RIM unveiling new BlackBerrys with modern software

Heins says the new BlackBerry is being built for people who are “hyper-connected socially.” He says it’s aimed at people who need balance in their personal and professional lives. Heins made similar remarks when he previewed the BlackBerry 10 at a September speech in San Jose, Calif.

Heins thanks RIM founder Mike Lazaridis and long-time executive Jim Balsillie, who were co-CEOs until Heins took over the helm a year ago. Lazaridis is in the audience in New York and stands up.

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10:20 a.m.

Heins, who became RIM’s CEO last January, says “It has been easily the most challenging year of my career to date.” He thanks employees and proclaims, “BlackBerry 10 is here.” But he says the launch is just the beginning.

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10:15 a.m.

Heins appears on stage.

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10:10 a.m.

Saunders touts the amount of work done by RIM’s outside developers. He says BlackBerry 10 is launching with the largest-ever catalog of apps for a new phone operating system.

RIM has said it plans to launch BlackBerry 10 with more than 70,000 apps, including those developed for RIM’s PlayBook tablet, first released in 2011. Even so, that’s just a tenth of what the iPhone and Android offer. Popular service such as Instagram and Netflix won’t have apps on BlackBerry 10.

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10:05 a.m.

The event in New York begins with a look at BlackBerry 10 events elsewhere through videoconferencing. Customer testimonials follow.

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