Will a BlackBerry upgrade help a struggling RIM turn fortunes around? New RIM CEO Thorsten Heins surely hopes so as he unveils the next-gen BlackBerry 10 platform at the BlackBerry World conference.
BlackBerry 10 is a shift from earlier versions, being an entirely new platform with a focus on virtual keyboards. The prototype device seen at Blackberry World has no physical keyboard-- it is a 4.2" iPhone-style device lacking in physical buttons.
RIM says the virtual keyboard "learns" how users type on the keys, and has a number of swipe gestures for quick text editing (such as swiping across letters to delete words).
An other feature RIM shows off is the camera software-- the camera captures what it sees before the user even presses the shutter button, allowing one to scrub through a timeline to find the perfect shot.
Business users are also getting new productivity apps, such as a Cisco teleconferencing app.
In the hopes of getting developers on board, RIM is giving prototype devices to BlackBerry World attendees. As for the rest of the market, BlackBerry 10 should launch sometime around Q3 2012 with a new RIM smartphone or two.