BlackBerry Q10 and Z10 get Skype with version 10.1
The BlackBerry faithful are gathered in Florida this week to find out the latest about the new platform from the company. One of the first announcements coming out of BlackBerry Live is the latest version of the OS that will be rolling out to the Z10 this week.
ZDNet's Matthew Miller has all the details of what BlackBerry 10.1 brings to the phone, and is worth a read. You may recall that the BlackBerry Q10 with its QWERTY keyboard is shipping with BB10.1, but the slightly older Z10 is running 10.0. Z10 owners should see the 10.1 update pushed to their phones starting this week, according to BlackBerry.
In addition to the improvements that Miller has detailed, the BlackBerry 10.1 update is significant for owners in that it enables Skype on the handsets. Skype on the BlackBerry requires BB10.1, and will be downloadable to the Q10 and Z10 with the latest OS version installed.
The BlackBerry is well suited for work purposes, and is a good fit for the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) crowd. Skype is an established work tool, and having it on the new BlackBerry phones is a very good thing for those taking the phones to work.
In addition to the update announcement, BlackBerry unveiled on Tuesday the budget-friendly Q5 handset, which is designed for emerging markets. Jason Hiner is on the ground at the BlackBerry Live event in Florida, and has all the details about this colorful new BlackBerry.
Related story