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RIM is holding its annual BlackBerry World conference in Florida next week. If you were heading down hoping to catch sight of some new phones though, there’s bad news: RIM won’t be showcasing any new devices, CNET reports. Still, there’s always Disney World down the road.
Instead, BlackBerry World will be software-only, with the BlackBerry 10 operating system taking pride of place.
“We are not unveiling any BlackBerry 10 hardware,” a company spokesperson confirmed to our sister site. Previously we had heard RIM would be handing out 2,000 prototype phones, so attendees could get a taste of BlackBerry 10. Developers attending will get a device to play with, but it won’t be running the forthcoming operating system, according to the spokesperson. It’s a shame, as they would undoubtedly pop up all over the web straight after, and I’m curious as to what these phones will be able to do.
The BlackBerry London is the most leaked of the new crop of BlackBerry 10 phones. It looks like it’ll have no physical buttons, an 8-megapixel camera and 1.5GHz dual-core processor. There’s also the BlackBerry Milan, a slider phone. Yes, a slider. At least you can’t accuse RIM of “slavishly copying” the iPhone.
BlackBerry 10 started life as BBX, but had to change its name as another company had already trademarked the moniker. RIM has a lot pinned on the new OS. The company has had a terrible year, with its BBM outage infuriating customers all over the world. The first BlackBerry 10 phone is expected to launch in the second half of the year, with an August announcement mooted. Watch this space.
We’ll bring you all the news from BlackBerry World as it happens. Expect plenty of news regarding BlackBerry 10, and the apps it’ll run. What would you like to see? And how can RIM turn around its fortunes? Let me know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
