Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new — product, packaging, design, insight, food, décor and more!
- Blackberry’s PRIV launched in SA
- Creating dynamic offices with Bosse
- Contemporary chairs from Eclipse
Blackberry gets smart on Android
Mobile communications company, BlackBerry, has launched its first-ever smartphone powered by Android in South Africa, designed with security at its core and building upon BlackBerry’s reputation for keeping customers’ data private — and it’s stylish, too!
Combining BlackBerry’s productivity, security and privacy features with Google Play store apps, PRIV is packaged in an ultra-thin device, including a dual-curved screen, touch and physical keyboards, state-of-the-art 18MP camera, and long-lasting battery — with unique tools that allow users to manage and control their privacy. As part of its cross-platform strategy to provide a greater choice of secure solutions to its customers, users will see a merging of key BlackBerry 10 productivity features, such as the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Calendar into PRIV. Additional key features include:
- Best of both keyboards: offering the choice between a virtual keyboard or a physical keyboard
- Full Android app and ecosystem experience: users have access to over 1m applications
- Tough screen: a 5.4-inch immersive dual-curve OLED display, with a pixel density of 540 PPI, which offer space to work or play with less power consumption
- Full-day battery life: up to 22.5 straight hours of mixed usage
- Camera: an 18MP camera that integrates technologies commonly found in DSLR cameras, and a front-facing 2MP selfie camera
- Performance and expandable storage: powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, with 32 GB of onboard storage and support for micro SD cards up to 2TB
- BlackBerry Natural Sound: built to adapt Wi-Fi and cellular call sound, depending upon phone position and background noise, automatically adjusting volume
- Android for work: supports fast, simple and secure integration with the enterprise environment.
BlackBerry is confident it has set a new standard for security and privacy with its advanced privacy controls, secure hardware and verified boot and secure bootchain with embedded keys to verify every layer of the device.
PRIV is available through MTN, Vodacom and Cell C.
BlackBerry.com/PRIV • Blog • Facebook • Twitter
Making workers the Bosse
Dauphin HumanDesign Group has brought the international Bosse range of modular office concepts and furnishing systems to SA, allowing companies to configure private and communal areas to their specifications and creating flexible spaces for workers.
The concept behind the modular range is based on the understanding that today’s work environments are no longer static; that their dynamism is a result of the changing needs of those who work in them. It allows for offices to be designed and redesigned by the employees themselves, depending upon their needs, which should encourage dialogue and communication but also offer soundproofing and privacy.
Bosse will also now be manufactured in SA, making it significantly more accessible to local businesses.
www.dauphin-group.com • Facebook
Eclipsing the chair
Eclipse has released its new Chair Collection, a range of contemporary chairs for dining rooms and indoor entertainment areas, as well as covered decks, patios and outdoor bar areas.
These designs are described as reinterpreting the classics and blend trends, allowing for individuality, personality and versatility in décor.
www.eclipsegroup.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.
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