To say that Research In Motion hasn't had the easiest of times is an understatement, to say the least.
The Canadian mobile giant, once one of the top smartphone manufacturers in the world, has seen a dramatic drop in its global marketshare. 
Nevertheless, RIM is looking to pick itself up this week with its next-generation BlackBerry operating system, BlackBerry 10.
What can we expect from the company's new platform though? Here's what we know...

Live Tiles meet widgets
One of the biggest changes has to be to the multitasking system, with the platform taking its cues from Nokia's MeeGo in this regard.
In other words, users have a homescreen dedicated to multitasking, called BlackBerry Flow, allowing you to switch apps quickly. 

Unified messaging
Another area which seems to be inspired by MeeGo, the BlackBerry Hub is your one-stop shop for all your messages.
By simply flicking from left to right, you bring up the Hub, which is home to your emails, BlackBerry Messenger, social feeds and texts. 
We've yet to get serious hands-on time with this feature, so we can't comment on how intuitive it is, but it looks pretty encouraging.

A touch-focused design
In a stark departure from previous generations, the company is going all-in with touchscreen input, deeply integrating it into the operating system.
And this focus can be seen throughout the platform, such as large icons for easy tapping and numerous swipe gestures, reminiscent of the BlackBerry PlayBook.
In fact, BlackBerry 10 has a lot more in common with the PlayBook than simple gestures, with the new platform being based on the same QNX tech powering the tablet.
Of course, the company also drove home its intentions with the BlackBerry Alpha devices, being touch-only development handsets.

An innovative soft keyboard
A touch-orientated operating system means nothing if the input is dodgy, but RIM has crafted a pretty unique keyboard.
The virtual keyboard possesses some cool predictive text functionality as you type, with suggested words appearing above individual keyboard letters. For instance, typing "wh" results in "why" appearing above the letter "y" and "what" appearing above the letter "a".
Instead of tapping the suggestion to use it, you flick it upwards, a movement that we quickly got accustomed to in our brief hands-on demo last year.
Still, if the idea of using a virtual keyboard has you balking, supposedly leaked photos have confirmed that QWERTY-toting BlackBerry devices will be available. 

A multimedia push
We saw RIM's first traipse into the world of digital downloads with its BBM Music offering some time back, but bigger plans are afoot.
Yes, the company just confirmed that it will be bringing music and video services to market via the newly renamed BlackBerry World.
The list of video partners is extensive too, with BBC, Fox, ABC, CBS, Warner Bros., Disney, National Geographic, ITV and many more named. In another twist, RIM also revealed next-day availability of many TV series.
As for the music side of things, the company confirmed that its list of partners would include Sony, Universal, Warner, Rough Trade, Matador Records and more.
No word on when the video store would be launching locally, but South Africa is part of the initial rollout for the music service.

A strong app catalogue
Research In Motion has been on a tear lately when it comes to the all-important application store, holding numerous developer jams.
The firm hasn't been shy about rewarding developers either, awarding $100 for each Android app that gets ported to BlackBerry 10, up to a maximum of 20 apps.
And the programme has proven to be a huge success so far, with over 15 000 apps being ported to BlackBerry 10 so far, according to RIM execs. 

Cameras reimagined
Probably one of the most impressive BlackBerry 10 capabilities has to be the camera and its Timeshift feature.
In a nutshell, Timeshift takes a series of photos, allowing you to fast-forward and rewind to choose the best snap. But that's not all, as you can even change the subject's expression, leaving the rest of the photo intact. Take a look.