Why Americans Have to Wait Until March for the BlackBerry Z10

The BlackBerry Z10 launched a few days ago, but not in the U.S. -- people in this country will have to wait until March to get it. But this isn't the fault of BlackBerry, it can be blamed on the wireless carriers.

Telecoms in the U.S. do extensive testing of every device they offer, and these tests go on for months. The carriers are trying to be sure that handsets don't cause problems for cell towers or the wireless network.

The American carriers appear to be more cautious than their European counterparts. That's why the BlackBerry Z10 debuted in Europe last week, but won't be on U.S. store shelves until next month.

Canada apparently falls somewhere in the middle -- telecoms in that country are going to introduce this BlackBerry 10-based model tomorrow.

Next month, Verizon is going to be the first U.S. carrier to introduce the Z10, asking $200 for it with a two-year contract. It's also headed for AT&T and Sprint.

Learn more abut this smartphone in our hands-on preview of the BlackBerry Z10.