RIM confirms BlackBerry 10 launch on 30 January 2013

Coming soon

Research in Motion (RIM) will take the wraps off its highly-anticipated BlackBerry 10 (BB10) device at a launch event on Wednesday 30 January 2013.

The ailing smartphone maker confirmed the move earlier today, adding that the first two BB10 devices will make their debut at the event.

The company is also expected to use the event to announce further details about the pricing and general availability of the devices.

RIM has seen its stronghold on the mobile market diminish in recent years, as corporate users embrace rival devices from the likes of Apple and Samsung.

On top of this, the firm has also been rocked by a succession of senior management departures.

As a result, BB10 is being viewed by many industry watchers as a make-or-break device for the company, but details of when it will be released have been scant.

RIM CEO, Thorsten Heins, recently walked users through some of BB10's key features at a preview event in September, including its new Flow operating system and BlackBerry Balance a BYOD-friendly offering that lets users separate personal and corporate apps on the device.

In a statement, announcing BB10's launch date, Heins said the firm was looking forward to finally getting the device into the hands of customers.

"Our team has been working tirelessly to bring our customers innovative features combined with a best in class browser, a rich application ecosystem, and cutting-edge multimedia capabilities," said Heins.

"All of this will be integrated into a user experience the BlackBerry Flow that is unlike any smartphone on the market today."

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.