At this point, we’re about 99% certain that BlackBerry is working on its first Android-powered smartphone, which goes by the codename Venice, but we still don’t have anything official to go on. We’ve had no shortage of leaked images and specs over the past few months, but BlackBerry has yet to even announce the device, let alone give us details. Fortunately, the leaks just keep on coming, and the most recent one, which was brought to us by Android Authority, gives us our closest look at the BlackBerry Venice yet.
It’s no secret that BlackBerry is developing its own Android-powered smartphone. Thanks to numerous renders, images and leaked specifications, we already have a pretty good idea as to what the phone might look like. In case you needed more proof, we’ve just obtained some new hands-on photos of the unannounced BlackBerry Venice, showing off the device’s chassis, sliding keyboard and some software features. Taking a look at the images attached below, we’re getting a good look at the Venice’s display and slide-out keyboard. Although we can’t be entirely certain of the display size, previous rumors have pointed to a 5.4-inch screen size. As for the software experience, this device seems to stick very closely to vanilla Android, with some added BlackBerry features thrown in. For instance, our anonymous tipster tells us there will be keyboard shortcuts available for creating quick tasks and a few others. As you can see from the third image below, there also looks to be some software shortcuts when swiping up from the home button. Aside from the normal Google Now shortcut, you’ll also be able to perform a quick local search and create a new message with ease.
