Beta Versions of BlackBerry 10 to Be Delivered to Carriers

By Thea Neuman (Google)

RIM is currently a hive of activity as BB 10 OS release date is nearing. According to a latest report, RIM will commence shipping its new smartphone versions to the carriers by coming week.

Thorsten Heins (RIM’s CEO) revealed during a brief chat with The Wall Street Journal that company will demonstrate two versions of forthcoming BB 10 smartphones, which are currently in “beta” state, to the carriers during its road show. This road show is expected to last five weeks.

This is yet another step by RIM after its World Jam Tour to gain confidence of carriers and to show to the world that RIM is once again all set to jump in the foray of smartphones.

Due to the paradigm shift brought by Apple through its cutting-edge iOS and by Google through Android, their arch-rivals are having a difficult time keeping pace with such groundbreaking technologies and especially RIM, which has been hit the hardest.

Mr. Heins, who is holding the reins of this Ontario-based tech firm, added further that the work on physical form factor is almost complete and the software is also approaching completion.

Both upcoming BB 10 smartphones will be powered by RIM’s new BB 10 OS. One smartphone model will feature touch-screen and another will have physical keyboard.

Mr. Heins stated that in due course, RIM will be rolling out six smartphones – out of them, three will have touch-screen and remaining will feature physical keyboards. He also stated excitedly that new BB 10 phones will have replaceable batteries.

RIM’s team is surely working round the clock to ensure success of the upcoming BB 10 platform and it is pointless to say that feedback from world’s leading carriers like AT&T, Verizon wireless, etc. will play most crucial role in the same.

An executive of one of the carriers commented that he is quite impressed with the findings that there has been a noticeable improvement in RIM’s new BB 10 platform and he is quite confident that forthcoming BB 10 devices will be able to live up to RIM’s expectation.

RIM has now entered into a phase that holds a paramount importance for any company. This is because wireless carriers will commence various kinds of tests to ensure compatibility of RIM’s new smartphones with their respective carrier networks. Performance of BB 10 phones would be tested for battery life, quality of call, web browsing and several other important factors.

Generally carriers require four to eight months time frame to assess phone’s beta version but considering the fact that RIM’s new mobile phones will run on a new OS and revamped design, the time period for assessing compatibility may get extended.

In today’s world not even heavy promotional marketing can save a weak product and if we look at mobile phone sector of tech-world, Nokia Lumia is one such example. Carriers don’t want that to be repeated in case of RIM’s phones.

It appears that no matter what critics have to say about RIM, carriers have decided to lend a sense of comfort to RIM by supporting it in all possible manners.