The new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is already out in the United Kingdom and Canada, but when does the BlackBerry 10 device hits the shelves in the United States?
For now, BlackBerry doesn't have specific dates, but T-Mobile has stated it wants to be the first U.S. carrier to offer the phone, sometime in mid-March.
"Anticipated launch dates for the BlackBerry Z10 in the U.S. had pointed to a March 27 launch on T-Mobile, according to a leaked roadmap published by TmoNews earlier this week," writes TechCrunch. "While that date may have originally been accurate based on the carrier's assumption of how long the Z10 would take to clear testing, Sickinger's words today suggest that the timeframe has been pushed up."
The latest word from T-Mobile is that the Z10 will be available in the middle of next month, for $199 with a two-year contract. Business customers looking to outfit an entire sales force will have access to the Z10 about a week earlier than that.
But Verizon might not have the Z10 until April, and it's looking certain that the nation's largest carrier won't be able to bring the Z10 to market until after T-Mobile does.
Sprint and AT&T lag even behind Verizon, though probably not by much.
For those customers who just can't wait a few more weeks, there is an option, though it's expensive. Startup carrier Solavei, which buys access to the T-Mobile network, currently offers an unlocked BlackBerry Z10 for $999.
That's a whopping price for a phone that will be available subsidized next month. But since Solavei offers no-contract prepaid plans, anyone who shells out the cash for the Z10 now can take their phone to any of the other carriers without being on the hook for early termination fees. That might make the initial layout a bit more tolerable.
Check back for the latest release dates as they're announced.
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