<s>
BlackBerry	B-Application
Passport	I-Application
is	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
developed	O
by	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Limited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Officially	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
24	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
is	O
inspired	O
by	O
its	O
namesake	B-Protocol
and	O
incorporates	O
features	O
designed	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
device	O
attractive	O
to	O
enterprise	O
users	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
unique	O
square-shaped	O
display	O
measuring	O
4.5	O
inches	O
diagonally	O
,	O
a	O
compact	O
physical	O
keyboard	B-Device
with	O
touchpad	B-Application
gestures	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
latest	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
10	I-Application
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reception	O
to	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
was	O
mixed	O
;	O
critics	O
praised	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
design	O
,	O
screen	O
,	O
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
for	O
meeting	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
goals	O
of	O
creating	O
a	O
business-oriented	O
device	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
an	O
improved	O
application	O
selection	O
through	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
Amazon	B-Application
's	O
Appstore	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
(	O
taking	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
software	I-Application
support	O
provided	O
by	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
10	I-Application
)	O
alongside	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
's	O
own	O
store	B-Application
for	I-Application
native	I-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Criticism	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
was	O
focused	O
primarily	O
on	O
its	O
irregular	O
form	O
factor	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
width	O
being	O
even	O
wider	O
than	O
most	O
phablet	B-Application
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
making	O
the	O
device	O
difficult	O
to	O
carry	O
and	O
use	O
one-handed	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
increased	O
width	O
,	O
while	O
its	O
keyboard	B-Device
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
having	O
made	O
a	O
subtle	O
but	O
perceptible	O
layout	O
change	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
past	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2014	O
,	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Limited	O
's	O
new	O
CEO	O
John	O
Chen	O
indicated	O
that	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
unsuccessful	O
launch	O
of	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
10	I-Application
and	O
its	O
accompanying	O
,	O
consumer-oriented	O
touchscreen	B-Device
devices	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Z10	I-Application
)	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
major	O
loss	O
of	O
market	O
share	O
to	O
competing	O
smartphones	B-Application
such	O
as	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
and	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
line	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
planned	O
to	O
shift	O
its	O
focus	O
back	O
towards	O
the	O
enterprise	O
market	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
restructuring	O
plan	O
,	O
and	O
primarily	O
manufacture	O
phones	O
that	O
feature	O
physical	O
keyboards	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2014	O
,	O
Chen	O
publicly	O
teased	O
two	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
upcoming	O
models	O
,	O
the	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Passport	I-Application
—	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
with	O
a	O
square	O
display	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
Q10	B-Application
known	O
as	O
the	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Classic	I-Application
,	O
incorporating	O
the	O
array	O
of	O
navigation	O
keys	O
featured	O
on	O
past	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
OS	I-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
's	O
return	O
to	O
a	O
business-oriented	O
focus	O
influenced	O
the	O
design	O
and	O
functionality	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
;	O
the	O
overall	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
evoke	O
a	O
similar	O
form	O
to	O
its	O
namesake	B-Protocol
,	O
"	O
a	O
familiar	O
and	O
universal	O
symbol	O
of	O
mobility	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BlackBerry	B-Application
also	O
touted	O
that	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
square-shaped	O
,	O
4.5-inch	O
display	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
rectangular	O
16:9	O
displays	O
of	O
other	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
in	O
combination	O
with	O
its	O
physical	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
would	O
provide	O
more	O
room	O
on-screen	O
for	O
business-oriented	O
tasks	O
such	O
as	O
document	O
editing	O
,	O
image	O
viewing	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
architectural	O
schematics	B-Application
and	O
x-rays	B-Library
)	O
,	O
and	O
web	O
browsing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
increased	O
width	O
of	O
the	O
display	O
would	O
allow	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
to	O
show	O
60	O
characters	O
per	O
line	O
of	O
text	O
,	O
nearing	O
a	O
recommended	O
measure	O
for	O
books	O
at	O
66	O
per	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
began	O
in	O
2013	O
;	O
while	O
even	O
Chen	O
himself	O
was	O
hesitant	O
about	O
the	O
device	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
unusual	O
form	O
factor	O
,	O
he	O
decided	O
to	O
allow	O
continued	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
,	O
believing	O
that	O
it	O
carried	O
unique	O
design	O
qualities	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
other	O
,	O
competing	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
BlackBerry	B-Application
officially	O
released	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
on	O
September	O
24	O
,	O
2014	O
during	O
a	O
press	O
event	O
featuring	O
retired	O
NHL	O
player	O
Wayne	O
Gretzky	O
;	O
describing	O
the	O
device	O
as	O
being	O
aimed	O
towards	O
"	O
power	O
professionals	O
"	O
who	O
are	O
"	O
achievement	O
oriented	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
highly	O
productive	O
"	O
,	O
Chen	O
remarked	O
that	O
the	O
goals	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
were	O
to	O
"	O
drive	O
productivity	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
break	O
through	O
the	O
sea	O
of	O
rectangular-screen	O
,	O
all-touch	O
devices.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Chen	O
also	O
joked	O
about	O
Apple	O
's	O
recent	O
"	O
bendgate	O
"	O
incident	O
during	O
the	O
presentation	O
,	O
remarking	O
that	O
unlike	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
6	I-Operating_System
,	O
"	O
bending	O
[	O
the	O
Passport ]	O
needs	O
a	O
little	O
effort.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
BlackBerry	B-Application
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
in	O
over	O
30	O
countries	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2014	O
;	O
following	O
the	O
event	O
,	O
unlocked	O
models	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
were	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
purchase	O
on	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
's	O
website	O
in	O
Canada	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telus	O
in	O
Canada	O
and	O
AT&T	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
were	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
North	O
American	O
carriers	O
to	O
offer	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Blackberry	B-Application
's	O
blog	O
page	O
,	O
the	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
World	I-Application
App	O
store	O
(	O
12/31/2019	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Travel	O
site	O
(	O
February	O
2018	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Playbook	O
video	O
calling	O
service	O
(	O
March	O
2018	O
)	O
will	O
cease	O
functioning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
vital	O
infrastructure	O
services	O
for	O
both	O
BBOS	B-Application
and	O
BB10	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
be	O
provided	O
by	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
beyond	O
December	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Passport	I-Application
has	O
dimensions	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
an	O
international	O
passport	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
incorporates	O
a	O
steel	O
frame	O
with	O
matte	O
plastic	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
utilizes	O
a	O
compact	O
variation	O
of	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
's	O
traditional	O
physical	O
keyboard	B-Device
design	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
modified	O
layout	O
with	O
three	O
rows	O
and	O
a	O
small	O
spacebar	O
located	O
in	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
the	O
bottom	O
row	O
alongside	O
the	O
remaining	O
letters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	B-Device
is	O
also	O
touch-sensitive	B-Device
;	O
acting	O
as	O
a	O
touchpad	B-Application
,	O
it	O
can	O
register	O
sliding	O
gestures	O
across	O
its	O
keys	O
for	O
scrolling	O
,	O
text	O
selection	O
,	O
word	O
deletion	O
,	O
and	O
autocomplete	O
suggestions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Passport	B-Protocol
design	O
was	O
produced	O
in	O
Black	O
,	O
with	O
both	O
White	O
and	O
a	O
limited	O
edition	O
Red	O
coloured	O
versions	O
announced	O
on	O
November	O
24	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
did	O
not	O
disclose	O
the	O
number	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
its	O
site	O
,	O
the	O
device	O
sold	O
out	O
the	O
same	O
day	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	B-Device
in	O
this	O
version	O
was	O
improved	O
to	O
make	O
typing	O
easier	O
while	O
the	O
corners	O
and	O
a	O
diamond	O
weave	O
pattern	O
on	O
the	O
back	O
were	O
intended	O
to	O
improve	O
grip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Passport	B-Protocol
features	O
a	O
square-shaped	O
4.5-inch	O
IPS	B-Architecture
LCD	I-Architecture
display	O
with	O
a	O
resolution	O
of	O
1440×1440	O
,	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
a	O
16:9	O
display	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
considerably	O
wider	O
than	O
other	O
phablets	B-Application
currently	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Passport	B-Protocol
includes	O
a	O
quad-core	O
,	O
2.2GHz	O
Qualcomm	B-Architecture
Snapdragon	I-Architecture
801	O
system-on-chip	O
with	O
3	O
GB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
32	O
GB	O
of	O
expandable	O
,	O
internal	O
storage	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
non-removable	O
3450	O
mAh	O
battery	O
rated	O
for	O
at	O
least	O
30	O
hours	O
of	O
mixed	O
usage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Passport	B-Protocol
also	O
includes	O
a	O
13-megapixel	O
rear-facing	O
camera	O
with	O
optical	O
image	O
stabilization	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
2-megapixel	O
front-facing	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
phone	O
calls	O
,	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
can	O
measure	O
ambient	O
noise	O
using	O
a	O
microphone	O
in	O
its	O
earpiece	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
then	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
automatically	O
adjust	O
call	O
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Passport	B-Protocol
is	O
preloaded	O
with	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
10.3	O
,	O
the	O
latest	O
version	O
of	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
's	O
operating	O
system	O
at	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
version	O
features	O
a	O
refreshed	O
interface	O
,	O
a	O
personal	B-Application
digital	I-Application
assistant	I-Application
known	O
as	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
,	O
,	O
an	O
application	O
that	O
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
access	O
information	O
from	O
their	O
device	O
on	O
their	O
smartphone	B-Application
and	O
tablet	O
such	O
as	O
email	O
,	O
documents	O
,	O
images	O
and	O
BBM	B-Application
,	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
own	O
direct	O
messaging	O
service	O
,	O
alongside	O
other	O
new	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
World	I-Application
for	O
native	O
applications	O
,	O
10.3	O
also	O
includes	O
the	O
third-party	O
Amazon	B-Application
Appstore	O
,	O
offering	O
Android	B-Application
apps	O
that	O
can	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Connectivity-wise	O
,	O
both	O
the	O
AT&T	O
and	O
International	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
ship	O
with	O
a	O
quad-band	O
GSM	O
radio	O
and	O
penta-band	O
UMTS	O
radio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
international	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
also	O
ships	O
with	O
a	O
10-band	O
LTE	O
radio	O
supporting	O
Bands	O
1	O
,	O
2	O
,	O
3	O
,	O
4	O
,	O
5	O
,	O
7	O
,	O
8	O
,	O
13	O
,	O
17	O
and	O
20	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
devices	O
also	O
come	O
with	O
an	O
802.11ac	O
WiFi	O
transceiver	O
with	O
hotspot	B-Application
and	O
Wi-Fi	O
Direct	O
capabilities	O
and	O
a	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
4.0	I-Protocol
transceiver	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Passport	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nate	O
Ralph	O
of	O
CNET	O
was	O
positive	O
in	O
assessing	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
,	O
praising	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
's	O
display	O
for	O
meeting	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
's	O
stated	O
goals	O
of	O
providing	O
a	O
display	O
optimized	O
primarily	O
for	O
reading	O
and	O
editing	O
documents	O
,	O
its	O
keyboard	B-Device
for	O
having	O
a	O
"	O
spacious	O
typing	O
experience	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
unique	O
touch	O
gestures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
operating	O
system	O
was	O
also	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
performance	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
providing	O
a	O
better	O
selection	O
of	O
apps	O
through	O
the	O
Amazon	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
although	O
the	O
Assistant	O
was	O
panned	O
for	O
being	O
slower	O
than	O
its	O
competitors	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
some	O
apps	O
(	O
particularly	O
Android	B-Application
games	O
)	O
might	O
not	O
be	O
optimized	O
well	O
for	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
's	O
square	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
he	O
believed	O
that	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
had	O
gone	O
"	O
a	O
step	O
too	O
far	O
"	O
in	O
its	O
attempt	O
to	O
design	O
a	O
device	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
enterprise	O
market	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
made	O
it	O
difficult	O
to	O
use	O
one-handed	O
even	O
in	O
comparison	O
with	O
phablets	B-Application
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
"	O
myopic	O
focus	O
on	O
text	O
and	O
productivity	O
comes	O
at	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
creating	O
a	O
device	O
as	O
pleasant	O
to	O
hold	O
as	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
to	O
use	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
decision	O
keeps	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
from	O
eclipsing	O
its	O
well-rounded	O
peers.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
criticism	O
was	O
derived	O
from	O
its	O
form	O
factor	O
;	O
the	O
dimensions	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
(	O
which	O
made	O
the	O
device	O
wider	O
than	O
both	O
the	O
Samsung	B-Operating_System
Galaxy	I-Operating_System
Note	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Operating_System
6	I-Operating_System
Plus	I-Operating_System
)	O
were	O
criticized	O
for	O
making	O
the	O
device	O
"	O
uncomfortable	O
"	O
and	O
difficult	O
to	O
carry	O
in	O
a	O
pocket	O
or	O
use	O
one-handed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
dimensions	O
were	O
also	O
considered	O
a	O
hinder	O
on	O
productivity	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
some	O
use	O
cases	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
watching	O
videos	O
and	O
using	O
Twitter	B-Application
)	O
did	O
not	O
adapt	O
well	O
to	O
the	O
square	O
screen	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
keyboard	B-Device
was	O
not	O
as	O
good	O
as	O
past	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
phones	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
irregular	O
layout	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
praised	O
it	O
for	O
maintaining	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
traditional	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BlackBerry	O
10.3	O
operating	O
system	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
refreshed	O
appearance	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
attempt	O
to	O
address	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
third-party	O
apps	O
by	O
bundling	O
Amazon	B-Application
Appstore	O
(	O
despite	O
still	O
lacking	O
key	O
apps	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
learning	O
curve	O
,	O
performance	O
issues	O
(	O
despite	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
relatively	O
powerful	O
hardware	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
similarly	O
having	O
mechanics	O
that	O
were	O
"	O
clumsy	O
"	O
and	O
hindered	O
productivity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
conclusion	O
,	O
Seifert	O
stated	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
believing	O
"	O
power	O
pros	O
"	O
would	O
still	O
carry	O
another	O
smartphone	B-Application
alongside	O
their	O
Passport	B-Protocol
,	O
"	O
if	O
I	O
can	O
get	O
my	O
job	O
done	O
with	O
just	O
[	O
an	O
iPhone ]	O
,	O
why	O
bother	O
carrying	O
two	O
?	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Joanna	O
Stern	O
of	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
was	O
similarly	O
negative	O
,	O
remarking	O
that	O
while	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
still	O
had	O
the	O
best	O
e-mail	O
client	O
of	O
any	O
smartphone	B-Application
platform	O
,	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
's	O
keyboard	B-Device
was	O
inferior	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
past	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
and	O
shared	O
criticism	O
surrounding	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
demonstrated	O
that	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
was	O
still	O
"	O
living	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
"	O
in	O
regards	O
to	O
its	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
smartphone	B-Application
industry	O
and	O
users	O
 '	O
apparent	O
need	O
for	O
a	O
phone	O
specifically	O
for	O
work	O
usage	O
—	O
especially	O
one	O
that	O
is	O
such	O
irregularly	O
designed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
preliminary	O
review	O
,	O
Engadget	B-Application
noted	O
that	O
even	O
with	O
Amazon	B-Application
Appstore	O
available	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
not	O
enough	O
software	O
for	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
[	O
the	O
Passport ]	O
is	O
built	O
well	O
and	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
is	O
comfortable	O
,	O
but	O
be	O
prepared	O
for	O
a	O
few	O
odd	O
stares	O
from	O
those	O
around	O
you.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
size	O
and	O
shape	O
of	O
the	O
Passport	B-Protocol
were	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
previous	O
Android	B-Application
phablet	B-Application
—	O
the	O
LG	B-Application
Optimus	I-Application
Vu	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
no	O
longer	O
produce	O
by	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
,	O
many	O
fans	O
and	O
tech	O
reviewer	O
still	O
mark	O
both	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
Passport	I-Application
and	O
Classic	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
productivity	O
smartphone	B-Application
,	O
which	O
continue	O
to	O
be	O
recommended	O
device	O
as	O
an	O
mini	O
laptop	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
form	O
factor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
6	O
hours	O
,	O
258,000	O
Passports	B-Protocol
were	O
sold	O
,	O
and	O
pre-order	O
stock	O
on	O
both	O
Amazon	B-Application
and	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
's	O
websites	O
was	O
sold	O
out	O
within	O
6	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
