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The BlackBerry Colt is quick on the draw as the first a new generation of smart phone. Last week saw the announcement of the BlackBerry Bold 9900, Torch 9810 and 9860, a trio of phones using the latest
BlackBerry 7 software, but the forthcoming Colt is the first phone to be powered by the QNX software that fires up the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
The Colt is currently being tested by RIM’s software team, Boy Genius Report reports. The test version is reported to only pack a single-core processor, which would leave it some way behind the current crop of dual-core phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 or HTC Sensation or the hotly anticipated iPhone 5.
The Colt could be bestowed a dual-core chip when it arrives on shop shelves. Fingers crossed.
QNX is an operating system bought in 2010 by Research in Motion, the company that makes BlackBerrys. RIM based its software for tablets on QNX, and the first QNX device was the Playbook earlier this year.
The new software isn’t without problems, unfortunately. The PlayBook launched without email built-in because of problems uniting QNX with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, the technology that runs the built-in email, contacts and calendars in BB devices.
The PlayBook can support email, contacts and calendars when paired with a BlackBerry phone, which is bad enough, but would be a fatal flaw in the Colt. RIM should have ironed out the creases before the Colt arrives in shops in the first three months of 2012, however.
The Colt certainly has the weight of expectations on its shoulders, as BlackBerry struggles in the smart phone market against the iPhone and an ever-increasing tide of Android phones. RIM seems unwilling to exploit the youth market that loves BlackBerry Messenger — although recent headlines mean RIM may want to distance themselves from the RiotBerry-toting youth of today.
Is the Colt bang on target or a shot in the dark? Tell us your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Image credit: Boy Genius Report
