Blackberry set to Release an Apple-Like phone for 2013 (CopyCat RIM)

LEAKED pictures said to be of the new BlackBerry smartphone suggest that the next in the range will resemble an iPhone.

The snaps, released by a Vietnam tech site, show a large touchscreen similar to those found on Apple's devices or Android phones.

The redesign would be a departure from the brand's trademark full-keyboard keypad - which makes it popular among business users. The device also appears to have mini-HDMI and microUSB ports mounted on the side, for displaying media on a TV screen and connecting to a computer.

It is expected to run using upgraded operating system BlackBerry 10.  Makers Research In Motion will be hoping the new approach will reverse the fortunes of the struggling brand, which has increasingly lost its market share to Apple and Samsung.

But the new device is likely to meet a tough market, with industry expert James Faucette of Pacific Crest Securities recently quoted as telling investors that he expects the device to struggle. The Sun