RIM Launches New Blackberries, Questions Remain About QNX

unveiled five new BlackBerry phones on Wednesday operating system

The five new BlackBerry phones RIM released yesterday include two BlackBerry Bold models, the 9900 and 9930, and three BlackBerry Torch units, the 9800, 9850 and 9860. According to RIM, more than 225 carriers around the world are in various stages of certifying with RIM to carry the units.

Each of new phones run BlackBerry 7, the latest version of RIM's Blackberry OS, which according to RIM offers a significantly improved Web browsing experience, delivering results 40 percent faster than BlackBerry 6-based phones and 100 percent faster than phones running BlackBerry 5. Notably absent is the QNX platform, an operating system RIM acquired last year and introduced on the PlayBook tablet in January.

Critics view the launch of five new phones without QNX as a stopgap measure that will not turn things around for RIM. Developers in particular see little incentive to design applications for an operating system that is destined for replacement.

"I don't see putting the development cycles into this operating system when we know QNX is the future," said Steve Beauregard, president of Santa Monica, Calif.-based RIM partner Regard Solutions. "This will fit in well for the customers who are looking to re-up their plan, but the more tech savvy consumer will wait for the next round."

QNX is one of the few aspects of RIM's business garnering positive reviews as of late. The company is preparing to lay off 2,000 employees and shake up its senior management ranks after ceding smartphone market share to Apple and Android devices.

RIM says it plans to launch QNX phones next year, and the company has brushed off suggestions that customer interest in new BlackBerry OS phones will be dampened by the ones that are on the way. Some partners agree and expect the new Blackberry phones to sell in spite of the operating system.

"Our corporate customers have been overly anxious the past few months for information on the new line of BlackBerry handhelds so they can refresh their aging fleet," said David Bean president of eAccess Solutions, a Palatine, Ill.-based RIM partner.

According to Allen Nogee, an analyst with In-Stat in Scottsdale, Ariz., RIM was right to launch the phones ahead of QNX availability but wrong to move forward without an upgrade path.

"They are making a big mistake by saying that you can’t upgrade the current phones to QNX. What that’s saying is, 'hey, we're going to abandon you and you will get left behind if you buy a phone now'," Nogee said. "So from RIM’s position, launching them makes sense, but from the consumer side, it wouldn’t be a good time to buy one of these phones if you really want QNX."

RIM offered no additional details on pricing, but said the five new BlackBerry phones will be available starting later in August, with carrier-specific details to come.