Leaked Roadmap Reveals BlackBerry's Second Attempt At An iPad-Killer*
Timothy A. Clary/AFPUpdate: We've just been informed that the roadmap was an April Fools' Day joke. We apologize for the confusion.
A leaked BlackBerry roadmap, first uncovered by TechnoBuffalo, suggests the Canadian company is gearing up to launch a new tablet, and two "phablet" devices within the next year.
According to the roadmap, BlackBerry will release a tablet, dubbed the B10, around Q3 of this year. Before Q1 2014, it looks like BlackBerry will introduce a phablet device. And by Q2 2014, we may see a new tablet-like device with a QWERTY keyboard.
The roadmap also depicts the already-released BlackBerry Z10, and the forthcoming Q10 with a QWERTY keyboard — both devices sport the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.
BlackBerry made its first attempt at a tablet device with the launch of the 7-inch PlayBook tablet in 2011. Despite it being one of the most-hyped consumer gadgets at the time, it ended up not doing well, as it lacked a lot of basic functions like email and calendar when it first shipped. BlackBerry eventually added that functionality, but by then, it was too late.
Head on over to TechnoBuffalo to take a look at the leaked roadmap.