First BBX phone to match PlayBook display ratios

RIM's Developer Relations VP Alec Saunders revealed Wednesday that the first phone based on BBX will have many of the features of the fully updated BlackBerry PlayBook when it's ready. He explained to PCMag that the phone will have everything that PlayBook 2.0 will have, including BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) push support, native e-mail, and other additions promised since before the PlayBook even shipped in April.

He also gave a clue as to the final design of the BBX phone. While it can adapt to multiple dimensions, the standard resolution for an app would be the same 1024x600 as the tablet. Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis had already given a clue as to the design as early as January, when he suggested it would resemble a vertical PlayBook, but hadn't given further clues.

Saunders' comments indirectly support rumors surrounding the device, nicknamed the Colt. It would be a full-touch phone with a dual-core processor and other modern smartphone features. Rather than clone the PlayBook, however, it would borrow styling cues from the steel-trimmed BlackBerry Bold 9900.

The two suggest RIM intends to have a complete, competitive phone when BBX is shipping, which could be as soon as early 2012. Its troubles had led to some rumors that it would have to skip BES support at first, negating much of the point to getting a BlackBerry for work, or that it would have a lower-resolution display. An increasing number of Android phones, most notably the Galaxy Nexus, have 720p screens or better.

By Electronista Staff

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industry, gadgets, BlackBerry, RIM, mobile phones, PlayBook, BlackBerry Enterprise Server, Colt, BBX, BES