BlackBerry is raring to blaze the path for recovery via its initial two handsets launch on February, namely the Touchscreen Z10 and the QWERTY X10, both set to run on BB10.

First takes have indicated so far that BlackBerry is all geared up for the tough competing environment. It will unleash two smartphones that aim to rival existing products from the majors like Apple and Samsung.

Published specs of the Z10 and X10 indicate that BlackBerry engineers were motivated to please global consumers with powerful gadgets that are attuned both for superb functionalities, style and amusement.

The usual suspects are there: multi-core processing power with generous RAM provisions of up to 2GB, Full HD screens and enough space to accommodate the files consumed by users to perform the other key utility of smartphones aside from being a mobile productivity tool - killing time.

To achieve that, BlackBerry needs to accelerate the build up of its own ecosystem to at least measure up with iOS, Android and Windows, analysts said. And the company is doing just that.

In a recent event the company hosted for app developers, the Canadian phone manufacturer lured these app authors with promises of $US100 for every successful app submission. BlackBerry also tossed free units of PlayBook and the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, the latter serving as the basis of future BlackBerry device roll outs, for those able to upload two to three approved apps.

At the end of the day, The Verge said, BlackBerry gladly announced that its apps library chewed up 15,000 additional applications.

This feat is significant because BlackBerry handsets would end up as duds minus the sufficient backing of a respectable ecosystem, according to ITPro.com. The site's initial review of BB10 lauded the platform's vaunted security and touchscreen functions that obviously endeavoured to become vastly different from what the iPhone 5, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Nokia Lumia 920 are offering.

Touted as BlackBerry's major push to re-track its old glorious path, BB10 signals specific strengths that undoubtedly will bring in believers specifically in the enterprise arena where the firm's security flavour is highly priced.

But questions linger whether BlackBerry still has the knack to wow the general consumers who have been conditioned for so long by Apple and Android gadgets. In particular, it's difficult to imagine that Android users would ditch their affordable and powerful handsets to try out at least the BlackBerry Z10, ITPro said.

Powerful as it seems, the Z10 underwhelms with so little to play with after a while, likely convincing consumers to wait out if BB10 will be able to cultivate just the right growth engine in due time.