Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Dakota will launch with
BlackBerry OS 6.1, according to rumors. That suggests the company’s plan to
port the PlayBook tablet’s QNX-based operating system to smartphones is still
far in the future.
RIM’s 7-inch PlayBook will be the vanguard of an aggressive
strategy to bolster the company’s position in the mobile space, where it faces
fierce competition from the likes of Google Android and Apple’s iOS. Instead of
porting the recently developed BlackBerry OS 6 onto the tablets, however, RIM
made the decision to craft an all-new operating system from software assets
acquired during its April 2010 takeover of QNX Software Systems from Harman
International.
Images purportedly of the BlackBerry Dakota, combining a
physical QWERTY keyboard with a touch-screen, have circulated around the Web
for several quarters. On Jan. 13, the blog Boy
Genius Report offered an "exclusive" photo of the smartphone, along with a
full specs breakdown. In addition to a 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of built-in
storage, 2.8-inch VGA capacitive touch-screen, 3G mobile hotspot, and proximity
sensor, the report claimed the Dakota would launch with "BlackBerry OS 6.1."
For more, read the eWeek article: RIM’s BlackBerry Dakota Will Run OS 6.1, Not PlayBook OS: Report.