RIM: first BlackBerry 10 devices to focus on mid-range and up, entry-level may be ready in 2013
RIM's Q2 earnings details have had a common theme of a silver lining to darker clouds, and that edge may have grown a bit brighter with hints of the company's longer-term BlackBerry 10 roadmap. When asked about the release strategy, CEO Thorsten Heins said that the first BB10 devices would focus on both the mid-range and high-end of the market, a bit wider than the chiefly high-end approach that has been rumored so far. While shy on details, he confirmed that the full-touch smartphone would have a screen with an HD resolution -- that's higher than on the iPhone 5, the executive was eager to point out. More intriguingly, Heins teased the prospect of an entry-level BB10 device arriving as soon as 2013. Although development was in the early stages, the new starter phone just might be ready next year if all goes well. There's a lot of questions left to answer about RIM's strategy, so we won't get too excited yet; even so, the statements are signs that the BlackBerry designer doesn't want to leave any product gaps open for very long.
