Research In Motion Ltd. (BBRY): An Apple Inc. (AAPL)-like Rumor Circulating?

Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) – alias BlackBerry – has been generating some real buzz in the news lately, as that attention has spilled over here at our Insider Monkey newsroom. We have been noticing in the last few weeks that BlackBerry has become a pretty important company and stock for our readers, visitors and subscribers, as evidenced by the traffic that Research In Motion/BlackBerry has created of late – it ranks up there with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in terms of overall popularity among the top tech companies we track.

We like to think our little corner of the world is a microcosm of the general media perspective and outlook, and that seems to be demonstrating itself. Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) hasn’t been a company that the general or tech media have historically tracked or circulated rumors about in quite a few years.

But since the launch of the new BlackBerry 10 operating system and the launch of the Z10 touchscreen smartphone, interest has grown as momentum has built around this new smartphone competitor. In fact, here is a story that is usually reserved only for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) or Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG).

Does this mean that Research in Motion/BlackBerry is truly a player in the smartphone space for the first time in nearly a decade?

There is rumor floating around that Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) is currently working on a 5-inch BlackBerry 10-operated device – which could be classified as a “phablet,” those hybrid smartphone-tablet devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note –  that may hit store shelves later this year, perhaps in time for the holiday shopping season.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek reported this week that there are indications that Research in Motion/BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins was about to follow through on his plans to launch four devices by the end of the year.

Heins was referring to the Q10, which is out on U.S. shelves this week but it’s possible that is phablet concept could be a device, as well as a touch screen and keyboard-equipped mid-range devices, which would bring the full Research in Motion BB10 stable to five devices.

Check yourself. When was the last time you heard a rumor coming out of Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) or BlackBerry in the last several years about a proposed device that was supposedly in the works for release  months into the future? Yes, to us here it seems a bit Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)-like. But what do you think? Is this warranted or just a flash in the pan? Will BlackBerry enjoy more than 15 minutes of fame for its attempted comeback into the smartphone space, or could there be some substance behind all this? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

Related tickers: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY)