BlackBerry 10 Enters Testing With RIM's Carrier Partners

While there's still a lot we don't know about BlackBerry 10 (like its release date), RIM CEO Thorsten Heins delivered some very encouraging news today. In a new statement, RIM's head honcho said that the new mobile operating system and some of the devices it runs on have entered testing with a number of the company's carrier partners. This suggests that RIM is still on track to launch BlackBerry 10 in Q1 2013.

In fact, Heins even reiterated that Q1 2013 launch window in his statement. "In the last week, BlackBerry 10 achieved lab entry with more than 50 carriers, a key step in our preparedness for the launch of BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of 2013," Heins said. According to him, this testing process will continue over the next few months, with RIM bringing on even more carrier partners around the world to try out and certify BlackBerry 10 for use on their networks.

Make no mistake, RIM has a lot riding on BlackBerry 10. If the new OS and the devices that go along with it fail to impress, it's going to be nearly impossible for RIM to climb out of this rut it's fallen in. Luckily, developers seem to really like BlackBerry 10, and that's definitely a good sign.

Of course, selling consumers on BlackBerry 10 is another thing entirely, and we have a feeling that will be much harder for the beleaguered RIM. For what it's worth, however, things are looking pretty good in the lead up to release, and we're excited to see what kind of new ideas BlackBerry 10 brings to the table when it finally arrives. Do you think BlackBerry 10 is going to sink or swim?

[via Reuters]