BlackBerry’s newest smartphone, the Q5, was made available for Canadians today, just one day following the announcement that the Waterloo-based company is considering “strategic alternatives,” and a possible sale. The major draws of the Q5 include its spaced QWERTY keyboard, it’s lightweight body, and its smooth BB10 interface which encourages multi-tasking. Still missing: enough compatible apps. Despite its potentially promising stats, many still believe the phone’s launch is not enough to put the company’s devices back in the text-happy hands of consumers.
According to CBC analyst Todd Coupland, BlackBerry could be worth as much as $20 per share in a full buyout scenario. He also believes that a likely buyer would be another mobile company such as Apple or Samsung, or a company looking at BBM as a viable social media platform, like Facebook. Another option would be to take the company private.
So what does BlackBerry still have going for it (other than its ‘dancing’ BBM emoticon)? Perhaps its largest selling point is its renowned security system, which just last week was publicly recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense.
————
Jeremy Schipper is an intern who only uses BBM for emoticons at Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeromeoschipps.
For more, follow us on Twitter at @torontostandard, and subscribe to our newsletter.
