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2012 BlackBerry roadmap leaks, reveals pile of Curves and 3G PlayBook
We've heard some rumors about what RIM had in store for its beleaguered BlackBerry brand, but we're just now seeing some evidence to support those claims. The fine folks over at BGR have gotten their hands on what appears to be a copy of the company's 2012 roadmap, as well as a handful of slides detailing some upcoming products. It looks like an HSPA+ equipped PlayBook is in the works, packing both NFC and a 1.5GHz CPU for good measure, as well as a pile of Curves aimed at the entry-level market. Something new those cheapo handsets will be bringing to the table is a dedicated BBM button, which should make addicts of the messaging service quite happy. Sadly, it also looks like the first BlackBerry 10 (formerly BBX) device may have suffered a slight delay and may not land till October or November. Hit up the source link for all the nitty gritty details.
RIM: PlayBook email client 'very very soon,' 3G model this summer
Lately, anything goes when a RIM CEO gets in front of the media. Fortunately, it was the other CEO, Jim Balsillie, talking to Bloomberg this time delivering a calm, cool rebuttal to all the lukewarm PlayBook reviews. His consumer defense is largely based upon the PlayBook's ability to receive software updates (we received three in the brief time we had our review unit) throughout its lifetime. Jim, as you can imagine, preferred keeping the conversation focused on how the PlayBook is fully functional today when used in combination with a BlackBerry handset in business environments. Balsillie did seem to hint that the consumer experience could improve relatively quickly, saying, "We'll have an over the air email client to announce very very soon. We have BlackBerry World -- our user conference -- in a couple weeks. Stay tuned for all capabilities we have coming out on this stuff." See the man dance on the hotseat right after the break. Update: In a second interview, this time with the Wall Street Journal, Balsillie says that the standalone email client is scheduled for an OTA release within the next 60 days.
