There is a lot riding on the new operating system RIM announced at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium this spring. This is the first significant operating system upgrade BlackBerry has had since Android and iPhone have exploded in popularity, and will mark RIM’s first concerted defense as reigning champion of the North American smartphone market. AT&T announced the BlackBerry Torch 9800 slider more recently, which is a pretty big departure in form factor as far as BlackBerrys go.
In many ways, the hardware is secondary in importance to BlackBerry 6, as older devices like the Bold 9650, Bold 9700, Pearl 9100 and all future devices (like the 9670 clamshell, Curve 9300, and the 9780) will be privy to the facelift. However, in order to really draw attention to the upgrade, RIM needed a new device to properly introduce BlackBerry 6 to the public. more
