackBerry 10 operating system. As such, the phone could generate some interest among BlackBerry fans. But the company has its work cut out trying to promote it in a market dominated by Apple and Android.
The BlackBerry Classic has already been available through AT&T since last Friday, February 20. AT&T is offering it for $50 with the usual two-year agreement and $420 sans contract. AT&T’s Next plan is another option that requires you to pay a monthly installment fee for a certain number of months.
Outfitted with 3.5-inch HD display made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3, the BlackBerry Classic is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and offers 16 gigabytes of internal storage. Users can up that amount to 128GB through a microSD card. The Classic will take advantage of Verizon’s 4G LTE network. BlackBerry also says the phone’s 2500mAh battery will last up to 22 hours on a single charge assuming mixed usage.
Correction 1:15 pm PT: The phone is $100 after the $50 mail-in rebate, not $50.
