Of course, a user could forward a work email to a personal account, but IT shops can work to restrict forwarded emails with other tools, Gadway explained.

Based on my quick hands-on with the Dev Alpha B device, it appears that RIM has designed a prototype with a speedy processor, which allows quick swiping and other gestures, such as moving the device from portrait to landscape quickly and reliably. RIM won't reveal what processor is being used, however.

When a user moves from an app to the home screen, a full miniature version of the app is stored on the home screen, not just a widget, Gadway said. The Dev Alpha's processor was able to make those transitions from full screen to smaller thumbnail quickly, keeping all the letters in a field of text clear enough to read throughout the transition.

The Dev Alpha B is a clunky prototype with sharp corners and edges and is not intended to possess the look, form and feel of the final BB10 smartphones, which will appear in two models -- one with a Qwerty physical keyboard and the other with the touchscreen like that on the Dev Alpha B.

For the BlackBerry users who have grown fond of the physical keyboard over the years, the predictive text feature alone could make some users want to switch to a touchscreen version of BB10.