Future BlackBerry Smartphones To Be Like Tiny Tablets

RIM is merging its disparate smartphone and tablet operating systems in the upcoming BBX OS. Details on this are still being revealed: the latest is that handsets and tablets will use the same screen resolution.

Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS are for both tablets and handsets, and their support for very different screen resolutions on these two types of devices adds a level of complication for both the developers of these operating systems and for creators of third-party apps. RIM is going to simplify this: devices running BBX will have different sized displays but all will have a 1024-by-600 resolution.

Such a high-res display gives a lower-limit on screen size -- below a certain point, elements on the display become too small to see. This raises questions on whether future BlackBerry smartphones will have the physical keyboards that they are known for. RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis has said in the past that upcoming smartphones from his company will resemble the PlayBook tablet.

The BlackBerry Colt
According to an earlier unconfirmed report, the first BBX-based handset will be the BlackBerry Colt, which will be have at least a 4-inch display in an all-touchscreen design. Other features of the Colt that have leaked out include a slim form-factor, dual-core processor, and front- and rear-facing cameras.

Despite what was included in earlier rumors, Alec Saunders, RIM’s vice president of Developer Relations and Ecosystem Development told PCMag.com that all BBX-based smartphones will support Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES), BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), and include a native email client when they launch.

Exactly when the debut of a handset running this new operating system is going to be is still slightly up in the air. RIM has promised the will be on the market early next year, but without getting more specific.

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