Mr. Cameron Vernest reports

BLACKBERRY LAUNCHES THE BLACKBERRY CLASSIC IN SINGAPORE

BlackBerry Ltd. has launched the BlackBerry Classic in Singapore. The no-nonsense smart phone, built to meet the needs of productive people, who appreciate the speed and accuracy that can be found with a physical Qwerty keyboard, is available islandwide through each of the three major network operators: M1, SingTel and StarHub.

Cameron Vernest, managing director, Singapore and the Philippines, BlackBerry, said: "We're delighted our three loyal partners, M1, SingTel and StarHub, are now selling BlackBerry Classic, so our mutual customers across Singapore can benefit from the powerful communications experience BlackBerry Bold and Curve users have been waiting for. BlackBerry Classic is a secure device that feels familiar in their hands, with the added performance and agility they need to be competitive in today's busy world."

Although familiar in appearance, BlackBerry Classic upgrades the BlackBerry Bold 9900 experience with:

• Three times faster browser;
• Sixty per cent more screen space;
• Fifty per cent longer battery life;
• Greater variety of applications through BlackBerry World and the Amazon Appstore.

Top features of the BlackBerry Classic that drive productivity, communications and collaboration include:

• BlackBerry keyboard and trackpad: The Qwerty keyboard has stood the test of time as the iconic BlackBerry feature that users know and trust. Crafted for optimal speed and accuracy, BlackBerry Classic's Qwerty keyboard gives users the control and confidence to communicate quickly and clearly using one hand with a trackpad and classic navigation key.
• BlackBerry browser: The BlackBerry 10 web browser is amazingly fast and astoundingly beautiful. That is why the HTML5TEST website rates it amongst the top mobile browsers for Web fidelity (i). Access your favorite on-line content as it was meant to be seen, faster than ever before and with unlimited browser tabs.
• Screen and battery: The BlackBerry Classic offers a form factor optimized for power communicators with a 3.5-inch touch screen display, 294 dots per inch high-definition resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for greater durability. The BlackBerry Classic also offers a large battery capacity and state-of-the-art battery optimization software. With up to 22 hours of battery power, you can be confident that BlackBerry Classic will be ready to deliver results when you need it (ii).
• Premium components: The device is built with durable materials mixed with top-of-the-line technology. This includes a 1.5-gigahertz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, two gigabytes RAM, 16 gigabytes of device storage (expandable by up to 128 gigabytes with a uSD), and a two-megapixel front- and eight-megapixel rear-facing camera with enhanced optics and upgraded imaging sensors.
• BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3.1: The BlackBerry Classic comes preloaded with the BlackBerry 10.3.1 operating system, offering a fresh look that incorporates updated icons and an instant action bar so that each user's most commonly accessed functions are in the centre of the screen. With this new operating system, users gain access to powerful features, including:
• • BlackBerry Blend: BlackBerry Blend brings messaging and content that is on your BlackBerry smart phone to your computer and tablet. Get instant message notifications, read and respond to your work and personal e-mail, BBM and text messages, and access your documents, calendar, contacts and media in real time on whatever device you are on, powered by your BlackBerry.
  • BlackBerry Assistant: The BlackBerry Assistant is BlackBerry's first digital assistant and can be used with voice and text commands to help users manage work and personal e-mail, contacts, calendar and other native BlackBerry 10 applications. It is the only smart phone assistant on the market today that can access both personal and work content in your work perimeter. BlackBerry Assistant intelligently determines how to respond to you based on how you interact with it: if you type, it responds silently, if you speak, it speaks back and if you activate over Bluetooth, it speaks back with additional context because it assumes you might not have access to the screen.
• Dual-app storefronts for a wealth of professional and popular apps:
• • BlackBerry World: BlackBerry World showcases essential productivity apps for business professionals looking to drive efficient communications and collaboration.
  • Amazon Appstore: Preloaded on BlackBerry Classic, users can access popular Android apps and games through the Amazon Appstore, including Candy Crush Saga, Pinterest, Kindle for Android and Cut the Rope 2. Users can also scan Android apps for malware and privacy issues prior to installation using BlackBerry Guardian.
  • BlackBerry Hub: The one place to manage all your conversations -- e-mail, texts, BBM, phone calls, social media and more. You can even glance at what is next in your calendar. It is always available with a single swipe to help you stay organized, in control and on top of all your conversations.

BlackBerry Classic is built on BlackBerry's renowned secure operating system, with built-in protection against viruses, tampering and data leaks. The BlackBerry Classic is private by default, protecting users with encrypted e-mail, web browsing and BBM.

Singapore partners show their support for BlackBerry Classic

The BlackBerry Classic is now available through each of Singapore's main network operators and other authorized retail outlets.

P. Subramaniam, chief marketing officer, M1, said: "We are pleased to work with BlackBerry to bring back the productivity tool of choice of many savvy, driven M1 customers. The BlackBerry Classic and its great physical keyboard will definitely make road warriors even more productive on the go."

Johan Buse, vice-president of consumer marketing, SingTel, said, "We are pleased to be offering the BlackBerry Classic, a great device that harnesses the power of our extensive 4G LTE-advanced network to provide a combination of fantastic functionality and the best mobile coverage to our customers."

Chan Kin Hung, senior vice-president of mobility, StarHub, said: "We are pleased to offer the new BlackBerry Classic, which will give our BlackBerry customers more choices in BlackBerry devices that best meet their mobile productivity needs and preferences over StarHub's 4G LTE-advanced network, and the largest 4G roaming coverage in Singapore. BlackBerry Classic, which delivers the tested and proven BlackBerry experience, with enhanced hardware and software capabilities, provides a very attractive choice for customers looking to upgrade their existing BlackBerry device."

For more information, please visit the BlackBerry website.

(i) Data taken from the HTML5TEST website from January, 2013, to July 22, 2014, and compares the latest builds for this duration for Android, Chrome, Firefox, iOS and Windows.

(ii) Based on GSMA PRD TW.09 battery life measurement technique and a mixed-usage scenario. Many factors affect battery life, including network connectivity, application usage, feature configuration and battery age. Actual results may vary.