Aug 17, 2011 15:10 GMT  ·  By

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion is expected to bring to the market in early 2012 the first BlackBerry smartphone that would run under the QNX operating system, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Apparently, one of the first handsets to include the platform would be the BlackBerry Colt, though no specific info on what the device would include emerged for the time being.

What is rumored on it at the moment is that it might include the same application processor as the latest phones from RIM, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 one, and that it would pack a large, 4.3-inch touchscreen display of at least qHD resolution.

The mobile phone maker already announced plans to move to QNX and to leave the current BlackBerry OS aside, but did not offer a specific time frame for when that might happen.

However, it seems that we might be looking at either an early 2012 release date for the first QNX-based handset from the company, if not a late 2011 launch time frame.

QNX is the software that RIM used for building the operating system for its tablet PC, the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Offering better capabilities and increased performance when compared to the current BlackBerry OS, QNX was also the software of choice for the next generation of BlackBerry smartphones from the company.

However, as stated above, RIM was mum on any details regarding the release of these devices, and might take a while before they make an official announcement on this.

RIM has just unveiled to the world a new series of smartphones, including the Bold 9900 and Torch 9810, but it seems that they will have only a short life to live.

Most probably, RIM will choose to have on shelves both BlackBerry OS- and QNX-powered handsets at the same time, provided that these new phones are not ugradeable to the upcoming platform.

One way or the other, the current generation of BlackBerries will soon disappear, making room for what should be a series of more powerful, highly appealing devices capable of better competing with Android, iOS and Windows Phone smartphones.