Upcoming Blackberry Phones 2014: BB OS Joins Virtual Assistant Wars, To Come Pre-Installed In Blackberry Passport

The Blackberry Passport is one of the upcoming Blackberry phones for 2014 that we are excited about. Aside from the fact that it will be available in more markets than the previous handsets from the company, it also boasts a unique square design, thanks in part to the 1440 x 1440 resolution screen and the cramped keypad at the bottom. 

However, we may be looking forward to another feature in the Passport's list of specs. 

According to a report by GSM Arena, the Canada-based manufacturer has officially jumped into the virtual assistant bandwagon where Apple's iOS, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows Phone already have representatives. 

So while the iOS has Siri, Android boasts Google Now, and WP 8.1 showcases Cortana, Blackberry OS 10.3 will have, well the Blackberry Assistant. 

While the naming can certainly improve, we assume that this assistant will perform what the others are already doing as of now. Some of the features and functions which come with most virtual assistants today include taking note of the owner's personal info and basic details, as well as the more advanced ones which include schedules, likes, hobbies, etc. 

Reminders for upcoming meetings, events and other news updates are also provided by these assistants. Another key feature of virtual assistants nowadays is voice recognition, and for people who are too busy to even type a name in their phonebook, simply saying 'call -name-' would trigger the assistant to look for such a contact and commence with the call. 

Other tasks which virtual assistants can usually do include sending text messages, launching apps, and even updating their status on social media.

We don't know whether the Blackberry Assistant would have all these features and capabilities, but what intrigues us more is how the BlackBerry Passport would fit in your pocket. 

The device is expected to launch in September where it faces tough competition against the new Android flagships, and of course Apple's iPhone 6.