BlackBerry back to its roots with Q10 qwerty keyboard phone

WATERLOO, Ontario, April 24 (UPI) -- Canadian smartphone-maker BlackBerry says its newest model phone, the Q10, features a physical keyboard harking back to the firm's beginnings.

The BlackBerry Q10 will join the Z10, a touch-screen smartphone the company unveiled earlier this year after a 3-year development period.

The device will be available in Canada and Britain first and be offered in the United States sometimes after that, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

British carriers said they could begin shipping Q10s Friday while BlackBerry -- which changed its name from the former Research in Motion -- said Canadian carriers and retailers would offer the phone starting May 1.

Looking very much like the once-popular BlackBerry Bold introduced in 2009, the Q10 sports a classic physical keyboard and a small touch screen and will run BlackBerry 10, RIM's new operating system.

At an advertised price of around $200 with a multiyear plan from most carriers and retailers, the Q10 will land in the same price bracket as other high-end smartphones in the market.