With the new Dtek60 BlackBerry has produced a pretty compelling Android smartphone at a quite reasonable price of Dh1,999, all overlaid with the brand’s security features IT departments supposedly love.
It’s just a shame it comes out so late in the game for the company, with its market share lower than ever.
The Dtek60 is pretty similar design wise to its predecessor the Dtek50, sporting the same solid, if slightly uninspiring, off-the-shelf form factor of the Alcatel Idol 4S.
Looks aside though, the Dtek60 is a massive upgrade on its predecessor; the display is slightly larger at 5.5 inches, and is now Amoled, offering a far higher pixel density and much more vibrant colours.
At long last, BlackBerry has finally made a handset with a fingerprint scanner, located on the rear of the phone just below the camera, as per the LG G5 and others.
Camera-wise, the Dtek60 now sports a 21MP rear snapper (compared with the 13MP of the Dtek50), with the same 8MP selfie camera as its predecessor. Performance is decent if not stellar, with one or two struggles in low light compared with the iPhone 7 and the best-in-class Samsung Galaxy S7.
The Dtek60 is still a BlackBerry at heart. BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Intelligent Keyboard are all present and correct for the faithful. There’s even a little red notification light in the top right-hand corner.
Plus the brand continues to tout its security features as its trump card. Like its predecessor, the Dtek60’s storage is encrypted right out of the box, while its Dtek app notifies you when the handset camera, microphone and location are being accessed.
Additionally, BlackBerry has been active in providing Android security patches faster than any other manufacturer other than Google (for its Nexus and Pixel ranges), something that will continue to appeal to IT managers and the more security-conscious consumers.
The Dtek60 at long last provides BlackBerry with a properly compelling smartphone after the overly expensive Priv and the uninspiring Dtek50, offering pretty high performance and solid security at a reasonable price. Such a shame then that it didn’t come out 12 months ago.
Q&A
Wait a minute. I thought BlackBerry had stopped making phones?
That’s right, the company announced in September that it had stopped making handsets. But that simply meant that the company was outsourcing production to another company.
So, who's making the Dtek60?
TCL of China. UAE consumers will probably know it best for its televisions, but it also sells mobile phones here under the Alcatel brand. Hence the design similarities between the Alcatel Idol 4S and the Dtek60.
So BlackBerry handsets will continue?
Perhaps; hot on the heels of the Dtek50 and the Dtek60, BlackBerry is already working on the Dtek70, which will almost certainly sport a physical keyboard. But chief executive John Chen has always maintained that the company won’t continue in the handset business unless it can turn a profit.
What else should I know about the Dtek60?
It runs Android Marshmallow out of the box. Its 3000 mAh battery comfortably lasts through a day of moderate usage. It shares the same programmable convenience key on its right side as the Alcatel Idol 4S, enabling easy access to selected apps and functions. And its memory is expandable up to a whopping 2TB.
How about the colour? Unripe Blackberries are often …
No. It’s not available in rose gold, red gold, pink gold, or any other form of pink. Just black.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
