During the BlackBerry earnings call and general meeting, BlackBerry CEO John Chen noted the BlackBerry Z3 would be expanding to more markets such as Malaysia and India soon and clearly, soon meant very soon. BlackBerry has been teasing it on their blog and BBM Channel for days now and now finally; the BlackBerry Z3 has now been announced for Malaysia with a retail price of 699.00 MYR or approximately $217 USD when the conversion is processed. It will be available to purchase through BlackBerry authorized retailers from July 7th, 2014.

To celebrate the occasion, BlackBerry hosted a launch event in Kuala Lumpur with BlackBerry fans, local artists and members of the press. With the Malaysia launch underway, it's looking as though India will be next on the list. If you haven't read our full review of the BlackBerry Z3, be sure to head on over to the post and give it a look.

Press Release

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today introduced the new BlackBerry Z3 smartphone in Malaysia. The BlackBerry Z3 will be available to customers from July 7, 2014 through BlackBerry's authorized partners. For more information, please visit http://www.blackberry.com.my/smartphones/blackberry-z3.html . The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone provides BlackBerry users more ways to connect and share, with an experience built on reliable, secure communications. BlackBerry Z3, will keep Malaysians users better connected and more productive with a 5″ display, long lasting battery and the best typing experience on a touchscreen.

Key features include:

BlackBerry® Hub – The ever present BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your work and personal email, BBM™, text messages, social media updates and notifications in one place, with the ability to "peek" into the BlackBerry Hub from anywhere, so you're always only one swipe away from what matters to you. The Hub can be customized to identify priority messages and to filter the message list by various criteria that you can then activate with a simple pinch gesture.
BBM – BBM on the BlackBerry Z3 includes all the latest features of the popular mobile social network, customized for Indonesians. You get BBM voice and video chatting with Screen Share and support for BlackBerry Natural Sound, letting you hear nuances and variations in tone in a BBM Voice chat, and making the conversation sound like you're in the same room. BBM Channels features a variety of Indonesian channels as well as a package of BBM stickers that have been specially designed by an Indonesian artist.
BlackBerry Keyboard – The BlackBerry Keyboard learns what words you use and how you use them, then offers them up to you so you can type faster and more accurately. It gives you the best Bahasa Indonesia typing experience on a touchscreen, complete with multi-language support that lets you type in up to 3 different languages at the same time.
Time Shift & Story Maker – The BlackBerry Z3's astonishing Time Shift camera feature lets you capture a group shot where everyone is smiling with their eyes wide open. You can also use Story Maker to bring a collection of photos and videos together, along with music and effects, to produce an HD movie that you can instantly share on YouTube.
BlackBerry 10 Browser – The BlackBerry 10 browser sets the industry benchmark for HTML5 performance on smartphones, and is incredibly fast, with fluid and responsive scrolling and zooming. The browser includes many advanced features, supports multiple tabs, lets you browse sites privately, includes a reader mode, and integrates with the platform for easily sharing content. You can even save web pages for later viewing.
Instant Previews & Reply Now – Be more timely and responsive with Instant Previews that bring BBM, SMS and email message to you no matter what you are doing on your BlackBerry Z3. You can even reply to your BBM or SMS messages in any app, or swipe to the BlackBerry Hub to respond. If you get a phone call that you can't answer right way, you can instantly silence the call and send a Reply Now response through BBM, SMS or email to let the caller know you're busy.
Fast, Easy Sharing – The BlackBerry Z3 learns how you share and who you share with, helping you reduce the number of steps and amount of time it takes to get your files, photos, or documents to where they need to go. Touching "share" in any app provides suggestions on who and how to share your files based on who you've shared with in the past, and the feature only gets smarter the more you use it.
FM Radio – The new BlackBerry Z3 includes a built-in FM radio. You can listen to local FM stations, which does not require any network connection.

BlackBerry Z3 users will also be able to enjoy local content to Malaysia on their device, including a special set of BBM Stickers and BBM Channels featuring local characters, Upin and Ipin. In addition, BlackBerry Z3 users will be able to join local BBM Channels and get more updates from their favourite brands, communities and opinion leaders.

Ben Quirin, Managing Director of Indochina at BlackBerry said "Malaysia is a key market for us and we are excited to be working with our partners to bring in the BlackBerry Z3 to customers here. This device give users more ways to connect, share and communicate, providing the best tool for secure, reliable communications and collaborations with friends, family and co-workers. Priced at affordably, the BlackBerry Z3 will extend teh full capabilities of the BlackBerry 10 Operating System version 10.2.1 experience for a new generation of customers in Malaysia."

The new BlackBerry Z3 will be available through BlackBerry authorized partners and carriers. For more information about the BlackBerry Z3, please visit www.blackberry.com/blackberryz3.

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