14 DAY TRIAL // While announcing deepened loss for the third quarter of its financial year 2014, BlackBerry also confirmed plans to launch a new smartphone in collaboration with Foxconn.
The smartphone will arrive on the market with the BlackBerry 10 operating system loaded on top, and it is currently known under the codename of Jakarta.
John Chen, executive chair and CEO of BlackBerry, confirmed today that the device would be launched sometime in March or April next year, and that it would land in Indonesia first, as n4bb reports.
However, BlackBery also plans on bringing the device to six or seven more markets soon after the initial launch, though no details on them have been provided as of now.
No specific info on the handset itself has been provided, but Chen did confirm that BlackBerry would focus on the development of the software for it, while Foxconn will be in charge of manufacturing the hardware.
“This partnership demonstrates BlackBerry’s commitment to the device market for the long-term and our determination to remain the innovation leader in secure end-to-end mobile solutions,” Chen said.
“Partnering with Foxconn allows BlackBerry to focus on what we do best – iconic design, world-class security, software development and enterprise mobility management – while simultaneously addressing fast-growing markets leveraging Foxconn’s scale and efficiency that will allow us to compete more effectively.”
As part of the agreement, Foxconn will be making products for BlackBerry at its locations in Indonesia and Mexico. However, the Canadian company will own all of its intellectual property and perform product assurance on devices.
Moving forth, BlackBerry will continue to focus on driving innovation in secure hardware, software, and services, and it will also work on expanding the reach of its multi-platform BBM (BlackBerry Messenger).
“BlackBerry is an iconic brand with great technology and a loyal international fan base,” said Terry Gou, Founder and Chairman, Foxconn.
“We are pleased to be working with BlackBerry as it positions itself for future growth and we look forward to a successful strategic partnership in which Foxconn will jointly develop and manufacture new BlackBerry devices in both Indonesia and Mexico for new and existing markets.”