RIM: first BlackBerry 10 devices to focus on mid-range and up, entry-level may be ready in 2013

RIM's Q2 earnings details have had a common theme of a silver lining to darker clouds, and that edge may have grown a bit brighter with hints of the company's longer-term BlackBerry 10 roadmap. When asked about the release strategy, CEO Thorsten Heins said that the first BB10 devices would focus on both the mid-range and high-end of the market, a bit wider than the chiefly high-end approach that has been rumored so far. While shy on details, he confirmed that the full-touch smartphone would have a screen with an HD resolution -- that's higher than on the iPhone 5, the executive was eager to point out. More intriguingly, Heins teased the prospect of an entry-level BB10 device arriving as soon as 2013. Although development was in the early stages, the new starter phone just might be ready next year if all goes well. There's a lot of questions left to answer about RIM's strategy, so we won't get too excited yet. Even so, the statements are signs that the BlackBerry designer doesn't want to leave any product gaps open for very long.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

RIM: first BlackBerry 10 devices to focus on mid-range and up, entry-level may be ready in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.