BlackBerry Goes Back To Its Roots With ‘Classic’ Smartphone, Priced At $449

BlackBerry wants its piece of the enterprise mobile pie back, and it hopes to make some headway by going back to its roots. With its ‘Classic’ smartphone, that’s just what the company has done. Touted as the ‘ultimate communications tool’, the Classic sports an iconic BlackBerry design, complete with optical track pad, and makes use of the latest version of the company’s BlackBerry OS.

Considering the fact that the company has kicked-off pre-orders for its $449 Classic, it seems a bit strange that its actual specs are being kept under wraps until December 17th. One important spec we do know of right now is that it’s GSM-only, meaning that it won’t work on Verizon, Sprint, or US Cellular.

Here’s what BlackBerry has to say about Classic:

“BlackBerry Classic is a new smartphone that builds upon the extremely successful and iconic BlackBerry heritage. Our loyal customers asked us for a very specific phone and we answered with BlackBerry Classic: a familiar design inclusive of the beloved classic navigation keys and physical keyboard, with the speed and powerful performance of BlackBerry 10. True to its heritage, the BlackBerry Classic is built for ultimate reliability and durability, with high-quality materials and finishes, designed to provide optimal grip and better protection from impact. The BlackBerry Classic is built with a purpose – delivering on quality and productivity that fits neatly in your pocket. Please stay tuned for more details when BlackBerry announces it all on December 17th.”

Details are obviously light at the moment, and it’s admittedly quite a wait until we learn more. Things look good so far, but it’s hard to say just how much of an impact this model will have on BlackBerry’s overall success. It’ll be interesting to follow, nonetheless.