RIM says new BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones coming Tuesday

Research in Motion has taken a pounding in the stock market and is laying off 2,000 employees. But Tuesday should be a good day for the company, as it is preparing to announce a number of new devices.

The company tweeted tonight that it will be announcing BlackBerry devices with the company’s new operating system, BlackBerry 7. These are some of RIM’s most eagerly awaited models in years.

Among the rumored devices are a new BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry Bold Touch. Of course, with all of the bad news that RIM has faced lately, plenty of wags who are likely to say these new models are too little too late.

The new models will feature the new operating system with a better browser. Users will be able to swipe, zoom and scroll around apps and web sites on the touch screen. And the graphics will be very fast, according to RIM.

Last week, Michael Gartenberg, mobile analyst for Gartner, told VentureBeat that he approves of RIM’s move to push phones with a new OS out the gate soon. “It’s definitely time for them to show they can execute on the new platform,” he said. “It’s a time when no one’s platform from last year is good enough for this year and RIM needs to evolve to effectively compete.”

BlackBerry OS devices used to have a big lead in smartphones, but by 2015, they are expected to be in fourth place behind Android, Windows Phone 7, and iOS.

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