First of all, this isn’t rumor nor I have any inside information – it’s just me speculating and reading between the lines. Here’s how I came to this conclusion:
1. BlackBerry CEO Thosten Heins’ words
First he predicted the demise of tablets and then said they should be easier to use. While these two comments may sound contradicting they don’t need to be – if we’re talking about a device like the ASUS Padfone, everything makes sense. Perhaps he just hinted us what BlackBerry is working on?
2. BlackBerry ports
When we look at the both Z10 and Q10 they have similarly places microUSB and HDMI out ports. It’s not hard to imagine a tablet shell which can house either of the two devices. MicroUSB port is there for charging, while HDMI out would be used to beam the image from the BlackBerry Z10 or Q10 to the bigger screen.
I was one of those predicting the demise of BlackBerry when the company was ruling the day (and some arguments like the lack of patents still apply); today with the new management, however, I believe they can return to the game, big time. I just hope if BlackBerry does launch a tablet shell that it will make it available in few different screen sizes, ranging from 7 to 10 inches, and that there will also be a keyboard dock.
The question is – would you be willing to switch boats if BlackBerry launches a tablet shell? Cause I’m sure existing Z10 and Q10 users would instantly buy this product.
[Image from ComputerActive]