Blackberry OS 10 – will it save RIM?

It would be hard to escape the continual, negative news on Research In Motion, the company behind the iconic Blackberry smartphones. The company are at an all time low point and some analysts are even predicting their demise within 2 years. CEO Thorsten Hein's spoke to CNET in an interview and they may yet have a masterplan to drive them forward.

Their success rides on Blackberry 10, the upcoming operating system set to drive their latest range of phones.

Heins said that the operating system is already gathering interest from other industries. He added that businesses such as the health care and smart grid fields have expressed an interest in using Blackberry 10. Heins was keen to point out that the QNX software behind Blackberry 10 is already powering various systems, including those installed in cars. He said the motor industry is wanting to upgrade to Blackberry 10.

Research In Motion also have plans to expand their Blackberry networking system, a key part of their business which differentiate them from other handset manufacturers. CNET say “The company is looking into provide network services to businesses that want a secure connection and looking for security elements such as authentication.

The network, which is protected by strategically placed network operating centers around the world, is currently only used to deliver wireless carrier traffic from its BlackBerrys around the world.”

The big question remains to be answered however – is this enough to turn around the company fortunes and rescue them from a disastrous 24 months of mis-management and poor decision making? They are continuing to lose market share and have basically dropped off the radar in North America.

The Blackberry 10 range of smartphones are due for release early next year, although the first series of phones are said to drop the physical keyboard which will alienate a huge portion of the business audience.

Kitguru says: the next 12 months are the most important in history for RIM.

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