BlackBerry Z10 launches in US market with hope and caution

The new Blackberry Z10 smartphone launched in the US market on Friday.

The new smartphone's release is expected to be met with much fanfare and caution, as the phone maker battles back from a sharp decline in sales around the world.

Canada-based Blackberry was once the top smartphone in the US but has fallen out of favor to Apple and Samsung.

Blackberry now only holds two percent of the US market.

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The Z10 has eliminated the keyboard, in favor of a full touch-screen.

Blackberry is expected to launch the Q10 smartphone in the spring, which will have a keyboard like the company's earlier phones.

The phone went on sale after midnight in Best Buy's Union Square location in New York City.

AT&T is charging $200 for the phone with a two-year contract.

Blackberry did not comment on the first day of sales in the US.

The phone launched in Canada last month.