BlackBerry 10 Release Date: Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint to Support Platform as Analyst Commends RIM's 'Notable Progress'

The BlackBerry 10 may very well be RIM's redemption. As perhaps the company's last major gamble in the growing smartphone market, a lot is riding on its new series of devices.

While many remain skeptical that RIM can breach the sturdy wall iOS and Android have built over the past few years, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu has confidence in the manufacturer's chances at a comeback, according to a recent ZDNet report.  

"The big question now is whether the company can gain customer and developer acceptance that will allow BlackBerry to remain a viable platform," says Wu. "[RIM has made] notable progress," but still has "a lot to do."

At CES 2013, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T announced their support for the platform, opening up the installed base of carrier subscribers available to RIM. To boot, company CMO Frank Boulben asserts that BlackBerry 10 will release with roughly 70,000 apps alongside a majority of the top 600 apps "in major markets", reports Fierce Wireless.

So far, we know about the BlackBerry X10, Z10, L-Series, and N-Series. The Z-10 features a touch screen keyboard, meanwhile the X10 and N-Series feature more traditional keypads. Rumors suggest that the L-series line of phones will feature a 4.2-inch screen with a 1280x768 resolution. The BlackBerry 10 launches on January 30, so expect full details on each of RIM's new offerings soon.