BlackBerry Classic Preorders Begin, But Verizon And Sprint Users Are Left Out

Surprise! If you’re one of the few people left who wants a physical keyboard on your smartphone, you can now preorder a BlackBerry Classic. The Waterloo, Ontario, mobile firm began taking preorders on Friday for the mobile handset, which is based on older BlackBerry designs but includes an updated software suite.

The Classic is priced at $449 and is expected to ship in mid-December. But the model available only supports GSM carriers, leaving out Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular customers. Details about the BlackBerry Classic’s specs have yet to be disclosed, though its preorder information mentions a square touch screen and support for BlackBerry and Android apps downloaded through the Amazon Appstore. The company plans to officially launch the Classic on Dec. 17 in New York, according to The Next Web.

While it’s not clear whether the Classic will help BlackBerry turn around declining mobile device sales, the company is also looking into a number of other revenue sources, such as an enterprise partnership with Samsung to secure the South Korean firm’s enterprise products.

The Classic is among the latest devices introduced by BlackBerry in recent months, including the Passport, which features a larger screen and a physical keyboard that also doubles as a touchpad.