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News

RIM to Push Touch-Screen OS

(04 Feb 2010, BWCS Staff)

Determined to hit back at its smart phone competitors, Research In Motion is reportedly working hard on a new touch-based operating system update for its BlackBerry devices. The Canadian-based company is also rumoured to be about to produce a new touch-based BlackBerry phone with a Qwerty keyboard, in the manner of the iPhone. Various news sources have carried the story that RIM is developing a newer, more Web-friendly BlackBerry operating system, as well as a brand new BlackBerry device, apparently known as Magnum, that boasts a touch screen user interface.

While RIM remains far and away the leading seller in the increasingly competitive US smart phone market, it is in danger of losing out in the innovation curve, where Apple, Google and Palm have been scoring points recently. It is estimated that there are some 15 million Blackberry users across the US, far more than its rivals can boast, but clearly the company does not wish to rest on its laurels and fears the impact that the newcomers are making.

RIM has been working on platform updates for some time and it recently filed a series of patents designed to boost network browsing speeds on BlackBerry devices. In 2009, the company bought out WebKit solutions developer Torch Mobile (WebKit powers mobile browsers on numerous mobile platforms, including the iPhone and Android), which added fuel to the rumours that RIM is working on a new operating system.

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