BlackBerry has launched a new smartphone as the embattled Canadian company tries for a comeback.

It’s called the Passport (it’s also the size of a passport), and a reviewer at the Verge says it’s not for novice users.

“For years, BlackBerry tried to fight the iPhone, but that was a battle it brutally lost. Now it’s leaving that fight behind and going back to its roots: making tools for getting work done,” writes Dan Seifert at The Verge website.

“The ideal BlackBerry user doesn’t have time to play games, doesn’t have time to send Snapchats, and doesn’t have time for any nonsense. This person only has time for business. BlackBerry actually has a name for these people: ‘Power Pros.’ The Passport is for Power Pros.”

Chief executive John Chen unveiled the large-screen, square sized phone to a Toronto audience on Wednesday. London and Dubai also hosted launch events. No event was held in the U. S. where analysts say there is little demand or carrier interest.

However, AT&T will carry the device.

BlackBerry lost relevance as a dominant smartphone company following the launch of Apple’s iPhone and the introduction of Google-powered Android phones

Chen says the Passport will be available in the U.S. on A&T on an exclusive basis by the end of the year. It is also available for $599 for a limited time on Amazon.

Chen says he expects to release a more popular phone called the “Classic” later this year.

In his review, Seifert, who has been testing the passport for several weeks, offered a mix of praise and critism.

“BlackBerry says the Passport will put it back in the fight, back in the boardroom, and back in the jacket pocket of a Brooks Brothers suit,” he says. “But for more than one reason, there might not be room in there for the Passport.”

The full review can be read online

BlackBerry maintains a research and development operation in Cary.

Chen said the new phone was in the works before he joined BlackBerry and joked that he can only take credit for not killing it.

“I Need Help, Badly”

He said he’s determined to win back market share in Canada and had hockey-great Wayne Gretzky give a brief speech in support of BlackBerry.

“The reason why we’re here is to really try to get the Canadian people to rally behind us,” Chen said. “I need that help, badly.”

The BlackBerry smartphone, pioneered in 1999, changed the culture by allowing on-the-go business people to access wireless email. Then came a new generation of competing smartphones, and suddenly the BlackBerry looked ancient. Apple first showed that phones can handle much more than email and phone calls with its iPhone. BlackBerry has been hammered by the competition.

Since being named chief executive 10 months ago, Chen has been putting more emphasis on BlackBerry’s mobile device management business, a collection of software that allows IT departments to manage different devices connected to their corporate networks. He has also emphasized BlackBerry’s popular BlackBerry Messenger application that is now also available on Apple and Android devices. And he’s tried to highlight Blackberry’s embedded QNX software systems, which are used in-vehicle infotainment systems and industrial machines.

BGC analyst Colin Gillis said the Passport is not critical to BlackBerry’s survival because the company doesn’t need to sell many to make money on them. Gillis said while the square shape is odd, past attempts to compete with Apple and Android with similar looking devices failed.

“It has a physical keyboard and a big screen. There might be some professionals who value that. Is it a little odd looking? Yes,” Gillis said.