Research In Motion’s plans to license its upcoming BlackBerry 10 span more than just smartphones, according to CEO Thorsten Heins. Earlier this month, he reconfirmed again that RIM was looking to offer its operating sytem to other handset manufacturers. It turns out that the company’s ambitions don’t end there. In interviews today with Bloomberg and CNET, Heins revealed that BlackBerry 10 could eventually power devices and equipment in a wide range of industries. He cited health care and smart-grids as two fields that have already expressed interest in using the operating system. “Smartphones are a part of our business, but we’re looking way beyond this,” he said.
Heins also revealed that BlackBerry 10 is now in the final stages of testing. It has come far enough already that he carries his own BB10 device with him. As a result, RIM will soon be ready to license it to other manufacturers.
Given that BlackBerry 10 is based on QNX’s Neutrino, the operating system that RIM acquired back in 2010, the news should not come as a big surprise. QNX is used in a variety of devices and industries including cars, military drones, and nuclear plants.
RIM is expected to launch its first BlackBerry 10 devices in early 2013 with an all-touch model and a QWERTY keyboard one.