BlackBerry Throws Curveball, Will Bring Back Slider

BlackBerry executive Ron Louks gives a sneak peek of the company’s forthcoming slider phone. (Photo: CNET)

BARCELONA, Spain –– BlackBerry surprised the Mobile World Congress crowd this morning by announcing that it would release a touchscreen phone with a slide-out keyboard sometime in the future. 

The secret slider phone, which a BlackBerry executive also teased was a “curved screen” touchscreen device, was introduced at BlackBerry’s press conference here at MWC. BlackBerry executive Ron Louks held the phone aloft onstage for a few seconds, but then quickly hid it; it was not on view following the event. The device lacks a name, price, and release date. We know only that it slides.

A zoomed-in look at BlackBerry’s slider phone, via Engadget

The company also introduced the BlackBerry Leap, a cheap keyboard-less device that it says is aimed at “rising stars.” (That’s BlackBerry-talk for young professionals; you and your rising star friends can read more about the Leap here). 

Per this CNET wrap-up BlackBerry spent much of the rest of its press conference promising new apps and services for other devices running the more popular iOS and Android operating systems. The company is currently trying to reinvigorate itself after years of decline following the surge in popularity of touchscreen devices. The smartphone market is currently sorely lacking in slider phones, asVerizon has discontinued the Droid 4 and T-Mobile hasn’t announced a new Sidekick in years. 

Sliders may currently be out of fashion, but BlackBerry, for one, looked at the current phones on the market and thought: “So why don’t you slide?” QWERTY fans, rejoice: Your slider savior phone is on its way.