Company looks for comeback
TORONTO — BlackBerry launched a new smartphone Wednesday as the embattled Canadian company hopes for a comeback.
Chief executive John Chen unveiled a large-screen, square sized phone called the Passport to a Toronto audience. London and Dubai also hosted launch events. No event was held in the U. S. where analysts say there is little demand or carrier interest.
BlackBerry has increasingly lost relevance as a smartphone company in the years since the 2007 launch of Apple's touchscreen iPhone and the 2008 introduction of Google-powered Android phones.
Chen, who took over as CEO last fall after failed attempt to sell the once-iconic company, said the new phone was in the works before he joined BlackBerry and joked he can only take credit for not killing it.
He said he's determined to win back market share in Canada and had hockey-great and Wayne Gretzky give a brief speech in support of BlackBerry.
“The reason why we're here is to really try to get the Canadian people to rally behind us,” Chen said. “I need that help, badly.”
The Passport is the size of a passport and has square screen that measures 4.5 inches. It has a touch screen and a physical keyboard, something traditional core BlackBerry users prefer.
