Research In Motion’s next handset in early 2012 could help boost the smartphone maker back into the limelight against Apple’s iPhone and a myriad of Google Android handsets. The Boy Genius Report blog today shared details on RIM’s BlackBerry Colt, noting that it would be the first BlackBerry smartphone to run on the QNX platform. To meet the timeframe, BGR suggests the device may have older hardware components when compared to competing handsets, but that doesn’t sound plausible. The bigger issue is the amount of time it’s taking RIM to get its smartphone lineup transitioned to the new operating system.

According to BGR, the Colt will use a 1 GHz single-core processor at a time where many smartphones are already powered by dual-core chips; we’re also expecting the first quad-core smartphones right around the end of this year. Back in December, co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, went on record saying that QNX would come to smartphones with dual-core processors. And that’s a good thing: My experience with BlackBerry’s Playbook, which already runs QNX on a dual-core chip, shows peppy performance for browsing, multitasking, video playback and gaming.

Oddly, BGR is also reporting that the Colt may ship without BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), which sounds strange at first. Then again, shipping the PlayBook without a native email client is just as strange (if not more so) and shows that the company is still tinkering with the new operating system it acquired in April of 201o. Far more important than the hardware choices is RIM making potential progress in the transition of QNX in handsets.

There’s no guarantee such a change will bring success and market share, but revamping the old BlackBerry operating system isn’t getting the job done. For all of its shortcomings, the PlayBook with QNX shows much more potential in terms of user experience and maturity. If RIM can reinvent the BlackBerry handset lineup with QNX, while attracting more developers, the Colt could be the first of many smartphones to help RIM get its mojo back. And the sooner that happens, the better; the company is quickly falling through the ranks of the top handset makers around the world.

It's also going to have Activesync support out of the box. About time, the world doesn't revolve around BES and RIMs prior lack of Activesync was a deal breaker to me.

Ooh ooh - Argon may come back. Rejoice.

From what I read is the reason they're putting Activesync support out of the box is that RIM currently doesn't have any support on the BES for QNX and this is why there is no native email app on the Playbook. They're planning on building a QNX only BES, but it won't be ready by the time this device is released. And I certainly hope that's not the case. A QNX only BES seems like a terrible idea. You would have to implement 2 BES servers, one for non-QNX devices and one for QNX devices. Seems like too much of a hassle.

A hassle, and additional expense. I don't have any particular issues with simultaneous BES and non-BES versions of the device, but my world does revolve around BES and I would hate to think that I would have to stay on an older device indefinitely to have it .

BES-only for QNX devices would be incredibly stupid. Go ahead RIM, just keep shooting yourself in the foot!

Perhaps

Well, if you do, then the fickle consumer who changes devices on a whim for any reason will be back. How exciting.

Nope, not fickle, just use what works the best for me at that given time. I'm loyal to no device or company. If QNX delivers the goods, then I might use it.

Activesync sucks. No integration with BES is a deal breaker. Why would my company stay with BB if products aren't going to have BES? Seems like BB will lose a bunch of customers over this.

Sure, they might add the integration 6 months after it's released, but why setup on activesync and then move to BES? Might as well go Android and not look back.

Well, maybe some uses and company don't want to spend the money on BES. Activesync works fine and it comes standard on just about every mobile platform.

True, but what about the companies that already have BES implemented in their environment? There are still a lot of corporations that rely on BlackBerry and BES and RIM's missing out on their core base with this QNX device.

First BlackBerry QNX phone a 4-inch xxx8220;mini-PlayBookxxx8221; says analyst - SlashGear

New rumor. If RIM is smart then they would be going this direction. IMO BGR is heavily slanted towards Apple. So usually what they say towards RIM I take with a grain of salt.

I'm sure it's only a temporary situation.

It doesn't matter if it's temporary. It is absolutely asinine for them to ship a phone without BES.

BES is free (the pay version has a few more features and it's with it for support)
BES has more features than Activesync
BES has more policies than Activesync

If they do this then they are leaving IT shops out to dry that stood behind RIM and took a beating about not moving to android/iphone/windows mobile.

Recently my company updated policies including our IT policy. We wrote our mobile computing policy around BES capabilities and security features.

I'm extremely disappointed if this rumor is true. I don't want to run multiple mobile environments. I want a single easy to use point of control: BES.

If all the images I've seen are correct, I'm not interested in it. It looks like a Bold - why go to a smaller screen than the Torch? Am I missing something?

Will be curious to see how this alleged device will work with BoxTone....

Yeah, I don't think those were a images of the actual device, just a blog mock up picture.

Why yes...you are. There are those who HATE touch screen devices such as the Torch. I don't like them. I want devices like the 9900...and not having to bother turning the device sideways to type while browsing, just so I can browse in landscape mode...

So is there any chance that the 9930 will be able to update to this software later next year or are they going to make the Colt the only device capable of it until another new handset comes out after the Colt?