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| BlackBerry seems to be working on a Priv successor. Photo: Reuters/Mark Blinch |
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If a new BlackBerry patent is to be believed, TCL — currently the
owner of BlackBerry Mobile — could be working on a successor to 2015’s
Priv. The leaked document apparently details information about a new
handset that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard just like the BlackBerry
Priv.
What’s quite interesting about the smartphone that’s being detailed by the patent from the World Intellectual Patent Organization
is its camera setup. From the looks of things, TCL could be preparing a
new camera design that’s never before seen in the industry.
According to the patent that was first spotted by Dutch news outlet LetsGoDigital,
the rear camera lens is placed on the outer housing of the phone. Then,
another lens is positioned at the other rear housing that’s part of the
slide-out keyboard. The secondary lens is identified as a conversion
lens.
[post_ads]The catch: Users will be able to use different cameras
depending on whether the slide-out keyboard is pulled down or not. When
the QWERTY keyboard is open, the regular camera on the outer housing
will be available to the user. When the QWERTY keyboard is closed,
however, the conversion lens will be accessible to the user.
The
patent does not specify the type of conversion lens that TCL is using,
but it does mention some possibilities. It could be a wide-angle lens, a
macro lens, a fisheye lens or a zoom lens. It’s also important to note
that the document does not mention Priv, but the illustrations provided
strongly suggest that the new smartphone will resemble the 2015 handset.
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| BlackBerry Phone (back) Photo: WIPO |
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| BlackBerry Phone (front) Photo: WIPO |
It should be noted that the original Priv was succeeded by the KEYone
at last year’s MWC 2017. But the latter does not at all resemble the
former. The KEYone has a fixed keyboard and a very different design.
Given the new patent though, TCL could be reviving the original Priv’s
design with the addition of upgraded specs.
[post_ads_2]
As previously reported by IBTimes,
BlackBerry is releasing two new smartphones with physical keyboards
this year. TCL confirmed this during CES 2018 last month. At the time,
the company did not disclose anything about the devices, but it did
confirm that it is building a “keyboard category” in its smartphone
business for consumers who still prefer the signature keyboard of
BlackBerry.
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