Details leak on 4.2in BlackBerry 10 handsets

A leaked training presentation has shed light on details for the upcoming line of handsets from Research in Motion (RIM).

News site TechRadar has posted what it says are training materials for retail employees on the new BlackBerry L-series handsets. The touchscreen smartphones will reportedly be released later this year and will run the BlackBerry 10 platform.

According to the report, the L-Series will offer a 4.2in touchscreen and will offer a 16GB storage capacity. The handset is also said to have 2GB of RAM, a 1,800mAh battery and both front and rear-facing cameras.

The new handsets also appear to be the first from RIM not to sport a physical keyboard and rely entirely on touch and gestures.

The report comes in the run-up to RIM's eagerly anticipated BlackBerry 10 launch on 30 January. The update, RIM's first significant BlackBerry overhaul in years, has been hailed by industry analysts as a pivotal moment for RIM.

RIM has seen its share of the smartphone market wither in recent years and analysts have suggested that if the company fails to turn things around it could become a target for break-up or acquisition by a larger vendor.

Originally set to debut in late 2012, the release was pushed back into the new year when RIM told investors that slow development was delaying the release process.

Despite the delay, the company is seeing strong interest from third-party developers. The company said that it has already received upwards of 15,000 application submissions for the new platform.