By Jane Nambi

BlackBerry has unveiled a new set of smartphones, BlackBerry z10 and BlackBerry Q10.

Z10 physical outlook resembles an iPhone 5. It has a large 4.2-inch 1280 x 768-resolution display and a thin all-black body. When it comes to applications, the Z10 does not have a button that takes back users to the home page but relies entirely on users swiping their fingers across the screen from different directions to summon features or menus. It lacks a physical keyboard but instead has software that enables you to pick out words and the desired word is selected with a flick of a finger.

Its appeal is far more reaching than the previous BlackBerrys. It is powered by a dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM and AT&T LTE and it is fast especially when it comes to Web browsing.

The company said on Wednesday that more than 70,000 BlackBerry 10 apps were now available.

On the other hand, BlackBerry Q10 combines a traditional BlackBerry physical keyboard with a smaller touch screen.

Analysts, technology reviewers and app developers have so far liked the Z10, calling it the company’s first competitive touch-screen phone giving the iPhone 5 and Androids a run for their money.

During the unveiling of the new smartphones also saw the BlackBerry making company, Research in Motion has changed its name to Black Berry.