Keyboard fans can pre-order the Android-powered BlackBerry Priv, right now

The first Android-powered BlackBerry, complete with an honest-to-goodness physical QWERTY keyboard, can be pre-ordered, right now.

The oddly-named BlackBerry Priv (short for privacy, we think), is the company’s debut into the full-fat world of Android.

Whereas previous devices like the BlackBerry Passport can sideload Android apps, they don’t run natively, and occasionally don’t work at all. The Priv however, runs completely on Android, usurping BlackBerry’s own OS.

In addition to the slide out keyboard, which in itself is an extremely rare novelty these days, BlackBerry has loaded up Android 5.1 Lollipop with extra security features too.

There’s no word on when, or if, it’ll be updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but we’re looking forward to putting the handset through its paces to see if it’s more than just a curiosity.

The Priv can be pre-ordered for £560 directly from BlackBerry right now, with a release date set for 9 November.

[via IB Times]

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.