The white edition of the BlackBerry Q10 has landed in the UK, teaming a physical QWERTY keyboard with the rejuventated smartphone-maker’s user-friendly, altogether more fun BB10 operating system.

Carphone Warehouse is offering the handset free on a range of tariffs starting at £33 per month over 24 months on a choice of Three or Vodafone.

Choose Three and you’ll get unlimited texts, 500 anytime any-network minutes every month and unfettered mobile data use.

Opt for Voda and you’re also looking at unlimited texts, as well as monthly allowances of 600 minutes and 500MB of data.

Both networks' offers include a free Bluetooth speaker, normally priced £79.99.

Fresh from setting a sales record when it landed in Selfridges last month and touted by some as the handset to bring BlackBerry back from the brink, the Q10’s feature set includes a 3.1-inch touchscreen and dual-core 1.5 GHz processor.

Its spec sheet also takes in 16GB on-board memory, 4G LTE support, a redesigned keyboard for faster typing and an all-new version of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) that includes support for video chat.

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BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will finally cross the OS divide this year, BlackBerry has confirmed, bringing the instant messaging service to the iPhone and Android handsets for the first time.

Speaking at yesterday’s BlackBerry press call-cum-devs’-pow-wow, software veep Andrew Bocking confirmed that BBM will hit competitors’ smartphone platforms this summer and will be available as a free download.

The app will run all iDevices running the current generation of Apple’s software, iOS 6. Android phone owners who want to get on board will need a handset powered by the 4.0 version (Ice Cream Sandwich) of the operating system or above.

Bocking said: “The time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service.

“BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We're excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community."

BBM, which is especially popular with a youthful cost-conscious market, enables users to send instant messages for no charge, since this is included as part of their mobile data plan. In so doing, it also eliminates the need to pay for a generous text message/SMS allowance.

Until now, BBM’s exclusivity to BlackBerry phones was a key selling point for their handsets and a notable differentiator.

However, since then BBM’s once-market leading user base has been superseded by cross-platform instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp, which now boasts 200 million regular users.

BlackBerry’s conference was also marked by the unveiling of the BlackBerry Q5. Informally dubbed as a BlackBerry Curve for 2013, the handset is the first mid-range BlackBerry phone to run the Canadian company’s BlackBerry 10 operating system.

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The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is now officially available on AT&T.

The struggling manufacturer — which is hopeful its new flagship device will ignite a company resurgence — announced on Friday the Z10 can finally be activated on AT&T. It costs $199 with a two-year contract.

BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM), also sent a tweet at midnight ET announcing Best Buy will start selling the device on Friday for $199 with a two-year contract. Read more…

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So far, BlackBerry has debuted one touchscreen phone and one keyboard phone in its line of devices running BlackBerry 10 software, both high-end smartphones. Now it looks like BlackBerry's plans for the next wave of devices have leaked, and it's aiming a little lower.

Images and specs of the so-called BlackBerry R10 were posted on a Chinese website over the weekend. The images have since been removed, although they were reposted elsewhere. The photos and information point to a low-budget BlackBerry 10 phone with a QWERTY keyboard — essentially a successor to the popular BlackBerry Curve phones that sip both data and battery life.

Like the BlackBerry Q10, the R10's keyboard is straight, although it loses the metallic trim between the rows of keys — likely a budget-saving move. The screen is the same square 3.1-inch, 720 x 720 display, but it's unclear if it's also an AMOLED screen like the Q10's or regular LCD. Read more…

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