According to reports, Research In Motion (RIM)’s upgraded, much speedier version of the BlackBerry OS, version 6, is set to make its mark on the new BlackBerry Bold 9800 – a new touch-slider handset that RIM and AT&T are likely to announce on Tuesday.

Going by the indications, BlackBerry OS 6 will supposedly be an exponential enhancement over its predecessor OS 5, especially including a much-required revamp of the BlackBerry Web browser that is excruciatingly slow and annoying to use.

Noting that “mobile operating systems have become the key ingredient in the highly competitive mobile device market,” Stephen Drake, VP of mobility and telecom at IDC, said in an earlier-this-year statement: “Although the overall look and feel of the device will still play an important role in the buying process, the wrong choice of operating system coupled with an awkward user interface can mean the difference between success and failure.”

Despite the fact that comScore’s May statistics reveal that RIM still retains its top spot in the US as a smartphone platform, boasting 41.7 percent of market share, the company clearly has some catching up to do in the operating system arena, especially with the strides the Apple iPhone and the Android are making.

Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros. said in a recent note to clients said that BlackBerry’s new user interface, along with multi-touch technology and browser, will help RIM substantially close the ‘gap’ against the iPhone and Android.