RIM's big BlackBerry 10 launch event is now just a couple of days away, but one detail that's managed to elude us throughout the multitude of BB10 leaks is the release date for the first smartphone running the new OS, known as the BlackBerry Z10. Today that information has begun to trickle out, though, as an internal document from U.K. carrier Vodafone with details on the Z10 launch has been posted by The Verge. The doc says that Vodafone will start selling BlackBerry 10 devices online at 5 p.m. local time on Jan. 30, and we're also told that all stores are expected to have Z10 stock the following day. Unfortunately for anyone that prefers the white Z10 to the black model, the doc also mentions that the white model won't be offered by Vodafone until the middle of February.
While we've yet to get any word on when U.S. carriers are expected to begin offering the Z10, the fact that Vodafone will start selling the devices in the U.K. the same day as RIM's BlackBerry 10 bash certainly gives us hope that we won't have to wait long for the Z10 to make its way stateside. It's worth noting that all four major U.S. carriers have announced plans to support BlackBerry 10. No operator has divulged any hardware-related information, but we have seen a Verizon landing page that prematurely revealed both black and white Z10 models with Big Red branding.
Speaking of the white BlackBerry Z10, some new photos purportedly showing the device in the wild have made their way online courtesy of Gadgethelpline. As I've mentioned before, the Z10 has become one of the leakiest devices in recent memory, showing its face in one form or another seemingly once or twice a week. The white version has been a bit more camera shy than the black unit, but these new photos offer an early peek at the white model just casually lounging around and waiting for its big introduction on Wednesday. You can bet that we'll be bringing you all of the big BlackBerry 10 news as it exits Thorsten's mouth when he's on stage for the big event in two days, but until then, you can find a couple of white Z10 shots below along with a few more at the Gadgethelpline link at the bottom of this post.
