BlackBerry to launch sub-$200 smartphone

BlackBerry unveiled a new, cheaper smartphone on Tuesday as it tries to stem losses and win back customers in emerging economies where customers are gravitating toward devices powered by Google's Android operating system.

BlackBerry Ltd unveiled a new, cheaper smartphone on Tuesday as it tries to stem losses and win back customers in emerging economies where customers are gravitating toward devices powered by Google's Android operating system.

The device is being built under a partnership deal with FIH Mobile Ltd - the Hong Kong-listed unit of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn.

The device, codenamed Jakarta, will first go on sale in Indonesia in April for under $200, said John Chen, BlackBerry's new chief executive, who took the reins at the company late last year.