'BlackBerry London' photo claims to show RIM's first BBX OS phone
A new photo allegedly shows Research in Motion's next-generation touchscreen BlackBerry device powered by its new BBX operating system.
The purported picture of the "BlackBerry London" was sent to The Verge, and shows a radical departure from previous RIM devices. The handset is shown with just a touchscreen and no buttons, and lacks the keyboard that has long been a defining feature of many phones in the BlackBerry lineup.
The BBX-powered London shown will allegedly become available in June 2012. The handset is claimed to feature a TI OMAP dual-Core CPU clocked at 1.5Ghz, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The person who sent the shot claimed that the London is thinner than Apple's iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, and is about the same size as a Samsung Galaxy S II. The person also said that the London can be stood up on one of its sides.
"We're told that RIM is also showing off two lower-end devices, as well as the next version of the Torch, which is said to be 'very thin' with a 3.7-inch display and slide-out keyboard," Joshua Topolsky wrote.
RIM's BBX operating system has been long awaited on the company's smartphones since the company bought QNX, which currently powers the BlackBerry PlayBook. The debut of QNX-powered devices, expected in 2012, could prove to be a final shot at redemption for the company, which has been hit hard by the success of Apple's iPhone and devices running Google Android.
In October, market data from comScore showed that RIM's share of the U.S. smartphone market fell 5 percent from May to August of 2011. RIM's losses were by far the largest of any smartphone platform in America, as the BlackBerry slid to take a 19.7 percent total share.
The company's struggles have even gone beyond sales, as RIM has seen a number of service outages across the world in recent weeks. Even Google announced that it would no longer support its native Gmail application written for BlackBerry devices.
The purported picture of the "BlackBerry London" was sent to The Verge, and shows a radical departure from previous RIM devices. The handset is shown with just a touchscreen and no buttons, and lacks the keyboard that has long been a defining feature of many phones in the BlackBerry lineup.
The BBX-powered London shown will allegedly become available in June 2012. The handset is claimed to feature a TI OMAP dual-Core CPU clocked at 1.5Ghz, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The person who sent the shot claimed that the London is thinner than Apple's iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, and is about the same size as a Samsung Galaxy S II. The person also said that the London can be stood up on one of its sides.
"We're told that RIM is also showing off two lower-end devices, as well as the next version of the Torch, which is said to be 'very thin' with a 3.7-inch display and slide-out keyboard," Joshua Topolsky wrote.
RIM's BBX operating system has been long awaited on the company's smartphones since the company bought QNX, which currently powers the BlackBerry PlayBook. The debut of QNX-powered devices, expected in 2012, could prove to be a final shot at redemption for the company, which has been hit hard by the success of Apple's iPhone and devices running Google Android.
In October, market data from comScore showed that RIM's share of the U.S. smartphone market fell 5 percent from May to August of 2011. RIM's losses were by far the largest of any smartphone platform in America, as the BlackBerry slid to take a 19.7 percent total share.
The company's struggles have even gone beyond sales, as RIM has seen a number of service outages across the world in recent weeks. Even Google announced that it would no longer support its native Gmail application written for BlackBerry devices.
Comments
HOLY CRAP, that thing looks pretty. Is RIM finally making something to prevent their bankruptcy?
Looks great without looking like an iPhone clone. Can't wait to try one.
It does look promising.
On top of that, isn't the TI OMAP dual-Core CPU based on Cortex-A9, which is a current design that will be a year outdated by the time this BB is rumoured to appear next Summer?
What about the paltry 1GB RAM. That would be great for the iPad, but what I've seen on the PlayBook and their ability to accurately multitask 1GB is still going to bring this device down to a crawl with only a handful of apps open. I hope RiM is working on a more intelligent multitasking method.
Hmm, where have I seen that music icon before???
Holy crap, they want to be sued, don't they? Maybe RIM WANTS to be bankrupted.
Hmm, where have I seen that music icon before???
Those controls have been on physical devices LONG before they transitioned to virtual controls on mobile devices. Don't fault them for going with a widely accepted and logical control set.
I wish the images inline with the story would be posted here, too. Particularly when the story isn't up on the main site yet?
HOLY CRAP, that thing looks pretty. Is RIM finally making something to prevent their bankruptcy?
I just hope they did the hard work and made sure that QNX delivers very good performance on their devices. They can't afford to half-ass this stuff much longer.
Will they remain in the game? I sincerely doubt it but a quality smartphone might keep them on the field a little longer.
"It has touch screen" which works half ass and is an after thought.
It feels like "we need to compete with Apple, so throw a touch screen on there".
It never has felt right, complete, or fluid.
I got the phone because customers used BB and now they all went to iPhone and Andork so I am left with this piece of junk for a few more months.
I have been using BB for 4 years, and although my first reaction to this phone is it looks nice with fit and polish, I will not own another BB touch screen.
BB time has come and gone and I say that as a long time BB user.
Those controls have been on physical devices LONG before they transitioned to virtual controls on mobile devices. Don't fault them for going with a widely accepted and logical control set.
Uh… THIS icon. Not the controls.
They'll be sued into oblivion.
"But, your honor, Apple doesn't use it anymore! We obviously get to associate our device with the image an entire generation of people think of when they think 'iTunes'!"
I have the torch, the current top of the line, and it sucks.
"It has touch screen" which works half ass and is an after thought.
It feels like "we need to compete with Apple, so throw a touch screen on there".
It never has felt right, complete, or fluid.
I got the phone because customers used BB and now they all went to iPhone and Andork so I am left with this piece of junk for a few more months.
I have been using BB for 4 years, and although my first reaction to this phone is it looks nice with fit and polish, I will not own another BB touch screen.
BB time has come and gone and I say that as a long time BB user.
There best bet might be to split the company with a rebranding so they can come out with a great product that isn't tarnished by the association of the cellphone-pager product they've been milking for way too long.
The person who sent the shot claimed that the London is thinner than Apple's iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, and is about the same size as a Samsung Galaxy S II. The person also said that the London can be stood up on one of its sides.
If it's thinner than an iPhone, standing it up on its side probably isn't a good idea.
HOLY CRAP, that thing looks pretty.
I hope you are joking. That think looks like a sci-fi prop from the early 80's. I guess in that sense it has a certain retro cache, but pretty? DeLoreanesque, me thinks. Nice for its time and very retro cool, but hardly pretty.
That think looks like a sci-fi prop from the early 80's.
Indeed, which is PRETTY compared to what they've been doing.
DeLoreanesque, me thinks.
And another reason I like it. Never gonna get one (of these phones. Might get a DeLorean), but it's nice to know they have someone there relatively creative.
Now we just have to wait for this thing to never see the light of day, like the Courier, and have RIM spiral downward because of it.
HOLY CRAP, that thing looks pretty. Is RIM finally making something to prevent their bankruptcy?
I agree. Nice look to it. Masculine lines to the iPhone's more feminine lines.
I hope you are joking. That think looks like a sci-fi prop from the early 80's. I guess in that sense it has a certain retro cache, but pretty? DeLoreanesque, me thinks. Nice for its time and very retro cool, but hardly pretty.
Looks like the phone the Daleks would use. Or the Death Probe from the Six Million Dollar Man... lol.
But I agree... looks nice. Steven N's comment was right on.