RIM'S PLAYBOOK 2 CANCELLED FOR QNX SMARTPHONE

Sources have reported RIM was working on a 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook 2 that the company hoped to launch in time for the holidays this year. Now, according to a report from BlackBerry enthusiast blog N4BB, those plans have been canceled. The blog claims that RIM decided to pull the large-form tablet and instead focus as much effort as possible on building and releasing its first QNX-powered BlackBerry smartphone. Specs of the purported next-generation BlackBerry smartphone include a single-core 1.2GHz processor — though it may be swapped for a dual-core if RIM can find a way to reduce the drain on the battery — along with a 4.3-inch high-resolution touchscreen display. Further details surrounding the device were not made available, nor was a codename, launch name or a time frame for the device’s release.