BlackBerry Q10
BlackBerry users who download the latest 10.2.1 software update will unlock FM capabilities in certain models. The update for BlackBerry 10 smartphones “lets you do more, more easily, and helps you be more productive and stay better connected,” promises the company.
The handset maker says the update “unlocks the built-in FM radio” for the Z30, Q10 and Q5 BlackBerry models. “You can listen to local FM stations, which does not require any network connection,” according to the company.
Other features included in the update are a new battery use monitor, so users can keep track of how apps are affecting battery life, the ability to “pinch” your message hub and a simplified phone experience with a “swipe” to answer or ignore a call. A “Tap to Open” message allows the user to more quickly unlock the phone and respond to a message or to respond to message more discreetly, says the manufacturer.
The update is available now to customers in U.S., Europe, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America, and will be available for the entire line of smartphones running BlackBerry 10 (including the Porsche Design P’9982).
A BlackBerry spokeswoman tells RW that FM “is a great feature especially for markets where data plans are more limited and customers want the ability to get access to content.”
Previous BlackBerry models have featured FM in the U.S. The BlackBerry Curve 9320, introduced here in 2012, also offered FM, we reported, as did the 9360 and 9380 models, which were introduced earlier.
Washington Business Journal reports comScore pegs BlackBerry as third in the U.S. as far as market share, at 3.5% of smartphone users behind Android at about 52% and Apple at 41%.
