Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY)’s Hardware Flexibility Gives It An Advantage

BlackBerry’s rumored roadmap

Last week, twitter account @BB10Leaks tweeted an image of what appeared to be a leaked Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) 10 device roadmap. The same account tweeted a followup image April 1, suggesting that the roadmap was a holiday prank.

Nevertheless, the image might not be that far off the mark. Heins has said the company is planning more phones, some that could be released this year.

Heins told The Canadian Press that the company is planning to release BlackBerry 10 phones at lower price points, appealing to consumers with smaller budgets, and those in the developing world. Heins also said the company intends to launch something “exciting” for the holiday season. If the roadmap is any indication, it could be a BB10-powered tablet or a phone sporting a large display.

BlackBerry’s docking device

Motorola experimented the with the docking concept years ago: the Motorola Atrix was capable of powering a laptop shell that gave the phone netbook functionality. Yet it never really caught on: the Android-powered Atrix sold moderately well, but never generated the buzz of Samsung’s Galaxy line up.

Heins has said BlackBerry wants to explore this concept, pushing BB10 as an all-encompassing mobile computing platform. BlackBerry’s head of marketing told Reuters the company plans a docking device for the Z10 that would allow the phone to power a monitor, keyboard and mouse, creating a desktop replacement.

BlackBerry as the third player in the smartphone wars

Despite the rally Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) shares have experienced over the last six months, the stock remains heavily shorted, with nearly one-third of the company’s shares bet against.

Many investors, then, still seem to believe the company is poised to fail in the smartphone market. But the strategy the company looks to be embracing — a tightly controlled operating system spread out over a variety of devices — combines the best of both Apple and Google’s mobile strategies. That could be a winning formula, allowing Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) to establish itself as a third player in the mobile space.

The article BlackBerry’s Hardware Flexibility Gives It An Advantage originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Salvatore “Sam” Mattera.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.