RIM confirms BB10 is coming to BlackBerry Playbook

RIM confirms BB10 is coming to BlackBerry Playbook
More new software en route to the PlayBook

RIM has confirmed to TechRadar that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will be getting BB10 OS when it's ready.

While there's no word on any new tablet hardware (the future of the PlayBook line is definitely in flux), existing owners will be relieved to hear that they'll benefit from the overhauled BlackBerry 10 OS - which is based on the same QNX platform as the current Playbook OS.

"We've said publicly a number of times that our first BB10 handset will be available towards the end of 2012, and that's still firmly the case," Rob Orr, RIM's VP of product management told us.

"At some point after the launch we'll bring BB10 to our PlayBooks, yes."

Tablet times

The news comes as RIM celebrates impressive percentage uptake-up of the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 software.

"The updates from PlayBook 1 to PlayBook 2: astonishing take up rates in a very short space of time. A big percentage of our users just take it, take, it take it," said Orr.

RIM tells us that around 50% of PlayBook users installed the update on the first day of release – no doubt thrilled to finally get email on their tablets.

"It's actually quite different to our smartphone users, who are a little bit tentative to take software updates," added Orr.

"But as we move into this new world of mobile computing, frequent updates and auto updates bring in new features and new functions – and that's the way forward. It's been really positive to see."

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.