Rogers customers get BlackBerry 10

Photo: Contributed

Rogers Communications says its current wireless customers will be able to place orders for BlackBerry 10 devices starting Monday.

The new BlackBerry 10 devices on offer will be "all-touch" and won't have the physical keyboard that BlackBerry users are used to typing on.

But Rogers (TSX:RCI.B) won't be providing details on pricing, availability or specifications until early in the new year.

Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) has previously said an "all-touch" version of its new phones would be released first, followed by a model with a physical keyboard shortly afterward.

RIM announced separately that it's giving an invitation-only preview of the BlackBerry 10 to more an 120 select government and private-sector customers in a variety of industries.

The two announcements are part of efforts to build interest in a new generation of BlackBerrys in hopes of reviving the Canadian technology company.

The BlackBerry 10 smartphones are seen as make-or-break products for Research In Motion (TSX:RIM), which has faced intense competition from the Apple iPhones and smartphones using the Google Android operating system.

Shares in Research In Motion were up two cents to $13.90 in early morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.