BlackBerry 10 Phone Heading to Verizon

Verizon quietly confirmed that it will be releasing a BlackBerry 10 smartphone when RIM’s new mobile operating system launches in the early part of 2013.

The carrier confirmed the news to CNET yesterday in addition to confirming plans to release multiple Windows Phone 8 powered smartphones in the fourth quarter of this year.

Verizon Chief Marketing Officer Tami Erwin stated that the carrier will be carrying a BlackBerry 10 device at launch though Erwin remained silent about what device it would offer, if it would offer multiple devices or when the launch might take place.

Read: RIM to Debut 6 New BlackBerry Devices With BlackBerry 10 in Early 2013.

Thus far, all RIM has said is that the software will launch in Q1 of next year. Originally, the software was going to debut this year but RIM delayed the launch beyond this year’s holiday season.

The company is said to be releasing a grand total of six BlackBerry 10 devices to go along with the launch in Q1 2013 though the company remains mum on the specifics of those devices. We do have bits and pieces of information though.

We know that one will be a touchscreen-only slate-style device with an HD display clocking in with 1280 X 720 pixels. And we know that another will come with a candybar form factor, full QWERTY hardware keyboard, and a 720 X 720 display.

The other four BlackBerry 10 devices remain in the shadows at this point. We expect the two aforementioned devices to be the flagship devices though, meaning they will get the most promotion and likely, the most sales.

Read: Early Review of QWERTY BlackBerry 10 Device is Positive.

https://youtu.be/JEPYYo0-gfc

It’s unclear what other carriers, if any, will be on board when BlackBerry 10 devices do arrive.

The new software represents a major overhaul for the BlackBerry operating system, the current generation of which is Blackberry 7. BlackBerry 10 will feature a new UI, improved virtual keyboard, a new Music player and a whole lot more.

RIM also says that BlackBerry 10 will have a thriving app marketplace at launch and it expects to launch with more applications than any first-generation operating system.

It has not said how many apps it plans to have available at launch.