It was back in April that RIM acquired QNX Software Systems and its Neutrino operating system. The same day, the first RIM tablet rumours emerged, leading me to surmise that RIM could end up using the Neutrino touchscreen technology in this future tablet. My crystal ball may have been right for once as Bloomberg is now reporting that the BlackPad will be powered by software developed by QNX Software Systems.
Bloomberg sources also support earlier reports that the BlackPad will feature close integration with BlackBerry’s secure email system and will come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It may not have its own cellular connectivity, relying instead on being tethered to a BlackBerry smartphone.
It’s not clear why RIM chose to use QNX rather than its recently unveiled BlackBerry 6 operating system. One Bloomberg source suggests that it could be due to difficulties in upscaling BlackBerry 6 due to the presence of some legacy software code.
RIM is rumoured to launch the BlackPad as early as November.