BlackBerry Road Map for 2011 Leaked, Good Stuff Coming from RIM

BlackBerry is gearing up for a launch of a slew of new smartphone handsets. I can’t say I’m altogether thrilled considering they don’t seem to be doing too much with design apart from merely speed. While the latter is most relevant to the industry, looks do matter in today’s superficial world of gadgets and gizmos as well. However the new devices, that could be on their way soon, do manage to fit in a little bit in the looks department as well.

Recently, a few pre-released images of the new BlackBerry Curve Touch were showcased and word of the BlackBerry Sedona has also made it out. This is just the tip of the iceberg - by Q4 of 2011 RIM intends to have at least 5 new handsets out and of course the much awaited Blackberry Playbook Tablet device. It’s only the very beginning of the year and prior to any official announcements, we now have information, thanks to crackberry.com, on just what new devices are headed out of the Canadian warehouse. Take a look below.

Could this be the next gen Storm or Torch 2?

Aka Dakota (GSM) with Dual input (?) That's new for RIM!

Looks like any other BlackBerry, but it's what inside that counts

The new set of handsets are all to be equipped with the updated OS i.e. BlackBerry OS 6.1 and said to be CDMA versions. It’s quite likely that GSM versions of the same with model numbers instead of names could make it out later.

Aside from just the new handset that RIM intends to debut this year, the Canadian company also intends to announce an update to their OS to version 6.1. Some of the features that 6.1 will bring to the table include -

• Magnetometer (Compass) support for augmented reality features and location-based features
• NFC (Near Field Communication ) functionality
• HD Video recording and playback of HD files (up to 720p @30fps)
• Rich Media support via HTML5
• Open GL support for enhanced gaming based on hardware accelerated graphics and better performance (24bit color support)
• Wi-Fi Hotspot via 3G functionality
• Better multitasking capabilities
• Enhanced virtual keyboards for touchscreen devices
• More personalisation of the UI
• Improved browsing capabilities (hopefully with the inclusion of Adobe Flash support)
• Voice Search capabilities