Roadmap leaks show BlackBerry's comeback try

(Phys.org) -- Beached whales or comeback kids? The company Research in Motion (RIM) has a lineup of new products in the wings that might at least interest the company’s critics and give Blackberry loyalists something to feel good about. Headlining its revelations as “Exclusive Leaked BlackBerry 10 2013 Roadmap,” a BlackBerry blogging site BlackBerryOS.com is telling its readers this week that two kinds of BlackBerry phones will come out after the New Year and to watch out for an impressive tablet entry later that year. The leaked RIM roadmap reveals both a touch-screen and QWERTY keyboard phone coming in 2013, to be followed by a 10-inch BlackBerry tablet.

The touchscreen phone will be called BlackBerry London. Europe will be first in line to get the touchscreen phones, around the first week of 2013. North America will get the phone in February. The keyboard phone will be known as Blackberry Nevada.

Both the touchscreen and keyboard phones will have the BlackBerry 10 operating system, the OS that had been expected this year but was delayed because of technical issues in trying to integrate some features into the system

RIM will launch BlackBerry 10 in Europe three to four weeks ahead of introducing the platform in North America. The map-leaking blog believes this is because European markets as well as European media have been “more receptive.”

The delayed BlackBerry 10 is said to be QNX-based. RIM acquired QNX from Harman International in 2010.

In tablet news, while RIM is set to launch a 4G version of its PlayBook tablet in the fourth quarter of 2012, the big tablet news will reflect the company’s attempt to promote larger capacity models. RIM will introduce a ten-inch tablet in Q3 of 2013. The tablet will be known as Blackforest 128, referring to its offer of 128 GB of storage.

Two other items cited as on the roadmap are Nashville and Naples, coming in 2013. The site had no other details, simply defining each as “Blackberry device.”

RIM’s new products may help its recovery in 2013, which would offset hardening views that the company is on its way down and out. RIM’s delay of the BlackBerry 10 operating system shook analyst confidence along with other disappointing news such as employee layoffs and reduced smartphone market share.

© 2012 Phys.Org