[Infowarrior] - more on ... RIM going keyboardless

[Richard Forno]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Tom 
> 
> So, as well as using their products, amongst other things, I write apps for RIM devices - specifically the Playbook tablet. I also write apps for Nokia's Symbian devices, and for Windows Phone. I'm not massively partisan - although I do like using the Playbook, and by preference I use a BB Bold every day (superior security and messaging capability). I've been following the Blackberry Jam conference with interest because it'll have an impact on what I write and what I use.
> 
> The device they showed off yesterday has been consistently mis-represented by the media, even despite RIM going out of their way to be specific about what it was and what it was for.
> 
> The device (which all attendees get for free) is not a prototype. It's not a new phone design. It's not a new tablet. It's not a design statement, nor a statement of future direction.
> 
> It's purely a developer device - alpha release hardware to enable the attending developers to start writing apps for Blackberry OS 10.
> 
> The word from RIM themselves:
> 
> "The purpose of this seeding is to give BlackBerry 10 Jam developer attendees a testing device to create excitement as they start to develop BlackBerry 10 applications alongside us. 
> 
> To be clear, this is not a BlackBerry 10 device. It's the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha. It includes a modified version of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS which shows the path to the BlackBerry 10 OS, which has been customized to a phone. This device will allow developers to test the applications they are building with our BlackBerry 10 toolsets. "
> 
> The BB OS 10 API framework is hooked in to the current Playbook OS (QNX) which will form the basis of BB OS 10. So it makes sense that the alpha device is essentially a smaller form-factor Playbook. RIM's NDA roadmap got leaked at the start of the year, and shows a clear plan to release both QWERTY and touchscreen BB OS 10 devices - in exactly the same way they currently have a split between touch screen, low-end QWERTY and high-end QWERTY devices.
> 
> The three things that can be taken away from this are:
> - - the next model of the Playbook, with 3G/4G support, must be pretty close to release (going on the hardware inside the developer device) :-)
> - - the media will misrepresent anything if it gives them readers
> - - few media outlets actually do 'journalism' any more, it's much easier to quickly repeat what other people are saying with a bit of editorial spin on top
> 
> This .... 'inaccuracy' :-) ... about the device being handed out was first reported by the NYT, who have since modified and updated their story.
>