Tell us a bit about BlackBerry 10.
There’s some confusion around BlackBerry 10. Most people are looking at it as a new device. What BlackBerry 10 signifies is a new beginning for BlackBerry. From the ground up, it’s a brand new mobile computing platform. At the same time, it’s built on industry standards. It’s not just an incremental upgrade, it’s not just a new device; but it’s fundamentally changing the way RIM and BlackBerry are perceived, and exist, by taking the best components available. People look to BlackBerry for liability and security. If you look at all the platforms available in the market today – Windows, iOS or Android especially those which are most popular, they’re running on a platform that’s five years old. On the other hand, BlackBerry 10 is the mobile computing platform for the next decade with new standards and new technology.
What was the reason for choosing QNX over Linux?
Well, there are plenty of technical reasons for preferring QNX over Linux. It is like Unix obviously. It’s a real time operating system and it’s a micro kernel. What this means is, and is an advantage over Linux is that it’s able to support distributed processing. And so when the hardware changes, you don’t have to rewrite the whole OS. That’s what it means, micro kernel compared to Linux. So it is Unix-like, but it’s primarily aimed at embedded and distributed systems. That’s one reason. Second, it’s an industry standard. It’s used in mission critical systems and has already been used for more than a decade now, in something like internet routers, medical devices, and even car dashboards.
[do action=”inside-quote”]BlackBerry 10 is the mobile computing platform for the next decade with new standards and new technology.[/do]
Over 250 million vehicles in the world across 200 makes and manufacturers in the world are using QNX in dashboards across industries and is known for its distributed processor ability that is beyond just one processor and because it’s a micro kernel. It’s known for its reliability, and mission critical environments, and for its security and distributed processing ability. So even when the hardware changes, be it a TV or medical device or any screen or any system, it can run QNX and you don’t have to rewrite the whole OS. You can take the pieces out of the micro kernel and the operating system is still intact and it can still function. Those are the advantages of QNX. That’s why it is the best technology out there for mobile platforms and beyond.
