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RIM’s BBX phones could be touchscreen only
SMARTPHONE MAKER Research in Motion's (RIM) upcoming BBX handsets could be touchscreen only and share some of the Playbook's aspects.
RIM has confirmed that the first handsets to be based on the new BBX operating system (OS) will have the same aspect ratio and resolution as the firm's Playbook tablet, according to PC Magazine. These are 16:9 and 1280x720, respectively, and not the usual screen characteristics for smartphones.
Alec Saunders, VP of developer relations and ecosystem development at RIM said, "Look, if you build [an app] for the PlayBook, then it will run on BBX. We have maintained aspect ratios, BBX also has the ability to upload multiple dimension graphics ... [and the standard resolutions] are the same as PlayBook,"
If the phones are essentially smaller Playbooks, then RIM might ditch its infamous Qwerty keyboard that we associate with Blackberry smartphones.
The BBX handsets apparently will have the same features as the Playbook when they tip up next year, such as native email and Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) support. Saunders said, "I think you're seeing an evolution of a platform ... you should not expect [BBX] to be behind the PlayBook,"
RIM announced the BBX OS in October and said it would combine the best features of its Blackberry OS and QNX, which is what the Playbook runs. It will also support Android applications. µ
Tags: Hardware
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This will make the 7 developers who work on the Playbook very happy...though by the time the BBX phones are released, it will probably be down to 2. Still, very happy for those guys!
Hello Inq Staff,
to quote your article
"If the phones are essentially smaller Playbooks, then RIM might ditch its infamous Qwerty keyboard that we associate with Blackberry smartphones."
This line is where the confusion comes, as it has long since been told the first BBX phone would be a touchscreen only as Mike L. of RIM said so in a keynote speech, the most relevant news from the Alec S. Interview is the aspect ratio and screen resolution, and the talk of scalable resolutions for application development
Hi, Stephen
We're not suggesting that RIM is going to ditch the keyboard entirely.
Seriously? Really?
You surmise from the conversation with Alec Saunders and PCMag that RIM is abandoning their Flagship form factor, the primary reason they still have some market share in the US, One of the Most distinctive and most popular components the keyboard.
RIM makes MANY form Factors, the FIRST BBX form Factor will be an All touchscreen device. To write an article speculating that RIM is discontinuing the QWERTY line because the first phone is a Full touchscreen would be like if Ford launched a Hydrogen Mustang, and you wrote an Article that they are discontinuing the F series trucks because they didn't mention the F series in their Hydrogen plans with the mustang.
Alec Saunders mentioned multiple dimension graphics when talking about screen resolutions, and app development, which has a far shorter leap than the one you are making that BBX will support multiple screen resolutions, and possibly scale your apps for you to those resolutions, opening the door for the QWERTY style BlackBerry to get BBX in 2012.
Thank you for yet another poorly written Article about RIM, and their apparent failures/mistakes/lack of future