BlackBerry targeting gamers and power users with upcoming A10

[Shawn Knight]

BlackBerry has released a small handful of new smartphones this year but thus far, nothing we’ve seen has really exhibited jaw-dropping performance. That could all change in the near future, however, as the Canadian handset maker is working on what sources describe as the most powerful, capable BlackBerry yet with a big focus on power and gaming.

Known as the BlackBerry A10, the phone will ship with a sizable 5-inch Super AMOLED display alongside a more refined fit and finish. Other specs include an unnamed dual-core processor and 2GB of system memory. The phone maker hasn’t been able to shift to quad-core processors just yet due to concerns with battery life and / or difficulties optimizing BlackBerry 10 with such a chip, one source said.

The tipster also points out that BlackBerry will utilize the same type of silicon structure that the iPhone uses, meaning there will be separate CPU and GPU processors.

As for aesthetics, the handset is said to resemble Samsung’s Galaxy S4 but is a little larger, more rounded and less aggressive looking than the Z10. Some expect the A10 to include an 8-megapixel camera but that hasn’t been confirmed as of writing.

A handset fitting this description could do well as a mobile gaming device but that all hinges on whether or not BlackBerry is able to get big name developers on board to have plenty of hit titles ready at launch.

Speaking of, the BlackBerry A10 is expected to hit the scene in late fall just in time for the holiday buying season.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/53201-blackberry-targeting-gamers-and-power-users-with-upcoming-a10.html

 

[Acespaces]

Is blackberry every gonna stop trying?

 

[MrBlkfx1]

I'd so much rather hear about BB polishing / optimizing their OS. But, at least they're still trying to stay relevant in such a tough market.

 

[m4a4]

I'd so much rather hear about BB polishing / optimizing their OS. But, at least they're still trying to stay relevant in such a tough market.

They are doing that too. They have different divisions doing different things...

But still, it is a long uphill battle for them...

 

[lawfer]

This is a little counter-productive seeing how their platform has little to no games...

 

[cliffordcooley]

This is a little counter-productive seeing how their platform has little to no games...

Right!! And so was all the bitching about the XBox One. It's all about opening the right doors and closing the wrong ones. Coming from someone (me) who has no clue why there are so few games, would this not open a door for developers?

Personally I don't understand why everyone wants there phone to be a console and their console to be a PC. There is no wonder people are questioning, if the PC is dying. A few more upgrades such as this one and we can hand-me-down all our apps then throw away the trusted PC platform. Counter-productive? Yeah, when people like myself want to keep our PC's.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I quite like the looks of these new BB phones. Although I've haven't seen the A10 yet, the 5" screen is too big for my taste in a phone.

 

[lawfer]

This is a little counter-productive seeing how their platform has little to no games...

Right!! And so was all the bitching about the XBox One. It's all about opening the right doors and closing the wrong ones. Coming from someone (me) who has no clue why there are so few games, would this not open a door for developers?

Personally I don't understand why everyone wants there phone to be a console and their console to be a PC. There is no wonder people are questioning, if the PC is dying. A few more upgrades such as this one and we can hand-me-down all our apps then throw away the trusted PC platform. Counter-productive? Yeah, when people like myself want to keep our PC's.

I don't understand the context of your comment. More importantly perhaps, what does it have to do with mine?

 

[cliffordcooley]

I don't understand the context of your comment.

First paragraph was in reply, which ended in asking a question.Ignore the second paragraph, unless you find a need in commenting about it.

You are calling it counter-productive for a company to try and entice gamers with better hardware, when they have so little game library. I don't call it couter-productive if it entices game developers to increase the game library, which was mentioned in the article as being one of the goals.

If you didn't catch the XBox One comment, don't worry about it, it was a generalized comment.

 

[lawfer]

I don't understand the context of your comment.

First paragraph was in reply, which ended in asking a question.Ignore the second paragraph, unless you find a need in commenting about it.

You are calling it counter-productive for a company to try and entice gamers with better hardware, when they have so little game library. I don't call it couter-productive if it entices game developers to increase the game library, which was mentioned in the article as being one of the goals.

If you didn't catch the XBox One comment, don't worry about it, it was a generalized comment.

Why would game developers create more games for a platform that has no gamers? And why would gamers buy a powerful phone with no games that'll make use of it?

To fix that problem Blackberry has to sell more phones, "powerful" or otherwise. Not make one that gives consumers the "illusion" it's meant for gaming.

Illusion, because the already-released Z10 has a dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon, 2 GB RAM, and an Adreno 225 GPU. This phone has no problems with handling games. They making a enthusiast-like phone (which according to the article will still have 2GB RAM and a similar dual-core CPU) will not change the fact developers will never produce games if gamers are not there. Especially considering previous devices are already more than capable.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I agree with you on that but still find it too early to call it counter-productive, even though you will likely be correct in the end.

 

[Guest]

Why would game developers create more games for a platform that has no gamers?

or Why would there be gamers on a phone with no games? Hehe. Seems like a question of which should come first - the egg or the chicken =D