Disqus
Some information on a BlackBerry handset that has been corroborated by analysts, patents, rumours, and my own fanboyish desires is going through the rumour mill. Supposedly featuring a portrait-oriented slide-out keyboard, this BlackBerry will pack OS 6.0, Wi-Fi n, maintains the old 360 x 480 screen resolution, and run on GSM networks. Take it all with a grain of salt – it’s all rumours until we see some proper docs or pics to back it up.
It’s hard to say where the Dakota/Magnum QWERTY/SurePress candybar prototype fits into the timeline at this point; maybe it was scrapped in favour of this slider model, maybe they’re both still on track. Besides, there’s still rumours that a Storm-style slider is on the way, only with a landscape keyboard. It’s really all up in the air right now.
Specific details on a BlackBerry have to date eluded us. How (or if) SurePress fits into this model has the potential to make or break the device – RIM’s clicking touchscreen has a habit of polarizing customers into love-it and hate-it camps, but perhaps with device that deviates so drastically from their usual form factor anyway, they won’t mind living on the adventurous side with the slider. I’ll be honest – when I saw the Palm Pre for the first time, I thought it was what a BlackBerry slider should have looked like, and would still love to see RIM offer a product in a similar package.
What do you guys think? Would a slider BlackBerry fly? The Pearl Flip was a similar departure for RIM and didn’t do so hot, but maybe a slimmer, sexier slider would strike a chord with consumers.
[via BGR]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
