The PRIV represents a turning point for beleaguered BlackBerry. Once the most dominant player in the smart phone arena, BlackBerry has diminished worse than the elves of Rivendell since the rise of iOS and Android. Desperate for relevancy, BlackBerry has abandoned its own OS in favor of the OS created by the competitor that crushed it into near oblivion. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

Say what you want about BlackBerry's past blunders, at least their first entry into the Android arena comes with high-end specs and some pretty compelling reasons to consider it over other competitors.

Now, a few weeks after the PRIV's announcement, we have confirmation of when BlackBerry fans, or curious Android lovers, can get their hands on the new device. The PRIV will be available in AT&T's stores, and on their website, starting November 6th. It will be priced at $699 outright or $250 with a two year contract.

There is no word on when other carriers will be offering the device. Due to AT&T's language in the announcement that they will be the "first" carrier to offer the phone, rather than the only carrier, I suspect other companies will be announcing the PRIV's availability in the near future.

If you are not an AT&T customer and are desperate to buy a PRIV, you can pre-order the device directly from BlackBerry's website, which also will launch it November 6th. Keep in mind that the unlocked version sold by BlackBerry is only compatible with GSM networks.

Source: AT&T Newsroom