BBX phones may abandon classic Bold look

The iconic BlackBerry Bold look may be going the way of the dinosaur once Research in Motion introduces its line of next-generation smartphones.BlackBerrys running on its next-generation platform, dubbed BBX, will use the same screen aspect ratio as the PlayBook, RIM tells PC Mag. RIM's head of developer relations, Alec Saunders, said apps that run on the PlayBook will run on BBX phones.The PlayBook runs at a 16:9 ratio, which PC Mag points out hasn't been seen on other mobile devices. But it suggests the first BBX phone will eschew the standard keyboard-and-screen combination, and instead look more like a traditional full-touchscreen smartphone.To be sure, future BBX phones could go back to the classic look. But at least initially, it appears RIM will take a more conventional approach to touchscreen smartphones.RIM has had mixed success with its full-touchscreen devices. Its initial touchscreen smartphone, the Storm, was a commercial success thanks to a massive marketing push by Verizon Wireless. But the device was buggy and left a bad impression on customers who were stuck with it. As a result, the successor Storm 2 didn't perform as well. The more recent release of the full-touchscreen version of the Torch has also seen tepid sales, as most BlackBerry customers gravitate towards the higher end Bold.The PlayBook, of course, has also sold poorly. Staples is the latest retailer to offer a discount on the device, taking it down to $199 in a Black Friday deal.Saunders also reiterated RIM's commitment to bringing native e-mail, calendar and messenger features to BBX. These features are expected to come to the PlayBook in a software update scheduled for February. It had previously been expected this year.