We’ve been following all of the developments over recent months concerning the upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system. There’s a huge amount of interest in this as RIM has completely overhauled the BlackBerry OS and its success, and that of the devices that will run it, are vital to the company moving forwards. Recently we told how the Z10 phone looked likely to be among the first devices that will release following the big unveiling of BB10 on January 30 and now an internal leak has indicated that the pioneer BB10 phone could release on February 28th, although it hasn’t yet been confirmed whether that will be the Z10.
At one time we confess we felt that RIM was asking too much of BB10 to revive the company but the closer we have got to the media event at the end of the month where it will be introduced, the more promising BB10 looks. From what we’ve seen and heard so far the Z10 also looks like an extremely notable smartphone and many are starting to wonder if indeed RIM could pull off a real turnaround. Yesterday we told how a dummy model of the Z10 had been spotted wearing Verizon branding and also told how cases for the Z10 were already on display at CES but we still had no indication of a release date other than previous March rumors.
However an image of the internal inventory system of Best Buy Canada shows a BlackBerry 10 device with a release date of February 28th. The device is earmarked for Canadian carrier Bell but of course if the phone releases in Canada on that date it’s likely to be released on other carriers in other regions at the same time. RIM has not confirmed or denied questions about this date, merely stating that the company will not comment on speculation until the January 30th launch event for BB10. Previously RIM has said that the first BB10 devices will have pricing and availability details announced at that event.
It seems that the early signs are promising for the first BB10 smartphone as we told previously how Rogers of Canada was taking pre-orders for the device from mid-December, even though little information on it was given. Consumers were asked to register on the site if they were interested in buying the first BB10-powered phone and a Rogers spokesperson recently said that customer interest was “definitely strong” with reservations still being taken on a daily basis, although the amount of reservations so far was not given.
We’ll continue to bring readers all the latest developments on BB10, the BlackBerry Z10 phone and other new devices as we hear more. Remember it’s not official that the Z10 is the first BB10 that may release on February 28th although it certainly looks credible. Are you one of those who are eagerly waiting for BB10 to see what it has to offer? Maybe you have a real interest in the Z10? Do you think that BB10 and subsequent devices can achieve a real shift in RIM’s fortunes? Let us know by sending your comments.