Blackberry launches a new phone

On Friday, Blackberry launches a new phone called Priv. 

The Priv is an (other) attempt by Blackberry to hit some kind of great middle ground: A phone so secure.

Here's how it hopes to woo companies:

• Firms can control updates to employees phones, rather than having some workers on more up-to-date software, causing compatibility issues, or less up-to-date phones with security holes.
• An onboard chip also protects against "rooting" by verifying that the operating system installed on the device is genuine and not tampered in any way.
• For the first time, Blackberry's device will run Google's Android software, meaning a much wider range of apps and business utilities. Bringing Blackberry's security expertise to the most widely-used mobile operating system is a big selling point for companies nervous (as they should be) about cybersecurity.

And to keep users happy:

• The phone has a big touch screen as well as a slide-out keyboard which also doubles as a trackpad. Any Blackberry without a keyboard annoys the loyal Blackberry fans, but the smaller screen as a result has normally put off others. This is, apparently, the best of both worlds.
• The phone has a decent 18 megapixel camera.
• A 5.4in screen that will be good for consuming entertainment - not just work emails.
• A system called DTEK that alerts the user to precise moments when privacy-related things may be happening, such as an app suddenly accessing your location, camera or microphone.

If the Priv doesn't impress consumers and business people, it could well be Blackberry's last ever handset.