In a follow-up to his piece late last month, Hugo Miller reports in Bloomberg that RIM will not be using BlackBerry OS in their BlackPad and instead will be using an OS developed by QNX Software Systems, which RIM acquired for $200 million in April.

The BlackPad will include Wi-Fi technology so it can connect to the Internet wherever the wireless technology is available, including a home or office. When not near such Wi-Fi “hotspots,” people could connect wirelessly to their mobile phone with Bluetooth technology and then to the Internet. The device will not be able to connect directly to the cellular network the way some iPads can, two people said last month.

I think it’s wise of RIM to use a different OS for their tablet. BlackBerry OS just isn’t cutting it anymore on cell phones and I doubt they’ll be able to make it work on a tablet. It’s time to start from scratch.

On the other hand, not including 3G in the BlackPad sounds like an awful idea. I own an iPad with 3G and even though I’ve only paid for one month of data and only used it over one weekend, I’m still incredibly happy that I have the option.

Being able to tether your BlackBerry device to the BlackPad for 3G data may be their saving grace but I think it’s shortsighted at best. Unfortunately, if RIM has already decided to keep 3G chips out of the BlackPad than tethering exclusively to the BlackBerry is their only option. But, what happens if a BlackBerry and BlackPad owner decides to switch to another handset that doesn’t support tethering with the BlackPad?