Canadian firm, Research in Motion (RIM), which is the maker of popular BalckBerry family of smartphones, is planning to release a refreshed version of its operating software for its smartphones and the PlayBook tablet.

The company said that it will install its new BBX platform in next-generation devices during BlackBerry DevCon in San Francisco on Tuesday. BBX will replace the outdated platform powering BlackBerry devices and will be built around the QNX system, which powers the PlayBook.

The developers at the conference appreciated the company's strategy to lay down its platform pans clearly and its decision to keep backing its tablet amid intense rumors that it will scrap the project. RIM is aiming to attract customers whoa re being lured by faster and better performing devices from Apple and those powered by Google Android.

RIM also said that it is providing developers with a tool to allow them to make their Android programs compatible with its tablet, Playbook. RIM did not say when the BBX software would be rolled out in its products. IT also did not announce time table t for allowing the tablet to handle emails through its secure enterprise servers without being linked to a BlackBerry.