Attention fans of the Blackberry PRIV! (if there are any).
Verizon is now carrying the PRIV on its network. Starting today, March 3, you can buy the phone online or wait until March 11 to buy it in a physical store.
First announced at CES 2016, the PRIV is Blackberry’s attempt to stay relevant in a mobile world dominated by Google and Apple. When it was first revealed it was exclusively available on AT&T, but shortly after it spread to T-Mobile, and launched in global markets like Italy, Spain and India.
The PRIV, which is short for both “privacy” and “privilege”, is marketed as a secure Android phone. It uses a modified version of Android 5.1.1, with a hardware-based cryptographic key, a hardened Linux kernel and a Dtek security app to monitor user activity.
Verizon is offering extra deals as well. Customers activating a PRIV on Verizon Plan XL or bigger will give you 24 GB of extra data per year, for life. And if you switch to Verizon from a discount carrier, or a carrier with a bad network, you’re eligible for up to $650 towards your old contract.
The PRIV is also available for Verizon’s enterprise customer base, which makes sense as Blackberry has always focussed on enterprise customers. As you deploy PRIV in your organization you can upgrade to BES12.
To find out when the PRIV will be entering your region, head to Verizon’s global availability blog.
Source: Verizon Press Release
