RIM's hopes for 2012 might be brighter after a potential roadmap leak. According to a BGR tip, the BlackBerry PlayBook would get an update a year into its life with a 1.5GHz (presumably TI OMAP) processor, 42Mbps HSPA+ 3G, and NFC for tags and payments. It would reportedly ship in May or June.
RIM may have slashed two out of the three BlackBerry 10 phones it was planning to launch this year, a rumor emerging Thursday said. The Colt and Milan were said by BGR to have been dropped, leaving just the touch-only London. The Milan may not have even been a BB10 phone, instead being a BlackBerry 7 QWERTY slider that carriers didn't want given how similar it would have been to the Torch 9810.
RIM's rumored BlackBerry Milan may have solidifed after details and a conceptual rendering appeared Wednesday. The BlackBerry 10 phone is now thought by CrackBerry sources to be a vertical QWERTY slider much like the Torch 9800 series. As described, it would have some angular elements like the London but would have more of the signature black, with all of the dedicated hardware buttons and trackpad of a current BlackBerry removed in favor of, presumably, bezel gestures.
An uncharacteristically detailed roadmap has popped up showing that RIM plans an aggressive launch of not just its phones but its tablets. The London is tentatively slated for March, CrackBerry said, but would be accompanied almost immediately by the Milan. This second model might be a variant of the London and could support GSM carriers like AT&T and Rogers where the London would head to CDMA networks like Verizon.
Apple is now hiring for a retail store in Milan, official listings have revealed. While the company has not officially announced a Milan location, the company is offering a full roster of positions for a future shop, including cashiers, concierges, Genius Bar staff and business sales representatives. The store would be only Apple's second retail outlet in Italy, complementing a flagship store in Rome.
