PHOTOS: Leaked pictures of the new Blackberry 10

These pictures purport to show the phone which BlackBerry maker Research In Motion hopes will halt its seemingly inexorable slide out of the mobile business.

Sourced from a Vietnamese tech news site they show a gadget that's sleek, shiny and futuristic - and that looks suspiciously like an iPhone.

The images suggest Research In Motion has finally dropped the full keyboard that was their brand's virtual trademark in favour of a full touchscreen device.

They purport to show the BlackBerry 10 L-Series, which is expected to be released at the end of January.

The BlackBerry 10 L-Series is likely to be the make or break device for Research In Motion, which has gone from being the executive smartphone of choice to fast becoming an also ran in the mobile market.

more pictures after the break