24 December, 2011
At first glimpse, we weren't sure what to make of the strange metal-clad QWERTY bar, bestowed with the all-important BlackBerry logo atop its display. We at first, speculated its legitimacy, whether it was ushering in a new design language for the brand as a whole, or if it was some strange custom or special edition device. The Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9981 is slated to be running a 1.2GHz processor, 768 MB RAM,5-megapixel camera, 720p camcorder, and have 8 GB of on-board storage. With Porsche taking care of the exterior, the P’9981 will be wrapped in brushed metal with a leather back. Todd Wood, Senior VP of Industrial Design at RIM, said, “The Porsche Design P’9981 is a truly modern luxury smartphone, where the timeless style of Porsche Design meets the unmatched mobile experience provided by BlackBerry.” It so happens that we didn't have to wait long to find out its true intent. The result proved striking to say the least, but left many a 'Berry fan somewhat lost or at least unsure at how to react ! The P'9981 was expected to retail for around $2000 and now it comes to the UK market too. If you want one with the intention of giving it as a present for the big day, you only have a short window of opportunity left, but it's available for a cool £1275 at the world renowned Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, London. Reports from the store themselves saying that demand is high and the device is selling fast. UPDATED: We just spoke directly with Harrods, and have been informed that the device is available now. The representative said the device is in very high demand and is selling fast. They have it available in English and Arabic and are able to take orders over the phone or in the store. It is not available on the Harrods’ website at this time.  Source 1 | Source 2 |
