So I can't help wondering if RIM has just bought their next-gen mobile OS, especially given the widely held view that RIM's current platform is ancient and creaky.
Seconded. In fact I don't know anyone who's used QNX that has anything but great things to say about it. QNX makes modern Linux systems look as old and stale as a proprietary Unix. It's tiny, really fast, and keeps the good stuff while fixing packaging, scheduling and graphics.
I wonder what this means for Cisco: QNX is the OS used in their high end routers (rebranded as 'IOS' because it has the same command shell and routing algos as their old shitty IOS).
"QNX has long been looking for a partner with whom to enter the mobile space. For example, almost 10 years ago I was the marketing VP at QNX for a short period of time. Even then, QNX CEO Dan Dodge thought that the real prize in the embedded OS market was the mobile handset."