BlackBerry to turn back to QWERTY, set to launch Passport, Classic in India

Faced with the onslaught of cheap Android phones, BlackBerry is turning back to its core, the popular QWERTY keyboards. In the coming months, BlackBerry will launch in India the Passport and Classic, two devices that will have the QWERTY keyboard at its USP.

"QWERTY has been one of our strong suits, keeping with the consumer trend and demand, we will continue to launch devices based on QWERTY. There remains a large portion of the user base that are loyal to the QWERTY experience," said Sameer Bhatia, Director, Distribution at BlackBerry India.

The unique BlackBerry Passport will offer a 4.5-inch square full HD screen with with a touch-enabled keyboard. "You will be able to navigate web pages, apps and e-mails by lightly brushing your fingers over the keys, which helps with things like scrolling and cursor placement," he said, adding that the keyboard will also support custom commands.

The BlackBerry Classic, meanwhile, will bring back the trackpad and function keys to BlackBerry 10 devices. It will be second device to come out of the Foxconn partnership and could have an affordable price tag.

"We believe that our devices need to stay in step with the times while ensuring to provide die-hard BlackBerry users with the comfort of a keypad as well," said Bhatia.

However, BlackBerry is unlikely to shift to an online only approach like some of the new entrants in the market. "We believe that both traditional retail formats outlets and online platforms are complementary strategies that brands need to harness to ensure complete consumer access and reach," he said. Bhatia said it is imperative to look at OMNI channel presence and leverage both traditional as well as new age formats to reach out to consumers across segments. "Recently with the launch of the new BlackBerry Z3 we partnered with both The Mobile Store and Flipkart to offer consumers an exciting pre-launch offer. The offer was very well received by the consumers, proving that both brick & mortar and online formats have become an integral part of a brand’s retail strategy."

Apple Sends Invitations for September 9 'iPhone 6 Launch' Event

Apple on Thursday sent out invitations for a Sept. 9 event that is expected to include the launch of new iPhones and possibly the long-rumored iWatch.

"Please join Apple on September 9 for a special event," the invite says. "Wish we could say more."

As that message suggests, few other details were made available. The event information appears atop the traditional silver Apple logo, a bit of a change from last year's colorful invite, which hinted at Apple's multi-color iPhone 5c lineup. Things kick off at 10 a.m. PT in Cupertino; PCMag will be there, so stay tuned for all the details.

Apple is widely expected to launch its next-gen iPhones next month. Rumor has it that Cupertino will release a 4.7-inch iPhone, as well as a 5.5-inch phablet for the first time. Though Apple chief Tim Cook has expressed doubts about phablets in the past, there's no question that phones with larger screens are all the rage at the moment. In some cases, they have eaten into small tablet market share as consumers look to save money and purchase just one device.

Whether Apple is finally ready to increase its phone sizes from 3.5 and 4 inches to 4.7 and 5.5 inches will be revealed on Sept. 9.

And while Apple's September events have largely focused on the iPhone in recent years, Re/Code this week reported that the Sept. 9 event will also include the launch of a new wearable - likely the iWatch.

The site, which also correctly predicted that Apple would hold its iPhone event on Sept. 9, said that Apple's wearable will tap into its new HealthKit and HomeKit e-health and home automation efforts.

New iPads are not expected to be revealed at the Sept. 9 event. For the past two years, Apple has held separate events in October to announce refreshes to its tablet lineup.