RIM Cancels BlackBerry 10-Based Milan

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has reportedly cancelled one of the yet unannounced BlackBerry 10 handsets, the Milan.

The handset vendor has been long rumored to be planning the release of some appealing new devices powered by the upcoming platform, and the said BlackBerry Milan was one of them.

The handset was suggested to be on its way to the market with a sliding QWERTY keyboard, similarly with RIM’s BlackBerry Torch smartphones.

Codenamed BlackBerry Milan, the unannounced device was supposed to take full advantage of the QNX-based BlackBerry 10 OS.

However, it seems that RIM has decided to put aside plans for launching this device; at least this is what a recent article on n4bb states.

While there are no specific details available on why RIM took this decision, rumor has it that some hardware issues might have been the cause.

It is possible that the company was unhappy with the phone’s performance capabilities, or it might have decided that the portrait sliding QWERTY was not a great option for a BlackBerry 10 device boasting a 4.2-inch screen.

What remains to be seen is what specific devices the Candian handset vendor plans on loading with the upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system flavor. Details on when they could hit shelves are scarce as well.

Previous rumors pointed at Milan as one possible candidate for the job, and also suggested that BlackBerry London would arrive on shelves running under the new platform.

Unlike Milan, London was said to arrive with a candybar form factor, closely resembling the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet PC that RIM unveiled in September 2010.

The launch of a full-touchscreen device would mean that the more popular BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard that RIM’s devices were long renowned for was removed from the equation.

Milan was supposed to continue the family tradition, though it didn’t make much sense when looked upon from a certain angle. The latest highly popular smartphones around the world came without keyboards, and RIM might have finally decided to follow the trend.