Needless to say downright futuristic BlackBerry we spied back in September? Say hello, once again. RIM and Porsche (of all companies) have just taken the official wraps off of the Porsche Design P’9981 BlackBerry, a frighteningly beautiful new slab that provides up a forged chrome steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover, sculpted QWERTY keyboard, and “crystal clear touch display.” It’ll ship with an exclusive Porsche Design UI and a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience, let alone the “premium, exclusive PINs that help easily identify another P’9981 smartphone user.” Fancy. As for specs, it’s boasting a 1.2GHz processor, HD video recording capabilities, 8GB of onboard memory, Liquid Graphics technology, a microSD expansion slot, an inbuilt NFC module and BlackBerry OS 7. We’re told that it’s going to be available from Porsche Design stores later this year, but mum’s the word at the (presumably stratospheric) price. Head past the ump for T-break‘s hands-on vid.
Update: MobileSyrup reports that the device shown here will sell for “around $2,000,” and they’re going to be (unsurprisingly) limited in quantity.
Engineered Luxury Meets High-Powered Performance
STUTTGART, GERMANY and WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Oct. 27, 2011) -
Today, Porsche Design and Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) announced the elite new Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry®. Designed by Porsche Design, in collaboration with RIM, the luxurious brand’s first smartphone delivers engineered luxury and function.
The Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry is readily identifiable as a Porsche Design product. The exclusive material choices for this unique smartphone include a forged chrome steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover, sculpted QWERTY keyboard, and crystal clear touch display. This customized Porsche Design P’9981 comes with an exclusive Porsche Design UI and a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience. It is also premium, exclusive PINs that help easily identify another P’9981 smartphone user.
“Since 1972 Porsche Design has presented milestone products with iconic style, and the P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry would be our next landmark,” said Dr. Juergen Gessler, CEO Porsche Design Group. “The pure and distinctive design, coupled with authentic materials and an emphasis at the manufacturing process, perfectly match our philosophy and complement the Porsche Design product assortment.”
“This collaboration stems from a shared belief that form equals function,” said Todd Wood, SVP for Industrial Design, Research In Motion. “The Porsche Design P’9981 is a really modern luxury smartphone, where the timeless form of Porsche Design meets the unrivaled mobile experience provided by BlackBerry.”
Powerful hardware and software
The Porsche Design P’9981 is built on a performance driven platform that includes a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, and advanced sensors enabling new augmented reality applications. It comes with 8GB of on-board memory, expandable as much as 40GB with a micro SD card.
BlackBerry® 7, the operating system for the hot Porsche Design P’9981, features a next generation BlackBerry® browser with a quick, fluid web browsing experience it truly is one of the best within the industry. It also features Liquid Graphics™ technology, which delivers a highly responsive touch experience with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.
The Porsche Design P’9981 includes built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), in order to enable many new and exciting capabilities.
The Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry might be available from Porsche Design stores later this year.
For additional information please visit www.BlackBerry.com/ae/P9981smartphone or www.BlackBerry.com/sa/P9981smartphone
About Porsche Design
Porsche Design is a luxury brand with a unique specialise in products which are technically inspired. The emblem Porsche Design was founded in 1972 by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. The goods are the embodiment of functionality, timelessness and purist design. They impress by the technical innovations they incorporate. The product portfolio includes watches, sunglasses, luggage, electronic products, a line of fragrances for men in addition to a sport and fashion collection. All products of the emblem are designed on the Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See, Austria, and are sold worldwide within the brand’s own stores, in franchise stores, shop-in-shops, quality malls and exclusive retailers.
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