Will the official January 30th launch of Blackberry 10 be filled with surprises? What we’re sure of is that RIM is planning a strong return in the competition with the launch of a “reinvented” mobile operating system.

RIM’s CEO, Thorsten Heins, has stated that more than 70,000 apps would be available via BlackBerry World by the time of the product launch. A figure brought in part by monetary incentives given to developers in the past few weeks.The company is also a staunch supporter of BYOD. RIM’s Baptized Balance, will allow employees to use their BlackBerrys to reach a secure network space, and will propose apps authorized by their employers via the Blackberry Enterprise Server.

RIM’s world class network security will continue to seduce the public, as the BlackBerry 10 terminals should also feature the DLNA and Microsoft ActiveSync. And, according to certain tests, the vocal assistant would be way better than Siri in terms of performance and understanding.

Besides the revamped OS, RIM will also reveal two new smartphone models: one with a physical keyboard, the Blackberry X10, and another with a virtual keyboard, the Blackberry Z10. While we have not much information on the X10 model, we know a bit more about BB Z10. With 16GB of internal memory and an expandable microSD card, a 125g  battery and a measurement of 129 x 65 x 8mm in size, the BB Z10 is fairly pocketable. Best of all, the screen is also protected by a very resistant glass. Its 8 mega-pixel camera can be comparable to that of the iPhone 5 and Nokia’s Lumia 920, even in poor lighting. Since these devices are worlds apart in terms of performance, we're making a loose comparison.
If we’ve yet to catch your attention, rumor has it the swanky new models will be priced below the $199 price popularized by the likes of Apple. This will be easily accessible, as carriers such as, Carphone Warehouse, EE, Orange, T-Mobile, Phones 4 U, O2, Vodafone and Three, have all confirmed that they will be stocking BB10 after its release.

In short, RIM seems to be doing a good job on this one. Blackberry 10 will be smooth and reactive, maybe even faster than the iOS. Only time will tell if RIM will scare the likes of Apple and Samsung.