By DAMIEN GAYLE
These pictures purport to show the phone which BlackBerry maker Research In Motion hopes will halt its seemingly inexorable slide out of the mobile business.
Sourced from a Vietnamese tech news site they show a gadget that's sleek, shiny and futuristic - and that looks suspiciously like an iPhone.
The images suggest Research In Motion has finally dropped the full keyboard that was their brand's virtual trademark in favour of a full touchscreen device.
They purport to show the BlackBerry 10 L-Series, which is expected to be released at the end of January.
The images are similar to the handset shown in previous leaks, but are far clearer than those previously seen, many of which were blurry.
The chunky bezel at the top and bottom of the phone, adding extra length to the device, are the feature that brings up the most similarities to Apple's no iconic offering.
But unlike the iPhone, the new BlackBerry has no home button adorning its front. It is expected that the software will allow users to switch between apps without having to go via a home screen.
Pictures of the side of the device shows it boasts not only a micro-USB connector, but also a slot for a micro-HDMI cable, which could enable it to connect to high resolution external displays.
Expert Reviews says this suggests that RIM could be planning to bundle the phone with film rental services, which Apple and Google already do with their operating systems.
The rear side shots of the phone reveals it is textured for grip, and further photos show that, unlike some new smartphones like Motorola's latest Android-based Razr, it has a removable cover.
A peek inside the phone shows slots for a micro-SIM and microSD memory card, along with a removable 1,800mAh battery.
The images only show the device switched off, experts have noted, so it is impossible to see the software that the phone is using.
The images were first leaked by Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn, which says the phone feels 'very comfortable' to hold, but refuses to go into details of where they got hold of the device.
The BlackBerry 10 L-Series is likely to be the make or break device for Research In Motion, which has gone from being the executive smartphone of choice to fast becoming an also ran in the mobile market.
Last month one analyst warned investors to ditch their shares in the Canadian firm, predicting that the BlackBerry 10 OS will be 'dead on arrival' when it finally launches in 2013.
source: dailymail
