Verizon starts $199 BlackBerry Z10 pre-orders March 14

BlackBerry is gearing up for a big March in the US: Verizon has announced pre-orders to start for the Z10 handset on March 14. The phone will cost $ 199.99 with contract and be available in either black or a Verizon exclusive white color. In an updated press release, Verizon says the phone will be available online and in retail stores on March 28.

The news from Verizon was announced not long after BlackBerry itself published a press release, saying it had received it’s largest handset order from a single company in history: one million BlackBerry Z10′s were purchased from an unnamed company. Given Verizon’s solid support for BlackBerry in the past, it could be that unnamed partner.

Verizon has previously said it intends to sell the BlackBerry Q10, a device with touchscreen and hardware keyboard, but there are no additional details about that phone. BlackBerry executives have said that the Q10 is being tested by US carriers and the company is hopeful to see the phone launch in April.

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