Just months after reports of possibly calling it quits, BlackBerry is now proving that it stands to be a contender in the mobile market. As CNET reports, Blackberry's recent quarterly earnings numbers indicate revenue growth of 14 percent. The growth in sales is being accredited to its latest device, the Android operating system (OS) packed Blackberry Priv.

Partnering with Google to debut it's first Android smartphone, BlackBerry took a gamble adopting Android 5.1 for its new handset over its own BlackBerry 10 mobile OS, as found on the BlackBerry Passport. This was a chance worth taking since the Priv turned out to be an instant hit among consumers and the lifesaver BlackBerry needs to sustain its hardware business. Selling out on Amazon's within a few hours of its release, the $700 price tag didn't stop the BlackBerry Priv from achieving sold out status online at Best Buy and Walmart.

"I am pleased with our continued progress on BlackBerry's strategic priorities, leading to 14 percent sequential growth in total revenue for Q3. Our new Priv device has been well received since its launch in November, and we are expanding distribution to additional carriers around the world in the next several quarters," John Chen, BlackBerry CEO said in a statement.

What puts the Priv in the top tier among its peers are impressive features including a 5.4-inch Quad HD AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 64-bit fast processing, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and an 18MP camera. Throw in BlackBerry's signature sliding keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, a long lasting 3410 mAH battery and Qi wireless charging for a multitasking beast of a slider phone. Although BlackBerry devices such as the Passport aimed to grab the attention of business professionals, the Priv is perfectly suitable for just about anyone with busy lifestyle. As The Verge points out, the physical keyboard enables the BlackBerry Priv to separate itself from the herd in a bevy of Android phones.

BlackBerry appears to be reclaiming its popularity in the mobile world and this means good news for investors. According to MarketWatch, BlackBerry Ltd's stock shares rose by 10 percent at Friday's pre-market trade closing after the company released its Q3 financial report. Will the Priv ultimately save BlackBerry from throwing in the towel? It's safe to say that the company is heading down the right path with its flagship Android slider phone and we can expect a Priv 2 in the near future.

"To sustain our current direction, we are stepping up investments to drive continued software growth and the additional Priv launches. I anticipate this will result in sequential revenue growth in our software, hardware and messaging businesses in our software, hardware and messaging businesses in Q4," Chen said.

Tags: blackberry Blackberry Priv android Passport