BlackBerry Z10 Could Hit AT&T U.S. Stores March 22nd

After debuting in 21 countries already by the end of this week, sources for AT&T tell Bloomberg that RIM's big gamble in the smartphone industry, the BlackBerry Z10, will finally hit American shores on March 22nd. No price has been confirmed by AT&T, according to The Verge, but Verizon has noted the price will be $199.99 with a new contract.

RIM itself has remained mum on the issue: the Ontario-based company declined to confirm whether the end of March is the debut window for their touch-screen smartphone — and carriers AT&T, T Mobile and Verizon remain tight-lipped about the topic as well. The AT&T news doesn't necessarily mean the phone will available for all carriers on that day, although Verizon sources have previously said they expect to roll out the phone at the end of March. Sprint has already confirmed that it won't be selling the Z10 at all, opting instead for the keyboard-laden Blackberry Q10 only.

The BlackBerry Z10 has been rolling out since January 31st, when it began appearing in stores across the U.K. The phone has since rolled out to Canada and the Pacific Rim throughout the last month, putting the U.S. on the back end of RIM's staggered release system. Insiders say that the delay is the result of extensive U.S. testing measures, which delayed release.

What do you think of the delayed debut of the Z10? Let us know in the comments.

Lauren Hockenson is a tech reporter and 8-bit enthusiast who dreams of being a wizard. She can be found on MyIGN at lhockenson or on Twitter at @lhockenson.

Source : ign[dot]com