AT&T Announced They Will be the First US Carrier to Offer the Blackberry PRIV; Coming Nov. 6th

[dgstorm]

Yesterday afternoon we didn't quite get to this story, but thanks to a tip from @pc747 we have it for you now. AT&T officially announced that they will be the first US carrier to sell the new Blackberry PRIV Android smartphone. The device will go on sale November 6th. For a detailed description of the pricing info, be sure to check out the source link below.

Critics across the web are hailing the new PRIV as a big step for Blackberry. Most folks who are skeptical complain about the slide out keyboard being too passé, but the main appeal of the PRIV is actually its security features. The device isn't being heavily marketed toward the average consumer, but will be actively courting business users.

What's interesting about this announcement from AT&T is that they aren't claiming to be the "exclusive carrier" of the device, but instead will be the "first US carrier" to have it. We won't be surprised if it comes to T-Mobile, but is there an off chance that a CDMA version might come to Verizon and Sprint? We wouldn't hold our breath, but also wouldn't be surprised if it did.

For further discussion of Blackberry's new PRIV Android phone, be sure to check out our dedicated section here: Blackberry PRIV | Android Forum at DroidForums.net

Source: AT&T

 

[Sajo]

My guess is that if it sells a decent amount, it will come to Verizon eventually. AT&T probably helped fund the development work, so they want the exclusive rights to be the first to sell it. Remember when they worked a deal with Motorola to be the first to sell the custom Moto X (2013 original version) through Moto Maker? The Moto Maker option did not come to Verizon, T Mobile or Sprint for several months. Sounds like they worked their magic again (aka: pocketbook) to be the first....for a while.