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With the Priv just days away from shipping to customers, our sister site Android Central had a chance to sit down with Ron Louks, BlackBerry's President of Devices, the person tasked with bringing the company's first Android handset to market to ask some of the harder questions we all have been wanting the answers to. Some highlights of the discussion include the Android strategy for BlackBerry, how updates will work, and how pricing for the Priv was determined. I've included some takeaway quotes below.
We've had an Android strategy for some time now – whether that's supporting Android for Work on our BES12 platform or Samsung/Knox. Priv on Android is the next big step: It's a new paradigm to advance security, privacy and productivity while meeting modern cross-platform user needs and filling our "app gap."
Launching with Android Lollipop was the most expedited way to get Priv to market. We will be supporting software upgrades for Android M in coming months as Priv rolls out. And we've committed to speedy updates for security improvements.
Priv is a flagship handset with top-of-the-line specs including best-in-class battery life, a fantastic camera and BlackBerry's legendary keyboard that sets it apart from every other Android flagship. And it's built on BlackBerry's signature secure hardware platform and privacy principles. All of that adds up to a price point in line with premium phones from other Android OEMs.
If you haven't already read the interview, I fully suggest you head on over to Android Central and give it a look. It offers some great insight into just how much planning has gone into the release of the Priv by BlackBerry.
Read the full interview over at Android Central
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