BlackBerry has long been a byword for mobile security and productivity, and that isn't going to change with the BlackBerry Leap. Available unlocked for $275, or £199 in the UK (about AU$394), this phone pays homage to BlackBerry's business-focused ethos in every way except one: there's no keyboard. For good or ill, the physical keyboard on BlackBerry's last few devices relegated those phones to a rather specific niche. But in striking out the platform's chief differentiator, we're left with a 5-inch touchscreen device with a meager camera that's hobbled by a limited, lackluster platform that just can't stand up to Android or iPhone competitors.

The BlackBerry Leap is a plain black slab that looks and feels professional, in a quaint sort of way, There isn't much in the way of flourishes or adornments here, just a 5-inch edge-to-edge display and the BlackBerry badge running along the bottom, The textured pattern on the back keeps the phone appreciably grippy, The right side of iphone case lifeproof the phone hosts the volume controls and the BlackBerry Assistant button, which calls up BlackBerry's virtual assistant, the company's take on Apple's Siri, Android's Google Now and Microsoft's Cortana, You'll find the headphone jack and lock button up top, while the cover on the left hides the SIM card slot and the microSD slot -- it can support up to 128GB cards, The cover is kind of a pain to open and I generally kept a paper clip nearby to help get the cards in and out..

The Leap's 5-inch display with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution -- that's a bit low for a display this size, but the screen looks great: colors are vivid and accurate, and didn't shift no matter how I held the display. The Leap is also kind of chunky, and heavier than it looks at 6 ounces (170 grams), but you certainly won't have trouble toting it about. What's definitely different here: there's no keyboard. The BlackBerry Passport and BlackBerry Classic were divisive devices, each making sacrifices to form and functionality to fit a QWERTY keyboard onto a modern smartphone. But as problematic as those keyboards were in a world populated by 5-inch devices and apps that need room to roam, they remain an important part of the BlackBerry experience.

Of course BlackBerry has made plenty of touchscreen-only devices, But without a physical keyboard, the Leap doesn't do much to stand out, It's ultimately a software problem, Having access to Android apps by way of iphone case lifeproof the Amazon app store remains one of the best features introduced with BlackBerry 10.3.1, With it, BlackBerry users get a taste of the apps available on Android, But it's only a taste -- the app selection is woefully limited when compared with what you'll find in the official Google Play store, App compatibility also isn't guaranteed, and in some cases -- like the game Crossy Road -- Android apps failed to load at all, That said, you'll also have access to apps from the BlackBerry World store, and if you happen to have the APK file for the app you want to install, you can load that up too..

The notion of getting your "serious" apps from BlackBerry World and then trawling the Amazon app store for entertainment isn't lost on me, but if you're looking for a well-rounded device, you'd do better on a platform that's seen more widespread support from developers. The rest of the BlackBerry OS 10 experience is identical to what we saw in the BlackBerry Passport and BlackBerry Classic. The focus on productivity and security won't disappoint folks who work at companies that demand heavy security. But platforms like Android and iOS will offer more choice.