BlackBerry Z10 to launch in the US after Australia

Canadian smartphone pioneer BlackBerry has revealed its new Z10 smartphone will be launched in Australia before the US, as China-based tech giant Lenovo again expresses interest in a takeover.

As SmartCompany recently reported, BlackBerry has scheduled an Australian launch event for the new smartphone on March 18, which will be hosted by BlackBerry Australia’s managing director, Matthew Ball, along with chief executive Thorsten Heins and will also include a panel discussion moderated by ABC host Adam Spencer.

The event will see the launch of the BlackBerry Z10, which has a full-screen form factor similar to Apple’s iPhone 5 or Samsung’s Galaxy S3, which is set to be followed by the BlackBerry Q10, which will feature a traditional BlackBerry keyboard.

However, consumers in the US will have to wait until March 22 to get their hands on a BlackBerry, with PC Mag reporting US carrier AT&T will begin selling the BlackBerry Z10 on March 22 for $US199.99 with a two-year contract.

“AT&T customers were the first to experience BlackBerry smartphones and services in the US and we are thrilled to bring the next evolution, the BlackBerry Z10, to the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network,” said AT&T’s senior vice president of devices Jeff Bradley.

The Australian event and the US launch follows the official global launch for the platform in late January, with the first model, the iPhone-like BlackBerry Z10, meeting record demand across the UK and Canada upon its release.