Here comes BlackBerry Q10, Hits Toronto first

BlackBerry has launched its second handset with BB OS10. It will first hit the Toronto market. Other users hoping to get their hands on the latest version of the keyboard smartphone will have to wait a couple more days.

The release of the BlackBerry Q10 will begin first in the Greater Toronto Area on Wednesday, before it expands to the rest of Canada later in the week.

"The demand in Toronto is very, very strong, and we want to make sure we have enough supply," COO Kristian Tear told The Canadian Press.


The keyboard version of the smartphone is expected to be popular with business users, especially with bankers and traders on Bay Street. Many of those phones are purchased by businesses, or enterprise customers, who buy the devices in bulk for their employees.

The speed of the rollout for the BlackBerry Q10 phone in key markets around the world is about three times faster than the launch of the touchscreen model earlier this year, Tear said.

BlackBerry is expected to release the phone in the crucial U.S. market next month, though a date hasn't been announced. The BB Q10 phone arrived in the U.K. over the weekend under an exclusive launch at department store Selfridges. The U.K. sales have exceeded the company's expectations, Tear said, though sales figures haven't been released.