BlackBerry 10: All you need to know

It’s been a long time coming, but the dawn of a new RIM age is finally upon us: the Canadian company is launching its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform and accompanying handsets on 30 January. (Though, with all the delays we’ve endured, you couldn’t fault us for refusing to believe it until we see it.) As we hold our breath for the impending unveiling, we’re digging deep into just what the OS will mean for RIM in particular and for the mobile market in general.

Accordingly, this is Technewswesite’s ongoing home for all BlackBerry 10-related content, to be updated as more details inevitably surface over the coming days. We’ll be stocking the page with relevant news, commentary and reviews as they emerge, so stay tuned for the latest RIM and BB10 reports.

23 January 2013

Things are beginning to look up for RIM, with chief executive Thorsten Heins’ public comments about the company’s strategic options moving forward having seemingly boosted the market’s confidence in the Waterloo, Ontario-based firm. Speaking to German newspaper Die Welt, Heins said RIM is mulling over its options, which include possibly selling off its hardware division or, as has been alluded to in the past, licensing out its software to other manufacturers. While Heins insisted that the priority for now is ensuring the successful launch of BlackBerry 10 next week, that didn’t stop the market from registering its approval - in New York, shares of RIM shot up 17 per cent after Heins’ comments, while the stock jumped 11 per cent in Toronto.

22 January 2013

We’ve exhausted many brain cells wondering what changes RIM will introduce with its BlackBerry 10 software, but let’s not forget the launch of the next-gen platform will also mean next-gen smartphones. Previous speculation suggested that the company will launch a handset with a physical keyboard - one of BlackBerry’s biggest selling points to its remaining customer base - with a full-touchscreen device due to follow. But with just seven days to go before the official launch, new reports have revealed more about the rumoured BlackBerry Z10 handset. The rumour mill points to a low pricepoint - sub-$149 (£94) with a two-year contract - for what is expected to be the platform's flagship device.

21 January 2013



With less than a week to go before the launch of BlackBerry 10, RIM has announced a new change to its app store - the market place, formerly known as BlackBerry App World, will now be called BlackBerry World. The moniker shift purportedly represents BB10’s redesigned market place, which promises to offer media and entertainment content, like music and movies, in addition to apps. The change "reflects a shift in the type of things you can purchase from the store as we transition to Blackberry 10 and beyond," RIM said. The new BlackBerry World is now available for desktops and existing BlackBerry handsets and tablets, though we’re likely to hear more about it at next week’s launch.

15 January 2013

As the mobile operating system wars heat up, it’s become increasingly clear that apps hold much sway with the public. iOS and Android, both of which attract developers in droves, have an upper hand over Windows 8 and BlackBerry simply because of the sheer number, and quality, of apps available for their platforms. But as RIM prepares to introduce its next-generation BlackBerry 10 OS, few things will be as critical to its success as being able to brag about the number of apps it has on offer. And it looks like the Canadian firm just might be able to pull it off - RIM has revealed that it received 15,000 app submissions in less than two days following two Port-A-Thon events. We’ll have to wait and see how many of them make it into the store, but it’s certainly a promising start.