he BlackBerry Z10, the company's first all-touch smartphone, recently saw some aggressive price cuts and now it costs only a penny on Amazon.

BlackBerry 10 (BB10) is the company's latest operating system, meant to turn things around and help BlackBerry regain relevance in an increasingly competitive market dominated by Android and iOS. The company launched an all-touch Z10 handset and a QWERTY-equipped Q10 smartphone running on BB10, but the results have been disappointing so far.

In what can only be interpreted as a clear sign of poor sales, the BlackBerry Z10 had its price slashed more than once in just a few months of its launch. BlackBerry initially launched its Z10 earlier in the year with a $199 price tag on contract in the U.S. Verizon and AT&T recently cut the price of the Z10 to $99 on a two-year contract, while Best Buy started offering the handset for $49.99 with a contract with either AT&T or Verizon.

Now, Amazon is practically giving away the BlackBerry Z10 for free. More specifically, the handset is now available from Amazon for just $0.01 for both new and existing customers upon signing a contract with Verizon.  

BlackBerry, meanwhile, denies that such aggressive price cuts have anything to do with the handset's or the BB10's success.

"It's part of life cycle management to tier the pricing for current devices to make room for the next ones," the company told the Wall Street Journal.

Considering the intensifying rumors and leaks about BlackBerry's next flagship, the A10, this theory could well be true. On the other hand, one possibility does not exclude the other. If the handset in question was indeed a hit, retailers could have reduced the price tag to clear inventory without dropping it to just one penny to make room for the next BB10 smartphone.

The new $0.01 could, nonetheless, give sales a much-needed boost. BB10 smartphones did not exactly fly off the shelves, but for one penny those curious about trying out the new OS could well decide to give it a go. The BlackBerry Z10 may not be the newest, most powerful smartphone out there, but it's now more affordable than ever.