RIM swaps 10-inch PlayBook for QNX smartphones

RIM has scrapped plans to launch a 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook, but will bring out QNX-based smartphones instead.

N4BB has reported the 10-inch tablet will be put on hold as the Canadian manufacturer turns to producing a QNX-based superphone.

This superphone will run a 1.2GHz single-core processor like the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and feature a 4.3-inch HD display with a 900+ resolution.

However, RIM has previously stated that any QNX smartphone would ship with a dual core processor. Any changes to a single core processor could be the result of battery life concerns,and battery life is one thing RIM has excelled at.

In the meantime, RIM is focusing on its 7-inch LTE PlayBook for the US market. In the UK, we await news of a 3G-enabled PlayBook.

Last week, O2 scrapped the BlackBerry PlayBook because it didn't meet the network's high standards for hardware.

PlayBook sales seem to have been a little lower than many predicted and RIM responded to disappointing sales, saying, 'the comment is certainly inconsistent with the positive feedback we have received from our main retail partners. As previously indicated, RIM will provide a business update on BlackBerry PlayBook results on June 16.’

‘Best Buy has had great success selling BlackBerry smartphones in North America, so our sales expectations for the BlackBerry PlayBook were very high. To date, we have far exceeded those expectations and we’re finding that customers are even more interested in purchasing once they’ve tested the PlayBook in the store.’