QNX to power BlackBerry handsets too
Not just a tablet OS
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RIM has plans for QNX to replace its existing handset operating system, though there will be one more version before the company adopts a single-OS strategy.
RIM bought QNX last April and is using the OS on its PlayBook tablet, but has now confirmed that it will be using the diminutive OS in its phones too, with one new release of the BlackBerry OS as a stepping stone to a common platform.
Version 6 of BlackBerry OS is only just out of the door, and has been well received as matching but not exceeding the competition. Version 7 is now in development, but that will be the final version of the OS as RIM expects to have its entire portfolio of applications ported over to QNX by then.
Your correspondent evaluated QNX for a set-top box about 12 years ago, but found the lack of Java support intolerable (we ended up using VxWorks). So it's strange to hear that Java support remains problematic, with development on the PlayBook limited to JavaScript and AIR (and native QNX of course).
But that's a temporary problem, and one that RIM will need to swiftly address if it's going to bring the 10,000 applications currently available on BlackBerry handsets to the PlayBook.
Once that's done there seems little reason to maintain separate platforms, so it comes as no great surprise that RIM won't. ®
COMMENTS
@Let's hope..
Clearly Conrad you don't understand the Nokia software strategy which is to keep both Symbian and MeeGo as each OS targets very different markets, and there will be Qt on top of both. It's a great strategy, as Symbian and MeeGo both have very different strengths.
Qt is a cross platform run-time that is being received very enthusiastically by developers and it will allow those developers to code for Symbian and MeeGo at the same time, and to not care about what OS their apps are deployed to.
RIM don't have the luxury of Qt and the future for them will be messy as they try to transition developers from BB OS to QNX. If there is no compatibility between QNX and BBOS 6 and with the stated aim to ditch BBOS after v7 I can't see why developers will continue to invest more time developing for BB OS, whatever version.
Sounds like a revrse takeover!
RIM buys QNX; QNX squeezes out the RIM OS.
Let's hope it is as secure and as reliable. as the RIM. As well, even if the US requires backdoors, other countries will get 100% secure transmissions.
@RTP Qt
I'm well aware that Qt is available for QNX, but what point is that when Qt isn't available for BB OS? Without Qt being available on both platforms, the benefit of a cross platform run-time is entirely lost.
RIM need to get their developers off of BB OS as soon as possible, either by providing a short-lived cross-platform run-time (Qt would be ideal, but not in keeping with the proprietary nature of RIM and since the objective is to get to a single OS somewhat pointless) or by providing a compatibility layer or even BB OS emulator on QNX (similar to what Palm Software proposed many years ago when trying to ditch their old OS which they had already flogged off to Access for something newer - was it called Cobalt or something, was it even released in the end?)
By announcing that BB OS is going to die soon, any self respecting RIM developer would now be considering QNX only which should leave BB OS a little bereft when it comes to new applications. Can't help thinking that RIM may have been a bit premature with this announcement, unless they have something else up their sleeve.
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