RIM to bounce back with Blackberry 10 launch

If at all there is a discussion about the mobile devices and platforms, iOS and Android seem to dominate the space . Nokia came out with the Lumia series, HTC with HTC Butterfly, however RIM has been working on an exciting device for a while now.

RIM’s hard work seems to reflect now in the media. RIM is expected to do a global release of the Blackberry 10 (BB10) in Jan 2013. On Tuesday, RIM announced the release of the of its software development kit for the BlackBerry 10 operating system, or the tools that developers will use to create apps for the new devices. Shares in Research In Motion climbed to a seven-month high on Tuesday after the company said it has released the ‘gold’ build of its developer toolkit.

The company has been organizing the Blackberry 10 JAM event across the Middle East to woo the app developers.

So, what did we get to see at Blackberry10 Jam in Qatar?

Some other things that we thought were interesting :-

1) BBM has further evolved with improved groups – it now has a lobby with events, chats, pictures, and lists.
2) Social and sharing has been given greater attention across the entire BB10 OS. Majority of apps have built-in sharing options.
3) Something useful for BYOD (bring your own device) users. If you already have a BB10 device and you join a BB work environment, it’s effortlessly integrated to pull your info. If you decide to leave your employer all work data is wiped clean without tampering with your personal data. Now you may not carry 2 BB devices.

One thing we have learned is that carrier billing will be making its debut in Qatar. RIM is working closely with Qtel & Vodafone Qatar to help in the roll out. What does that mean? If you are reluctant to use your credit card, you’ll get billed directly to your number when you buy an app. This is quite a better deal, considering that neither Google nor Apple have even taken this step in the Middle East where some countries have mobile penetration of over 200%.

The company will release a touch screen version next year. For many BlackBerry users, the QWERTY keyboard is key – and the main feature that separates the phones from rivals. RIM plans to introduce a version with QWERTY keyboard later in 2013.

With the Qatar session, RIM is focusing its resources to also cater to the Qatar market. RIM has announced an exclusive challenge for developers in Qatar that stand a chance to win $10K.

Upon asking how much will the BB10 cost, we were informed by the product team  that the price of the device will be revealed in a few weeks.

With the release of this device RIM will definitely retain its loyal Blackberry users and may gain a few new ones, however let’s wait until the release date.

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