What originally started out as a rumor that came from our sources in the BlackBerry camp a few weeks ago now seems to be accurate. RIM is going to be releasing a new “Battery Saving Mode” that will arrive for BlackBerry OS 7 units with the 7.1 update.

The new Battery Saving Mode for BlackBerry OS 7 units was confirmed by RIM during the BlackBerry DevCon Europe. The mode will be introduced with the 7.1 OS updates, and it will be dependent on your carrier as to when (or if) you will get a 7.1 OS upgrade; but we suspect that most carriers will offer it.

The Battery Saving mode can be configured by the user. When the mode is triggered it adjusts the phone’s settings for longer operation and to maximize battery life. RIM isn’t giving away all of its secrets, but we suspect that you will see screen dimming and maybe even processor throttling as two of the many strategies that RIM will be using to extend battery life.

The news will be exciting for many of the new BlackBerry units, which feature higher speed processors, bigger screens, and more features. The optimization angle of trying to wring every bit out of the battery that you can is never ending. Just when it looked like we were going to have to live with the shorter battery life on these units, RIM has done something about it. No word yet on how effective it actually is; and we will not know this till we get some real world testing on this mode.