Those coding tools consist of two parts, with RIM taking a double-headed strategy with the new OS. The BlackBerry 10 Native SDK with Cascades is the company’s central offering, opening the playing field to, graphically rich, high performance native applications coded in C/C++ or Qt.

However, there’s also the BlackBerry 10 WebWorks SDK. That turns the attention to HTML5, allowing for web-apps that have the same functionality and hardware integration as native software, but created using straightforward web programming code. RIM’s apparent goal is to encourage those who might normally not consider adding BlackBerry app creation to their workload to dip a toe into BlackBerry 10 by making porting HTML5 apps as straightforward as possible.

Apps coded using the new SDKs will be cross-compatible with both BlackBerry 10 handsets – themselves set to launch later in 2012 – and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. RIM has some examples of the sort of apps possible with the current SDKs here, including Slacker, Foursquare and Wikitude, and is promising more BlackBerry 10-specific feature adds over the coming months.

“This is not a BlackBerry 10 smartphone – it is a prototype running a modified version of the PlayBook OS which will help developers design their apps for the BlackBerry 10 smartphone form factor.  Just to be 100% clear – it’s not the final hardware or OS for BlackBerry 10 – it’s a device to help developers get started with designing for what’s coming.  BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha is only for developers – not end users – and is only available to developer attendees at BlackBerry 10 Jam” RIM

Although both the PlayBook OS and the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS are each based on QNX, the latter will see significant tweaks and modifications versus RIM’s tablet-specific software. From the sound of it, the BlackBerry software engineering team is doing some basic redesigning to get PlayBook OS running on a smaller, smartphone-scale device.

That should allow developers to get used to the new form-factor, but without giving away too many secrets about what, exactly, RIM has on the cards for devices and software. Still, getting app creators onboard early is a sensible move: RIM is presumably hoping it will have a reasonably broad range of third-party apps available when the new platform drops toward the end of 2012.

In fact, we may well have already seen the FrankenOS, in the shape of RIM’s collaboration with Porsche and the QNX-powered concept car. That vehicle’s dash-mounted display is actually, Crackberry suggests, a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device clad in a custom enclosure; they claim to have swiped at the screen and found identical page transitions to the PlayBook.

What we’re seeing here is a an application platform, the QNX CAR 2 application platform which isn’t necessarily going to be brought out to the real world, but is certainly an awesome project to be working on and sitting in. You’ve got the entire BlackBerry PlayBook software stack including HTML5 and a a handful of consumer technologies, this meaning BlackBerry isn’t necessarily going to bring this setup exactly to the market, but that groups including Porsche.

This vehicle had the Porsche smartphone we’ve had a review of here [courtesy of Chris Davies] as well, proving that Porsche is certainly dedicated to BlackBerry and RIM for the long run. Have a peek at the photos above and below and stick with us this whole week for all the Mobile World Congress 2012 news you can handle – and be sure to drop us a line if there’s anything you’ve heard about and want us to check out! That portal again is [MWC 2012] for all the action this whole week!

Heins’ arguments make sense – up to a point. He’s right in that few of RIM’s contemporaries have a complete grip on each element of the mobile experience; only Apple and RIM can really boast that. “We’re strong because we have an integrated solution: network, services, enterprise service and fantastic devices and a fantastic ecosystem” Heins argued when asked about potentially licensing BlackBerry 10 to rivals. “I want to build on that, I will not in any way separate that.”

Keeping control can certainly give you the edge. HTC has discovered to its cost the perils of relying on a third-party for your software, for instance, with its Android range: the company went from being the darling of the Android smartphone industry to struggling at differentiating itself, as Google progressively integrated the tweaks and enhancements in HTC Sense into the core OS for every licensee to enjoy.

It’s when you consider the current BlackBerry line-up that the holes in Heins’ argument become apparent, though. RIM controls the ecosystem of a selection of underwhelming phones that look – with perhaps the exception of the Bold 9900 hardware, if not the software experience – passé in comparison to what’s coming out of Apple, Samsung and others. Nokia knows how that feels: it has complete dominion of Symbian, after all, and look how well that’s turned out.

Heins has been Chief Operating Officer at RIM – a role in which he claims company management made no attempt to hold back or limit his ambitions for the BlackBerry business – and before that SVP of the Handheld Business Unit. It’s hard, on the face of it, to see what new thinking or design revolution he could be readying, unless he has been secretly clutching a portfolio of “How To Save RIM” models and strategies all this time that have so far gone unmentioned.

Speaking of the new CEO, freshly-elected independent board chair Barbara Stymiest says “we have been impressed with [Heins'] outstanding management skills, his leadership and his accomplishments within the company.” The more you look at his elevation, the more it seems like RIM is treading water: as we suggested might be a decent strategy earlier this month, it looks like Lazaridis and Balsillie have stepped back to temporarily placate the investors and give business-as-usual the chance to go on unimpeded until BlackBerry 10 finally reaches the market.

Problem is, that strategy was only ever going to buy time, not save the company overall, and with little to indicate Heins has the tactics to turn things around – or even the awareness of what needs turning – there’s a growing sense that he’s an interim placeholder, not the long-term salvation RIM quietly knows it needs. Comparisons are already being drawn with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, drafted in to shake the company to its core; at least, though, Elop did something fundamental, rather than grab the wheel from his predecessors but stubbornly keep it turned in the direction of the cliff.

Nothing, it seems, can bring the BlackBerry 10 line-up to market any sooner than has been promised before. What we – and investors – needed to hear from RIM’s new CEO was self-awareness, not back-slapping. Thorsten Heins may not believe any drastic change is needed, but he’s the only one with that confidence.

Asked whether previous reports of a willingness to license RIM’s QNX-based platform were true under his leadership, Heins indicated that while it’s not off the table it’s also perhaps unlikely at this stage. Although several sources suggested the Canadian company was shopping BlackBerry 10 around to rivals, with both Samsung and HTC tipped at one point, Heins appears to be taking a more wait-and-see approach:

“My view on RIM is a very, very clear view. We’re strong because we have an integrated solution: network, services, enterprise service and fantastic devices and a fantastic ecosystem. I want to build on that, I will not in any way separate that. If there [are] requests coming in to RIM about licensing for other companies, I will listen, and if it makes sense strategically and tactically then I will go forth” Thorsten Heins, CEO and President, RIM

As for whether RIM might extend its appeal by broadening its product portfolio to include cheaper phones, Heins said the company is committed to smart devices. ”We play in the smartphone segment, we’re not going to go feature-phone, we’re not going to go further down” he said, suggesting the market opportunity is in current feature-phone users upgrading to their first smart handset. “There’s still a lot of feature-phone owners out there, there’s a huge potential for people going from feature-phones to smartphones.”

RIM denied the supposed-insider’s comments as “inaccurate and uninformed” and reiterated that the launch later this year was a strategic one around next-gen LTE chipsets rather than being prompted by internal struggles. Nonetheless, analysts remain unconvinced, with Evercore Partners’ Alkesh Shah describing the chipset wait as “a contributing factor in a number of factors that led to the delay,” the NYTimes reports.

“They can’t get the infrastructure and the operating system ready in time” Peter Misek, analyst, Jefferies & Company

In fact, the spreading suspicion is that RIM has simply been unable to bring BlackBerry 10′s power and battery demands down to a level where current-gen chipsets are capable of delivering a competitive experience. Poorly performing prototypes convinced RIM that there was no choice but to delay production until the new frugal and potent chips arrived later in the year.

“One of the problems is the delay in the BB 10 software and that may have led to the selection of chips that caused the most recent delay” Rod Hall, analyst, JPMorgan Chase

QNX, the RIM acquisition at the heart of BlackBerry 10, may not have been as up to the challenge of smartphones as the company believed, ABI Research’s Michael Morgan suggests. Although the OS is widely deployed already, those implementations are often in cars and other situations where power consumption is a minor issue. Even the PlayBook struggled with QNX’s comparative frugality, and now the OS “is being applied now in a place it hasn’t been before” Morgan concludes.

The US isn’t the only territory to get some whopping deals. UK buyers can get the 16GB PlayBook for around £169 ($263) though the 32GB and 64GB models are still more expensive at around £199 ($310) and £329 ($513) respectively.

RIM’s deals in the US are obviously better if you’re looking at the 64GB PlayBook; previously the 16GB version was selling, from RIM’s store direct, for just $199. All stock is expected to ship in 7-14 business days, though we expect supplies may go fast, just as in previous sales.

If you’re wondering what, exactly, you might do with a bargain QNX tablet, there’s always Android apps. Enterprising modders have fettled a release of the Android Market for the PlayBook, for those willing to spend some time tinkering with their new toy.

Is $299 low enough to make you consider the BlackBerry PlayBook? Or are you waiting for the real firesale to come? Let us know in the comments.

[Thanks Carl!]

BlackBerry 10, the OS previously expected to be called BBX, is supposedly little different to the current state of the QNX-based PlayBook 2.0 OS. “Email and PIM is a better on an 8700 than it is on BlackBerry 10″ the exec claims, suggesting RIM is still having serious problems getting its new platform to work correctly with its existing infrastructure.

In fact, BlackBerry 10 is seen internally as not competitive even with iOS 1.0 or Android 2.0, and “there’s no room for a fourth ecosystem” the unnamed executive suggests.

RIM’s financial performance has struggled over the past few quarters, with disappointing results earlier this month and claims that the company has been the topic of takeover discussions by Microsoft, Nokia and others. Meanwhile reports have suggested that RIM attempted to shop BlackBerry 10 around rival firms for potential licensing deals, with Samsung and HTC both named as targets, but that the Canadians were rebuffed.

According to Basis, RIM had refused their requests to stop using BBX, and so their only recourse was to see an injunction. “Despite the fact that the two companies are not direct competitors,” the court decided this week, “the parties’ respective BBX products are highly related and target the same class of consumers, that is, business application software developers.”

Basis’ argument had been that in calling its platform BBX, RIM would lead Basis customers or potential customers to assume that the two platforms were co-dependent, whereas its tools actually support multiple OSes. “The alleged infringement is likely to cause customers and prospective customers to wrongly believe that the software applications created using BASIS’s development tools are only compatible with RIM’s BBX operating system” the court concurred.

Details of what was expected to be the first BBX – now BlackBerry 10 – smartphone leaked last month, in the shape of the “Surfboard“. An all-touch device, it is expected to run at the same 1024 x 600 resolution of the PlayBook, for broader app compatibility out of the box.

[via Guardian]

The London will allegedly sport a dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP processor with 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of onboard storage. It will also feature an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The chassis is said to be thinner than that of the iPhone 4 and about as big as the Samsung Galaxy S II. The device can also be stood straight up on one side, suggesting a rather boxy design.

The design of the London features aluminum accents and an angular look that’s reminiscent of the Porsche Design P9981 special edition BlackBerry. It’s possible that this is a prototype designed by Porsche as well. And given the far-off mid-2012 release date, it could go through many changes before we see the final product. In addition to the London, RIM is also expected to launch two lower-end phones as well as a next-gen Torch with a 3.7-inch display and a slide-out keyboard.

[via The Verge]

“Look, if you build [an app] for the PlayBook, then it will run on BBX” Saunders confirmed. “We have maintained aspect ratios, BBX also has the ability to upload multiple dimension graphics … [and the standard resolutions] are the same as PlayBook.” The VP’s reference to “multiple dimension graphics” has led to suggestions that while initial BBX models may be akin to mini-PlayBooks, later versions could drift back toward the traditional BlackBerry handset design.

Analysts tipped a 4-inch BBX “mini tablet” back in August, while other rumors indicated that the first product was internally codenamed “Colt” and could ship without BES support. That’s something Saunders denies, claiming that BBX phones will launch with the same functionality the PlayBook should have at that point, including native email support and BES integration. That puts the first BBX handsets in February or beyond, given PlayBook OS 2.0 isn’t expected until February next year.

RIM announced BBX last month, building on QNX on the PlayBook and set to be the company’s single OS across phones, tablets and embedded devices. BBX will support 2D and 3D gaming, Android apps and feature a new Cascades UI Framework.

The tool allows developers to test their software for compatibility with the PlayBook – we already know that there will be some pretty broad limitations to what will run and what won’t – either in the online simulator or an actual PlayBook running OS 2.0. Potentially a lucrative market, too: RIM reckons its developers make more money from their apps than their counterparts on either iOS or Android.

OS 2.0 also supports Adobe Air 3.0 and Adobe Flash 11, as well as WebGL for hardware-accelerated 3D graphics within the browser. RIM also took the time to detail the BlackBerry Open Source Initiative, a project to port open-source libraries to PlayBook. The initial list of targets will include physics engines like Bullet Physics and Box2DX, scripting languages like Lua, multimedia libraries like OpenAL and SDL, gaming frameworks like Cocos2DX and general-purpose libraries like Boost and Qt.

As you’d expect from RIM, security is key in BBX, with support for Security Certification EAL4+, IEE POSIX certification, and IEC 61508 Safety (SIL3). Meanwhile there’s a UI developed by RIM-acquired The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), which has been responsible for BBX’s Cascades UI Framework for advanced graphics.

It’s not all business, though. BBX will support 2D and 3D gaming, with RIM demonstrating Raging Thunder and Asphalt 6, along with Lara Croft: Guardian of Light and other titles, running on the platform. Developers will be able to code using regular C++ and then bring their apps to BBX using RIM’s developer toolkit. Any WebWorks and HTML5 apps developed for current BlackBerry devices will also work on BBX, as well as software developed using any of the tools available today for the PlayBook, including Native SDK, Adobe AIR/Flash and WebWorks/HTML5. Finally, there’ll be support for the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps, on both tablets and future RIM smartphones.

Finally there are so-called “Super Apps” which, RIM says, will allow for advanced capabilities such as deeper integration between apps, push services, social integration and more.

The in-car system called QNX Car 2 was presented to support BBX, iOS, and Android mobile platforms. It’s not certain if this will indeed be the official name, but it has a nice ring to it and we’ll likely find out more at the BlackBerry DevCon event coming up in two weeks.

The QNX-based platform is already running on RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and is expected to launch on future BlackBerry smartphones. The first QNX BlackBerry is rumored to be the Colt and could arrive in Q1 of 2012.

[via CrackBerry]

Meanwhile, apps that use Google’s in-app purchasing system won’t be supported, while the cloud-to-device messaging system is also unusable in RIM’s implementation of the runtime. Android Live Wallpapers won’t be supported, and nor will anything built using the Android Native Development Kit. Finally, apps that consist of more than a single activity tied to the launcher will not run either.

The confirmation comes as a blow to those hoping Android app support could prove the PlayBook’s salvation, at least until RIM boosted its QNX device range. Owners had hoped for a best-of-both-worlds arrangement, where the tablet could be used both for its native tight enterprise integration and then with the broad array of Android software available through Google’s Android Market.

That, it seems, was too much to hope for, given the compromises RIM’s engineers have been forced to make in order to make apps for the two platforms play together nicely. It’s unclear exactly how many titles currently available for Android will also work on the PlayBook at this stage.

[via Android Community]

The BlackBerry PlayBook launched back in April and was immediately criticized for its half-baked firmware and a slew of missing native apps. The new version of the PlayBook’s QNX-based operating system will finally address most of these issues and will bring the long overdue native email, contacts, and calendar functionality.

Additionally, the update will bring the promised Android App Player that will allow the PlayBook to run Android apps. RIM will also be adding a BlackBerry Video Store, which will bring over 10,000 movies and TV shows to the PlayBook.

[via CrackBerry]

RIM had just introduced several BlackBerry 7 smartphones during the second half of Q2 and was expected to ship 11.6 million units of the devices, but instead shipped 10.6 million units. As for its PlayBook tablet, which shipped 700,000 units in the previous quarter, only 200,000 units were shipped in Q2. It certainly didn’t help that the nations third largest carrier also canceled plans to carry 4G WiMAX versions of the PlayBook.

Actual earnings came in at around only $329 million, down from $797 million in the same quarter in the previous year. RIM’s Co-CEO Jim Balsillie attributed the overall weak performance to the “lower than expected demand for older models.” Balsillie hopes to further push its BlackBerry 7 OS devices while focusing efforts on developing its QNX-based mobile platform for next year.

The recently launched BlackBerry 7 devices include BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, the BlackBerry Torch 9810, and the BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860.

[via VentureBeat]

According to BGR, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 is believed to feature a 1.2Ghz processor, a 5-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage, WiFi, GPS, and NFC. It maintains the same touchscreen and full QWERTY form factor but has an overall smaller footprint when compared to the BlackBerry Bold 9900. The device, however, will still be running BlackBerry 7 OS.

RIM plans to release about seven BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones by year-end before they make the full transition to its new QNX platform. RIM’s first QNX-based smartphone called the BlackBerry Colt is rumored for a release in early 2012. The current BlackBerry PlayBook tablet already runs on QNX.

However, the Evernote app for the BlackBerry PlayBook will lack some of the features that can be found on the versions for Android and iOS. For instance, the PlayBook version cannot create rich-text notes with checkboxes or to-do lists. But since it is only the first version for the QNX platform, updates ahead should bring it up to speed.

And as usual, the app is free and available through the BlackBerry App World. If you’ve been mulling over whether to take advantage of the recent BlackBerry PlayBook promotions, let us know if the addition of your favorite note-taking app makes any difference. Or, are you holding out for a 7-inch Android slate?

[via CrackBerry]

This deal follows just two days after the end of Best Buy’s PlayBook promotion, which offered a $150 discount on the 64GB model, but only offered a $50 discount on both the 16GB and 32GB models. So if you missed out on that, here’s another chance, but this new deal from RIM is also for a limited time only, running until September 22. The deal is available only to residents in the US and Canada, and is limited to one claim per PlayBook with a total of three claims per household.

The PlayBook currently runs on RIM’s new QNX platform while current BlackBerry smartphones are still running on the BlackBerry 7 OS. There have been some incompatibility issues and plenty of criticism over the PlayBook’s half-baked firmware, but RIM has been trying to remedy that with several updates over the past few months. Also, the promised Android App player feature is still not available, although leaks of the interface suggest that it should be arriving soon.

[via CrackBerry]

The sale offers a $50 discount on the 16GB and 32GB PlayBook models bringing the prices down to $449.99 and $549.99, respectively. The $150 discount goes towards the 64GB model, which oddly brings the price down in line with the 32GB model at $549.99. That’s a sign that they’re way overstocked on the 64GB model, because seriously who would pay the same amount for the smaller storage capacity?

Even with the discount though, the price could be a bit high for some, especially with the various limitations of the new QNX platform that RIM is still in the midst of updating. Plus, there’s also the ability to run Android apps that has yet to arrive for the tablet. But assuming that all the promised features do eventually get delivered, it could still be a good option for BlackBerry fans. But don’t waver too long because the deal ends on September 5. You can check out the sale here.

[via PhoneArena]

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet already runs on the QNX platform and has been announced in the past to support Android apps using a special Android app player. At the time, RIM did not confirm whether this functionality would extend to its smartphones as well. Now, it’s believed that this same Android app player will be used in the QNX BlackBerry smartphones, but will be tweaked to fit the smaller screen size.

RIM plans to preload the QNX phones with the Android app player so that Android app compatibility will be enabled on launch to avoid criticism of slow updates. The PlayBook has been criticized for many lacking features since its debut and has since been slow to incorporate the missing features through updates. The promised Android app player for the PlayBook has also yet to arrive, but is expected to come later this year.

Additionally, the PlayBook is expected to get an update in September that will finally add dedicated email and BlackBerry messenger apps.

[via Bloomberg]

There’ll also be twin cameras, he expects, together with a standalone email app and the RIM Android app player available from launch. Both software items are expected to be added to the PlayBook tablet later this year.

In contrast, the earlier Colt rumors suggested RIM was currently testing a 1GHz single-core smartphone likely to be a more traditional QWERTY/touchscreen hybrid in the manner of the Bold series. It’s possible that RIM could release two new phones at once, of course; earlier this month the company launched the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and Torch 9850/9860 simultaneously.

However, Abramsky isn’t confident that RIM will have much success with its 2011 range. “BlackBerry 7 is unlikely to reverse deeply negative investor sentiment over RIM’s future,” he argues, “pending improved visibility to success or failure of pending QNX handsets expected 2012.” The analyst expects seven new BlackBerry 7 devices in 2011.

[via BGR]

That’s because RIM’s engineers are currently hard at work rewriting BES in order to get it to play nicely with QNX, the same OS as is found on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. According to the leaks, the coders are finding it a tougher challenge than expected, and as such the first QNX-based smartphone is likely to launch without support for BES altogether. Instead, there’ll be support for Microsoft’s ActiveSync as standard, giving enterprise users some way of getting their push email to the handset.

The image above is a mockup based on QNX screenshots from the PlayBook and existing BlackBerry handsets, of course, though we wouldn’t be surprised if the eventual design was similar: RIM, after all, is known for its distinctive keyboards. The processor also could well change between now and the Colt’s release; RIM’s recently announced devices, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and Torch 9850/9860, both have single-core 1GHz chips too, and the company may decide to upgrade for QNX in order to keep pace with its rivals.

That would certainly fit in with previous comments from RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, who said last December that the company wouldn’t be putting QNX on a phone until there were dual-core baseband CPUs which could do it justice.

Many folks are criticizing RIM’s new offerings, saying that the new devices will not be upgradeable when RIM transitions to its new QNX OS. The current hardware will not be compatible, meaning that if customers want to upgrade to get the new OS features, they’ll have to buy a new phone. A “super phone” is already in the works for the QNX OS slated to hit sometime next year.

Furthermore, the current BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones do not support Flash, which is an oddity since Apple rivals typically use that as a marketing weapon. According to Business Insider, RIM explains that Flash requires dual-core processors to render properly, which these new BlackBerry OS 7 handsets are not equipped with.

[via Business Insider]

Android’s rise from Q2 2010 is significant, with the Google platform on just 2.9-percent of the tablets a year ago and seeing shipping numbers of just 100,000 units. The analysts now believe that 4.6m Android tablets were sold in Q2, not least because of the dedicated tablet version of the OS, 3.x Honeycomb, which was designed specifically to suit larger-screen devices.

Despite generally negative reviews, Windows 7 holds third place, with a reported 4.6-percent of the marketshare. That puts it ahead of QNX, the platform RIM has used for the BlackBerry PlayBook, which lags in fourth place with 3.3-percent. Strategy Analytics blame the absence of key apps like a native email client on the PlayBook for its placement

Since the figures detail Q2 2011 – April through June inclusive – newer slates like the HP TouchPad don’t get a look in. Looking forward, the Android tablet segment is open to a single, dominant vendor, and there are suggestions that it could well be Amazon. “If Amazon decides to enter the Android tablet category later this year, that will bring fresh excitement and buzz to the Android community” Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics suggests, ”but Amazon will need to deliver a truly standout offering if it really wants to make headway against the popular iPad.”

Among the key complaints are a misguided perception of what appeals to would-be buyers in advertising, such as Flash or “true multitasking.” Instead, the exec suggests, RIM should “obsess” over what’s best for the end-user, “admit that Apple is nailing this” and take advantage of the fact that Android’s “major weakness” is that “it will always lack the simplicity and elegance that comes with end-to-end device software, middleware and hardware control.” RIM should concentrate on bringing new and unique features to its QNX-based platform, soon to show up on phones, rather than simply playing catch-up with features from rivals.

“25 million iPad users don’t care that it doesn’t have Flash or true multitasking, so why make that a focus in our campaigns? I’ll answer that for you: it’s because that’s all that differentiates our products and its lazy marketing. I’ve never seen someone buy product B because it has something product A doesn’t have. People buy product B because they want and lust after product B … BlackBerry Messenger has been our standout, yet we wasted our marketing on strange stories from a barber shop to a horse wrangler.” Anonymous RIM senior exec

As for development, RIM apparently needs a wake-up call. ”The truth is, no one in RIM dares to tell management how bad our tools still are” the exec suggests. “Even our closest dev partners do their best to say it politely, but they will never bite the hand that feeds them.” Part of that is giving developers the right tools; “offer shit tools and we shouldn’t be surprised when we see shit apps” it’s suggested.

The full letter is well worth a read, and calls to mind – though in a slightly different way – Stephen Elop’s “burning platform” letter to Nokia employees. “Now would be a great time to internally re-brand and re-energize the workplace” the exec suggests; it remains to be seen whether RIM’s CEOs think the same.

The other models in the range also match the various iPad 2 price points. RIM’s 32GB PlayBook will be available from £479, while the 64GB model will be £559. Still no word on when the 3G version might be released, so for now you’ll be tethering either via a MiFi-style mobile hotspot, through a mobile hotspot app on your phone, or – as RIM would prefer – through your BlackBerry phone.

We found the PlayBook to be a promising little slate, certainly not short of potent hardware and a highly usable UI; however, the software experience feels somewhat half-baked, though RIM is working hard to push out frequent updates. More in our full BlackBerry PlayBook review.

Press Release:

BlackBerry PlayBook Arriving At The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy

Pre-order now available from www.carphonewarehouse.com and www.bestbuy.co.uk

LONDON May 17, 2011— The Carphone Warehouse and BestBuy today announced they will be stocking the highly anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. In a move set to shake up the tablet market, BlackBerry PlayBook brings business and entertainment needs together in one stunning tablet computer.

Available to pre-order now from www.carphonewarehouse.com and www.bestbuy.co.uk, the new tablet with built-in Wi-Fi® support comes in three variations; a 16 GB model will be available from £399; a 32 GB model will be available from £479; and a 64 GB model will be available from £559.

BlackBerry PlayBook is expected to land in the UK on June 16 and features an ultra-portable sleek design and delivers industry leading performance powered by QNX technology. Multitasking heads the list of sophisticated features, making it possible to read an email, surf the web and chat with friends over BBM™[i] all at the same time. An industry first, this feature truly sets BlackBerry PlayBook apart from other tablets that have recently hit the market.

For Internet lovers, there’s support for Adobe Flash Player to give uninterrupted web browsing and video streaming using the in-built Wi-Fi connectivity, while for the business-minded, the preloaded Documents To Go® software lets users work with spreadsheets and Word files. Plus, BlackBerry PlayBook cleverly links up with BlackBerry® smartphones over Bluetooth with the BlackBerry® Bridge™ software, enabling people to respond to their BlackBerry smartphone emails in real time on the tablet’s larger display.

Packed with HD multimedia capabilities, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet also comes with two cameras – a front facing 3 megapixel camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing one, each capable of recording 1080p HD video. In addition, there’s exceptional support for media playback and video calling, which can show callers in brilliant clarity on the tablet’s high resolution display.[ii]

Graham Stapleton, Chief Commercial Officer for The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy, said: “The BlackBerry brand is already highly regarded amongst our customers who are looking for excellent smartphones, and I expect BlackBerry PlayBook to be just as popular. The product packs in some fantastic features within a handy travel-friendly size and I’m sure will be well-received. With its speed, HD-capabilities and impressive multitasking BlackBerry Playbook has the potential to impact the tablet market in a significant way.”

That’s because the QNX desktop environment already comes with a cross-compiler that allows developers to create native apps for ARM processors, like the TI chip the PlayBook is based on. Software can be written in regular C/C++ and then compiled and copied across to the tablet.

That last step did take a little legwork, since if you merely shuttle the code over to the PlayBook’s “downloads” folder, using SSH into the device as “devuser”, it lacks the necessary permissions to actually run. Instead, Bell found that if you set the binary as executable, and then zip it up, you can move it from the “downloads” folder, unzip it, and run it as a native PlayBook app.

The workaround means that, rather than use AIR to develop apps as RIM is currently insisting on, developers can now create titles with full access to everything RIM’s own software on the PlayBook can use. Whether the company will approve of that remains to be seen, but it’s certainly another benefit of the flexibility of the QNX platform the tablet is based on.

[Thanks Steve!]

Since the PlayBook lacks the buttons from Android devices, the tablet’s various gestures will be mapped as alternatives. RIM is yet to confirm whether users will be able to modify that mapping, or if there will be a default set that are consistent across all Android programs.

Developers will have to submit their software to RIM independently of any Android Market submissions, and RIM will vet and approve titles itself. Rather than putting the Android Market onto the PlayBook, apps will be released through the existing BlackBerry App World. No word on when exactly the app support will arrive.

Video via Ewan MacLeod

Update: CrackBerry has another demo video:

[via Android Community]

The schedule was confirmed at BlackBerry World 2011 today, where RIM has been detailing its software and hardware approach for 2011. As well as the software news, RIM also officially announced the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and the BlackBerry 7 OS it runs on; however, the company also ran the risk of alienating existing BlackBerry phone users, with the news that they wouldn’t be getting a BlackBerry 7 upgrade.

It’s unclear for how long this rapid fire software fettling will go on for, but we’re presuming RIM’s intention is to get the PlayBook to a state where users aren’t turned off by a half-finished software experience. The Video Chat and Facebook apps arriving this month will go a long way to helping that

BlackBerry 6.1 had been expected to make its debut on devices like the BlackBerry Touch and the Torch 2, offering functionality like mobile hotspot, visual voicemail and NFC. BlackBerry 7, meanwhile, was to be the company’s transition to QNX, as runs on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

What the name change means is still unclear. It’s speculated that RIM is looking to make more of a splash with the OS alongside whatever new hardware it brings to the show next week, and thought BB7 sounded better than BB6.1. Alternatively, it could be looking to better distinguish between the new devices and older handsets, potentially meaning owners of existing BlackBerry phones might not get BlackBerry 7. Whatever RIM has decided, SlashGear will be at BlackBerry World next week to bring back all the details.

Director of product marketing at HP, Jon Oakes, throws in a little barb, too, suggesting that “we’ll keep innovating, we’ll keep honing and those guys hopefully will continue to see the value in it and keep following us by about a year.”

RIM, meanwhile, believes it’s a case of solid usability boiling designs down to similar paradigns; similar, it’s suggested, to how all cars would be the same shape if coefficient to drag ratio was the sole guiding principle. Jeff McDowell, senior vice president for business and platform marketing, reckons ”when you’re trying to optimize user experience that juggles multitasking, multiple apps open at once and on a small screen, you’re going to get people landing on similar kinds of designs.”

Cards, swipes, gestures and flicks: that’s what webOS and QNX are made of. Of course, not all cars are the same air-profiled blobs, since manufacturers throw in some distinctive design – perhaps at the cost of a few decimal points of efficiency – for the same of differentiation.

RIM needs a Java VM so as to provide legacy support for QNX-based devices like the PlayBook, such as custom apps which corporations might have deployed and don’t want to – or can’t – recreate as a native version. Official access to Android apps would be another thing, however; that would require RIM working with Google to certify its platform in some way, so as to provide official support to the Android Market.

That sort of agreement would likely work in RIM’s favor, but whether it’s something Google would be amenable to remains to be seen. Still, as we saw in our own hands-on time with the PlayBook, there’s a lot to like about the BlackBerry slate, and Android support would be icing on the cake.

Both TeleNav and QNX will be demonstrating their latest innovations to the industry at this CES in Las Vegas.

TeleNav and QNX Team to Demonstrate Navigation and Search
TeleNav’s Connected Navigation and Local Search to Work with the QNX CAR Application Platform

LAS VEGAS, NV — (MARKET WIRE) — 01/04/11 — TeleNav, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNAV), one of the largest global wireless navigation services providers, andQNX Software Systems Co. today announced that QNX and TeleNav have partnered to enable connected GPS navigation to work with the QNX CAR™ Application Platform. Automakers and Tier One suppliers using the QNX CAR Application Platform will soon have the ability to offer connected navigation and search, providing drivers with 3D turn-by-turn navigation and voice/audio prompts, along with real-time information like up-to-date maps, business listings, local places, traffic information, gas prices and more. QNX and TeleNav will demonstrate connected navigation and search in the QNX CAR Application Platform this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV.

“A key goal of the QNX CAR Application Platform is to leverage the latest innovations in mobile devices and consumer electronics in a way that is appropriate for in-vehicle use,” said Andrew Poliak, director of automotive business development, QNX Software Systems. “It just made sense to partner with TeleNav to make sure our products work together to offer the best in navigation technology.”

“QNX is clearly a leader when it comes to automotive operating systems,” said Hassan Wahla, vice president of business development for TeleNav. “We look forward to working with the QNX team to bring OEMs and Tier One suppliers high quality, customized connected navigation and comprehensive local search capabilities.”

QNX Software Systems is the global leader in operating systems and middleware for the in-car telematics and infotainment market, and has licensed its technology for use in more than 20 million in-vehicle systems worldwide. The QNX CAR Application Platform is designed to help the automotive industry reduce the cost and effort of building in-car infotainment systems. It allows customers to evaluate a rich set of pre-integrated technologies.

Video demo after the cut

QNX looks particularly alluring, and leagues ahead of BlackBerry OS 6 on the company’s smartphones. Unfortunately we may have to wait some time before we see the platform migrate over to a next-gen Bold or Pearl; according to co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, that’s not on the cards until dual-core processors are commonplace.

The PlayBook, Lazaridis insists, is focused on enterprise and security consumers, with mainstream appeal because designing products to “a higher bar” has appeal to that segment as well. He also suggested that Flash was a necessary inclusion, despite rival devices like the iPad not supporting it.

Meanwhile submissions are now being accepted for BlackBerry PlayBook apps, though the tablet itself isn’t due to arrive until Q1 2011.

Balsillie tells Hollister that inside you’ll end up finding 5300mAh lithium ion cells and glass, nothing but “battery and glass” inside this mama. Then Basillie takes back the device, showing off the QNX and the Air-based OS himself, showing off the photo gallery, a video that continues to run even upon pushing it back, and a spreadsheet – all of these running at the same time. Sounds completely rockin for under $500. Plus, take a look at it head-to-head with an iPad. Race!

[Via Engadget]