BlackBerry launched the QWERTY handset BlackBerry Q10 alongside the BlackBerry 10 operating system and the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone in January this year and now the handset is making way to Canada from various Canadian carriers starting May 1.

"We're thrilled that the BlackBerry Q10 will soon be available to Canadians," said Andrew MacLeod, managing director for Canada. "The new BlackBerry Q10 combines the power of BlackBerry 10 with a classic BlackBerry keyboard to help people communicate and collaborate faster and more efficiently. We're seeing strong momentum behind BlackBerry 10 from carriers, customers and partners around the world. The BlackBerry Q10 will accelerate this trend."

Canadian carriers Rogers, Bell and TELUS are offering the latest BlackBerry Q10 starting at $199 on a three-year contract. Fido is selling the handset for $350 on a two-year contract. You can also buy the handset outright for $650 from Fido and Rogers, and for $700 from TELUS.

Along with a QWERTY keyboard, the BlackBerry Q10 sports a 3.1-inch display with 720 x 720 pixels resolution and 330 pixels per inch (ppi). A 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4470 processor along with 2GB of RAM powers the handset.

The BlackBerry Q10 also has, NFC, a microSD slot and is equipped with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The handset measures 4.71 x 2.63 x 0.41 inches and weighs 4.90 ounces. The latest BlackBerry offering is available in black and white colors.

Interestingly, the BlackBerry Q10 is priced higher than the company's all-touch flagship BlackBerry Z10. The demand for QWERTY mobile phone with smaller screen is comparatively lower than the touch capacitive bigger display smartphones.

We will have to wait and see if the BlackBerry is able to attract customers to the BlackBerry Q10.