BlackBerry 10 Release Date and Live Stream: Some Previous Verdicts About BB10

The Guardian is live covering the London BlackBerry 10 launch and, as we all wait for the official announcement, here are some previous thoughts about the product from the experts:  

Ovum, Jan Dawson:

Two major factors have worked against RIM in the past two years: companies are no longer buying the majority of smartphones sold today, and individuals overwhelmingly choose devices other than BlackBerries when they make buying decisions.

Charles Golvin, Forrester Research:

To prove its continued viability and potential for renewal, the company must convince multiple constituents to invest in BB10: its current and former users, application developers, mobile operators, and content providers. The highly competitive smartphone market will only offer them a short window to do this, and they'll need to prove themselves in the face of a simultaneous onslaught of marketing from Microsoft, not to mention the continued push from Apple plus Google and its Android partners. 

Mark Sue, RBC Capital Markets:

Upgrading the aging demographics with tight grips on their blackberries is one thing, but for strong unit growth beyond a niche, RIM must simultaneously go after a broader younger base...Cool advertising is a necessity to try to re-capture consumer mindshare... Our global Smartphone analysis details that the "other" category may show the fastest rate of unit growth this year.