BlackBerry owner Research in Motion (RIM) has had another minor setback with its new generation of devices – their names.
The US Federal Court has blocked RIM from using the term BBX to describe the new software which will power its range of tablets and smartphones in the new year.
BASIS International already owns the BBx trademark for its Business Basic interpreter which it developed in 1985.
As a result RIM announced at its annual BlackBerry DevCon Asia, currently on in Singapore, that the new name for its next phone OS is BlackBerry 10.
The current BlackBerry software is at version 7. So why the jump to 10? CBR suspects its because 10 in roman numerals is X. So its acronym will remain BBX, as a thumb on the nose to the US Federal Court.
BlackBerry’s rough year seems to know no end. However, 2012 will see the company release a critical software update to its PlayBook tablet, a new suite of smartphones running the new operating system, and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion – a mobile device management platform that will open the company’s software up to competitors such as Apple and Android for the first time.
Email: allan.swann@industryreview.com
Twitter: @allanswann
