The BlackBerry smartphone, relaunched by Irvine-based TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd.’s North American operation, has lined up its first distribution deal with a major U.S. carrier.
Overland, Kansas-based Sprint Corp. is selling the device at retail outlets and online for about $400, or 18 monthly payments of $22.
“Carrier rollout of this device is an important component of our global launch, bringing not only a distinctly different smartphone to customers, but offering a new solution for enterprises looking to offer their employees a safe and secure mobile experience,” said TCL Communication President and General Manager Steve Cistulli in an email. He assembled a stand-alone unit in Irvine to design, market and relaunch the BlackBerry brand.
The BlackBerry KEYone features the flagship qwerty keyboard, 4G connectivity, a 12-megapixel rear camera, 32 gigabytes of memory, and touch-screen navigation on a 4.5-inch display akin to competing brands.
The key development comes a little over a month after TCL launched the smartphone in Canada with four of the nation’s largest wireless carriers. The local unit of Chinese conglomerate TCL opted for retailers Amazom.com and Best Buy for the initial U.S. push. The device initially rolled out in 25 Best Buy locations, Cistulli told the Business Journal at the time, but the Richfield, Minn.-based retail chain now carries it at more than 300 stores.
BlackBerry’s raised keyboard and security were coveted by corporate executives and government workers, who helped fuel the “Crackberry” craze in the mid-2000s, but the brand barely registers a blip in the global smartphone war led by Samsung and Apple.
Its position and sales are at all-time lows, with essentially zero market share—a far cry from the turn of the decade, when quarterly shipments surpassed 10 million units and Blackberry owned 20 percent of the global smartphone market.
TCL’s strategy, first reported by the Business Journal in January, is focused on winning back carriers and enterprise customers that have fled the once-influential smartphone brand over the past several years.
TCL signed a licensing deal late last year with BlackBerry Ltd. after the Waterloo, Canada-based company announced it would halt smartphone production and focus on software.
Cylance Gets Fed Nod
Irvine-based security software maker Cylance Inc. earned an important federal certification for its flagship CylancePROTECT offering that will allow it to sell to U.S. government agencies.
The fast-growing software maker is among the most watched companies in OC’s tech sector and part of a growing cybersecurity hub here as global attacks and breaches become more prevalent.
Cylance’s automated software fuses machine learning, artificial intelligence algorithms and the cloud to thwart new and evolving threats and cyberattacks before they hit servers, desktops and virtual desktops.
The Business Journal last month reported that Cylance is entering the consumer market.
Its sales topped $81.7 million in the 12 months through June 2016, up a whopping 1,996% from two years earlier.
The leap won it the top spot among midsized companies—those between $10 million and $100 million in annual sales—on last year’s Business Journal Fastest-Growing Private Companies list.
It’s raised $177 million since its 2012 inception.
Bits & Pieces
Irvine-based 5 Bars, which provides wireless connectivity at large venues, including Angel Stadium in Anaheim, has been acquired on undisclosed terms by Neutral Connect Networks in Florida. … Orange-based U.S. Sensor, a manufacturer of thermally sensitive resistors, temperature detectors and related assemblies, was acquired on undisclosed terms by Littlefuse Inc. in Chicago.
