Back in March, BlackBerry signed a new licensing deal with Swiss consumer electronics maker, Punkt Tronics AG, known for their minimalist mobile phone, the MP01. The deal meant that Punkt would be making use of BlackBerry Secure technology in a future device known as the MP02 and now, Punkt is gearing up to fully unveil the MP02 on September 17.

Like the MP01, but unlike most 'mobile phones' nowadays, it's built for making phone calls – still often the fastest and most effective way to connect, whether for business or personal communication. Talking into a slab is irksome: the MP02 has great audio and excellent ergonomics.

The MP02 operates on 4G LTE, and provides data linking for secondary devices – perhaps a small tablet for maximum portability, or a laptop for heavy-duty typing. The Internet is available to the user, but not the other way round. And it's viewed via a sensibly-sized screen.

Other new features include BlackBerry Secure, Android OS, threaded text-messaging with user-defined dictionary, and a bespoke user interface quite unlike anything ever seen before.

Right now, Punkt is still keeping a few things under wraps such as the full specs, but the announcement will be held at the London Design Festival on September 17. The full specs will be made available then in addition to pre-orders going live as well. Anyone looking to go minimalist?

Read more