Nothing official for the time being

Feb 27, 2010 10:24 GMT  ·  By

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion is reportedly working on a new BlackBerry handset, one that will come to the market with a sliding form factor. The company has been long rumored to be considering the launch of a sliding device that would also sport a QWERTY keyboard, and it seems that things might be moving closer to be officially unveiled to the world.

According to a recent article on BGR, Research In Motion has been working on this device for quite some time, and now some details on what the sliding Blackberry is all about emerged into the wild. Unfortunately, no leaked image with the upcoming mobile phone is available for the time being, and the leaked hardware specs should suffice at the moment.

Among the details available on the handset, we can count the fact that it should be a portrait sliding device, and it seems that the phone might end up with a Palm Pre-like form factor when released. Although nothing is said on this matter, if the rumor pans out, it means that the handset might include both a sliding QWERTY and a touchscreen display, a combination quite common these days.

Other details on the handset include: - The phone will run BlackBerry OS 6.0. - The rumored device will 100% support Wi-Fi 802.11n. - The resolution unfortunately has not improved, it is still 360×480. - The phone will not be a Verizon exclusive — it’s supposed to be a GSM/HSPA device.

According to BGR, in case the device comes with a touchscreen display on board, it might prove to be none other than the previously rumored BlackBerry Storm slider. Moreover, the touch capabilities would also suggest that the mobile phone has something to do with the rumored BlackBerry Magnum/Dakota, a hybrid handset from RIM with QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad and touchscreen display, though in a candybar form factor.