RIM to Merge BlackBerry OS and QNX OS Next Year

While Google is drawing a clear line between tablet and smartphone versions of its Android operating system, it looks like Research in Motion has no intention of going the same route.

A timetable for the next two versions of RIM's operating system has surfaced, and having two separate operating systems for its smartphones and tablets will soon be a thing of the past. But first, RIM will release the last version of its smartphone OS, BlackBerry OS 6.1, later this year, which will introduce some minor changes including graphics improvements.

BlackBerry OS 7 on the Way
Next year, however, BlackBerry OS 7 will be released and its codename, Highlander, couldn't be more appropriate: there can be, and will only be, one. BlackBerry OS 7 will merge the QNX OS (the BlackBerry Tablet OS) with BlackBerry OS 6.1, according to BerryReview, forming one operating system for both RIM's smartphones and its PlayBook tablet.

This merger is somewhat of a deviation from RIM's original plan, which was to use BlackBerry OS 7 as an intermediary step before having the QNX OS replace the BlackBerry OS entirely. Because of this tentative roadmap, the switch to a single OS initially seemed further away than it does now.

About QNX
The QNX OS that RIM has licensed for the BlackBerry PlayBook was programmed to function with a set of microkernel, rather than a single kernel, allowing manufacturers to adjust the operating system accordingly for different devices.

With microkernel, pieces of the OS can be left out, or the OS can be modified by adding additional pieces. For example, in the case of the version of the QNX OS used on the PlayBook, it is designed to support touchscreens, accelerated 3D graphics, HD video, Adobe Mobile AIR and Flash, and HTML5.

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