The BlackBerry Passport will launch in September. In the meantime, BlackBerry continues to showcase its upcoming smartphone. Having already shed light on its “touch-enabled keyboard,” BlackBerry now turns its attention to the square display. As BlackBerry sees it, the Passport offers the same viewing space as a 5-inch device but “offers an even better viewing experience because of the screen’s width.” And it has the science to explain why that is:
Based on academic typology, the optimal number of characters on a line in a book is 66 characters (current rectangular smartphones show approx. 40 characters and BlackBerry will show 60 characters). BlackBerry Passport offers its size and aspect ratio to accommodate these characters, making it the ideal device for reading e-books, viewing documents and browsing the web. No more worrying about portrait or landscape modes, and no; you aren’t missing anything.
BlackBerry also provides some brief use cases to illustrate who could benefit from that large square display:
- For architects and mortgage brokers, imagine being able to look at full designs and schematics on the go, and still being able to handle piles of virtual paperwork with ease.
- In the healthcare field, picture being able to go through x-rays or medical documentation in the office with a patient, on a device that can maintain the necessary security standards for HIPAA compliance.
- In the area of finance, how about navigating your Web-based trading platform on your device? With enough screen real estate, you can clearly see the fluctuation in your stock and determine whether it’s time to sell.
- Writers will truly be unlocked with a navigable keyboard, while the large square screen enables faster content development and delivery. When you are looking to type stories or notes, your virtual keyboard doesn’t cover most of your screen.
Supporting its refound focus on business and enterprise customers, the BlackBerry Passport is “designed from the ground up for the working professional in mind” and will not be aimed at the average consumer.
There is no question that the BlackBerry Passport, which espouses the “It’s Hip to be Square” philosophy is a bit of an odd duck. That may well be its edge in the end.
Source : Inside BlackBerry Blog