Mar 13, 2013

Waterloo, ON - The innovative power of BlackBerry impressed the 37-member jury of experts for the "red dot award: product design 2013". Those who succeed in winning over the renowned experts in the field can decorate their product creation with the "red dot" and position themselves at an international level. The jury members were delighted to receive 4,662 entries in 19 different categories in this year's competition. Only the best designs were able to win the enthusiasm of the jury, which is how the BlackBerry® Z10 smartphone received the red dot for its successful design creation.

The awards ceremony for the seal of quality that is recognised worldwide takes place on 1 July 2013 as part of the traditional red dot gala. The ceremony - held in Essen's opera house, the impressive Aalto Theater - is always the final highlight of the "red dot award: product design" and over the past years has become established as a celebratory ceremony with international guests.  The BlackBerry Z10 will then be put on display during a four-week special exhibition in the red dot design museum.

The BlackBerry Z10 is the first smartphone powered by BlackBerry® 10, the re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented BlackBerry platform that creates a new and unique mobile computing experience. The BlackBerry Z10 offers a seamless fusion of hardware and interface into one design, resulting in a quieter, understated hardware design, which simply and elegantly frames the BlackBerry 10 experience.

"The BlackBerry Design Team is honored to have been awarded the prestigious red dot award: product design 2013 for the BlackBerry Z10," said Todd Wood, Senior Vice President of Design at BlackBerry. "I am extremely proud of our world class design organization and look forward to bringing our customers more BlackBerry 10 products in the future."

Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, initiator and CEO of the red dot, has pointed out that strong design competence and economic success nowadays go hand in hand: "The winners of the 'red dot award: product design 2013' are the protagonists of a highly developed design culture and design industry. These days it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between well-designed products. It is often only in the details that the special qualities become apparent. However, those product creations that pass the test before the critical eyes of the international red dot jury will not disappear into the crowd and will be able to fend off global competition."

The winning products in the red dot design museum 

With around 2,000 products spread over an area of more than 4,000 square meters, the red dot design museum houses the largest exhibition of contemporary design worldwide. From 2 to 28 July 2013, the museum will host the traditional special exhibition of the award-winning products. In "Design on stage - winner's red dot award: product design 2013", design enthusiasts can marvel at the latest trends at close quarters. Visitors are expressly invited to handle the pieces, allowing them to experience live in the breathtaking atmosphere of the red dot design museum the prize-winning design of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone from BlackBerry.

The red dot design award

With the red dot design award, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen created one of the most internationally acclaimed competitions. The prize, the "red dot", has established itself worldwide as one of the most sought-after quality marks for excellent design. The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen displays the award-winning products in the red dot design museum for at least one year.

In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the red dot design award breaks down into different disciplines: the "red dot award: product design", "red dot award: communication design" and "red dot award: design concept".

Further information is available at: www.red-dot.de/press

Press contact:
Kiyomi Rutledge
Public Relations Manager
BlackBerry
krutledge@blackberry.com
519-888-7465 ext 71321

About BlackBerry
A global leader in wireless innovation, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. BlackBerry is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: BBRY) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BB). For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.

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