BlackBerry launches square Passport

Toronto - BlackBerry launched an unconventional new smartphone dubbed the Passport on Wednesday as it embarked on what may be the most critical phase of its long turnaround push.

At simultaneous events in Toronto, London and Dubai, BlackBerry showed off the device, which is the size and shape of a closed passport, with a large square touchscreen as well as a keyboard. The Passport debuts in the market as the phones of BlackBerry's rivals converge on a single profile, with tall, rectangular screens and smooth corners.

Users can type on the Passport's keyboard to enter text, or swipe lightly across it to navigate through the phone.

BlackBerry recently concluded a three-year restructuring process, and it is now up to chief executive John Chen to prove that the company's new devices and services are capable of generating sustainable new streams of revenue and returning it to profit.

"BlackBerry is still fighting for survival. They still need to turn around and develop a viable ongoing business model," said Morningstar analyst Brian Colello.

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"Their products are certainly pointing toward that and the new strategy makes sense, but there is still a lot of execution risk at this point in a very competitive market."

The device has gone on sale with a suggested introductory retail price of $629 in Canada and $599 in the United States.

BlackBerry said it expects the price on contract to be about $249, depending on the carrier, and that the phone should be available in more than 30 countries by the end of the year.

Passport users will be able to download apps from Amazon's app store, previously only available for Android-based phones.

BlackBerry announced the deal that cleared the way for its customers to access Amazon's store in June.