BlackBerry snubs Kim Kardashian as spokeswoman

BlackBerry's chief executive says he is more focused on technology development than celebrities

BlackBerry's boss John Chen has spurned Kim Kardashian's offer to be an ambassador for the phone.

The rejection of the reality TV star as a celebrity spokeswoman for the company came after her comments last month that she is on a mission to make sure the phones do not become extinct.

But Chen has said he is not interested in bringing in celebrities to the company, and is instead focused on developing technology.

"I'm not into bringing celebrities on board. It's not that it's a waste of money but a question of where you should spend the money today," he told Bloomberg at a summit in Beijing.

Chen said that his firm needs to first invest in next-generation technology.

Kardashian is not the only well-known face to have expressed their love of the phone, with Barack Obama once saying of his BlackBerry "they're going to have to pry it out of my hands".

In January Alicia Keys ended her partnership with BlackBerry after a year of serving as its global creative director.

Chen also told Bloomberg he was not ruling out a return to the consumer market but "a few things have to happen first".