New Images of the First BlackBerry Slider Appear

Evidence is mounting that RIM intends to release a smartphone with a design not used by this company before: a tablet shape with a sliding keyboard and a touchscreen.

Details on this model have been leaking out for some time, but a new pair of images that have leaked out reveals an additional detail or two on this upcoming device.

It's a Slider
RIM has been experimenting with a variety of designs in recent years, adding clamshells and touchscreens to its repertoire.

The next experiment is apparently going to be a slider. And unlike most devices that use this design, the first sliding keyboard on a BlackBerry will have a portrait orientation, instead of the more typical landscape orientation.

The previous image of this model that appeared on the Web indicated that it won't have a trackpad. The latest ones clearly show the optical trackpad that has appeared on most of RIM's phones in recent months.

Despite this, this model -- name still unknown -- will reportedly include a 360-by-480-pixel touchscreen.

A Few More Details
Previous reports have revealed a few of of the specifications for this upcoming smartphone, most notably that it will run BlackBerry OS 6.0, a not-yet-announced version of RIM's operating system.

A GSM version with HSDPA 3G is supposedly in development, and a CDMA version for Verizon and/or Sprint is also a good possibility.

This device will also allegedly include Wi-Fi (802.11n).

All other details remain unknown at this point, including when this Blackberry with a sliding keyboard will be released.

Source: BlackBerry Leaks