Although it might seem as though everything possible has been leaked, when you look back at it all, there's still a lot to learn about the device that was once known as the BlackBerry Venice but is likely to launch as the BlackBerry Priv. With all of that in mind, we figured it would be a good idea to lay out what exactly is known about the device thanks to all the leaks thus far and point out a few things that remain a bit of a mystery.
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At this point, it should be pretty obvious that this device is coming, and it's running Android but to be more specific, it's running Android Lollipop 5.1.1. We've not yet seen it running Android Marshmallow in any sort of way, so hopefully no one has their hopes up for that just yet. Disappointing? Maybe. But Marshmallow isn't even official yet anyway and is likely to have a few kinks at launch. At least Lollipop is stable now. One thing about it running Android that has largely been overlooked, though, is the fact BlackBerry appears to have taken their own path when it comes to the kernel being used. Although it's not entirely outside of the norm, BlackBerry has opted to implement grsecurity as a method of going a little 'above and beyond' when it comes to security on Android.
Grsecurity is an extensive security enhancement to the Linux kernel that defends against a wide range of security threats through intelligent access control, memory corruption-based exploit prevention, and a host of other system hardening that generally require no configuration. It has been actively developed and maintained for the past 14 years. Commercial support for grsecurity is available through Open Source Security, Inc.
On top of that, BlackBerry has also added their own security suite of apps to the device, better known as BlackBerry Safeguard, though the leaks thus far haven't laid out exactly what that all consists of. On BlackBerry 10, it's just a combination of safeguards built to the OS such as Picture Password, Password Keeper, BlackBerry Protect but BlackBerry may have built some additional tools now that they can make use of Android options.
So, that's the security side of things. What else has BlackBerry done to the software? After all, it does largely look like a stock Android device. Well, there's a few BlackBerry touches as well including preloading BBM as well as their own Calendar, Tasks, Notes apps and more. They've also adjusted how the launch screen works so instead of just being offered Google Search; you'll also have the option to use BlackBerry Device Search and access to the BlackBerry Hub.
Specs & Performance
When BlackBerry released the BlackBerry Passport (one year ago today!), it was the highest-specced device put out by BlackBerry. The BlackBerry Priv aims to keep that going with the rumored specs for the device having thus far proven to be pretty spot on. Need a reminder of what those specs are? We got you. No worries. Here's what you're looking at, the only thing still rather questionable is the actual display size ranging anywhere from 5.4-Inches to 5.6-Inches.
- Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
- RAM and Storage - 3GB of RAM, 32GB Expandable Storage
- Display - 5.4-Inch, 1440x2560, 537ppi
- Camera - Rear: 18MP, Fast Focus, OIS, 4K video capable. Front: 5MP HD.
Arguably the biggest reason an Android customer might actually want to consider picking up the BlackBerry Priv, aside it from it being yet another black slab. That fantastic BlackBerry keyboard that even the most touch-screen faithful individuals will admit to missing at times. For the Priv, BlackBerry has brought over their touch-sensitive keyboard from the BlackBerry Passport that allows you to navigate through pages, app screens and more just with a slide of your finger across the keys.
There's just one concern here that might be offputting to some and that's how the touch-sensitive keyboard will work within Android apps. As it stands right now, using the BlackBerry Passport as a base, the touch-sensitive keyboard does not work within all apps. Some still force you to use the screen like a filthy animal. That said, there's a good chance BlackBerry has changed this on the Priv with it being a dedicated Android device vs. running it through the Android Runtime found on BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Of course, there's also the chance it might not have been improved at all.
Dual-Curve Display
When the BlackBerry Priv slider was teased at Mobile World Congress, there was a lot of talk about the dual-curve display BlackBerry decided to use including some speculation that it might be using the same display as the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. On top of those rumors, which remain unconfirmed, there was also discussion about how the display would be used and whether or not BlackBerry would add any special features to it using the software, again, like those found on the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge.
As highlighted in the image, when the device is plugged in and charging, a battery meter appears on the edge of the screen indicating how much battery percentage is left and how much further the device has to go in order to be fully charged. Sure, it's nothing over the top and there's no way of telling as of yet if this will make it into the final software revisions, but it's a cool little tidbit of information that others seem to have overlooked despite the device being caught in several photos and even a hands-on video. Will there be additional features added? We're not sure as of yet, and nothing has been shown off so, we'll have to wait and see.
Source: CrackBerry
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