BlackBerry head of software portfolio Vivek Bhardwaj recently revealed that the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone is finally set to arrive on US soil next month. Interestingly enough, it'll do so as an "exclusive" on Verizon's network.
Wait, an exclusive from BlackBerry at a time when their future is as shaky as ever? What gives? It sounds like the use of "exclusive" in this instance is less about securing an exclusive distribution deal with Verizon and more about Big Red being the only carrier interested in bringing the phone to their network.
Bhardwaj didn't specifically mention the possibility of the phone coming to other carriers although he said the Z30 was available should other providers request it. He further added that there was nothing in the terms of the deal with Verizon that would prevent BlackBerry from bringing the phone to AT&T or T-Mobile. So yeah, that pretty much squashes the traditional sense of the word "exclusive."
Either way, the phone will be available with Verizon sometime in November priced at $200 with a two-year service agreement. At that price, you're getting a smartphone with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display operating at 1,280 x 720 (295 PPI) that's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC alongside 2GB of RAM. Other specs include 16GB of internal flash storage, an 8-megapixel, f/2.2 camera on the rear, a 2-megapixel front shooter, 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and a 2880mAh battery.