Verizon, T-Mobile Prep for BlackBerry Q10 Release Next Week

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The next step in BlackBerry‘s attempt at a return to relevance comes next week, when the new Q10 smartphone makes its debut stateside.

The Q10 raises the question: “Can a phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard still be relevant?” Business users and avid texters might say yes. It’ll be an interesting experiment considering BlackBerrys, heavily reliant on physical keyboards, have been fading from existence in recent years, particularly in more developed countries, as app-dominated devices like Apple’s iPhone and a bevy of Android phones have taken the world by storm.

The Q10, the second smartphone based on the Canada-based manufacturer’s BlackBerry 10 operating system, goes on sale at T-Mobile USA on June 5. The Magenta Network has been taking pre-orders for the past couple of weeks. Verizon Wireless just started taking pre-orders on Thursday, promising customers will start getting their hands on them by June 6.

T-Mobile, now selling phones without contracts, is offering the Q10 for $100 down plus $20 per month for 24 months (total payment $580). Verizon is charging the subsidized price of $200 if you sign up for a new, two-year service contract.

BlackBerry-philes who prefer AT&T or Sprint need not worry: Those carriers have promised they’ll offer the Q10 sometime this summer no release dates just yet.

The company rolled out its first BlackBerry 10 device, the Z10, earlier this year. Sales have been mediocre at best.

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