BlackBerry talks up new square-screened phone with 453ppi

News
By Michael Rougeau
published

QWERTY going strong (in Canada, at least)

BlackBerry QWERTY
What will a new, square, QWERTY-equipped BlackBerry look like?

It's no secret that there's a wave of new Blackberries heading our way, but details about them are as rare as the kraken so far.

Here's a hint, though: BlackBerry has encouraged developers working in its BlackBerry 10.3 beta simulator to experiment with a new square shape and resolution.

"When you fire up the 10.3 beta simulator, you'll notice another square screen," BlackBerry Director of Application, Platform & Tools Product Management Tim Neil wrote on the company's dev blog.

He continued: "This is for a new device with a 1440 x 1440 resolution and pixel density of 453 DPI."

Hip to be square

So what is this mysterious new square-screened BlackBerry? Is it the BlackBerry Q20 Classic that was announced at MWC 2013? Unlikely.

What about the rumored BlackBerry Q30 Windemere, which is also said to be rocking a QWERTY like it's 2006?

"I know, I know…you want more details on that new device," Neil wrote, apparently reading our minds. "But we're not quite ready to give them yet, so hold tight and watch the blog for more information!"

Whatever it is, we know it won't be a wearable, so a smartwatch is out.

"In the meantime," Neil finished, "testing with the 10.3 beta simulator will allow you to see how your application will behave in this new resolution and DPI combination, so we encourage you to check it out as soon as you can."

Does that mean it's coming soon? We'll keep the lighthouse lit just in case.

Michael Rougeau
Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.