Etiquette to recontact the editor when he says the he will give the news as soon as he has some
Although it's arguably dependent on field, 10 months is well past the time it should take to be able to provide a status update.

I remember reading this story about a woman who was bedridden for years. A doctor eventually examined her and found nothing wrong at all. Asked what the problem was, the woman said a previous doctor had left instructions for her to stay in bed "until he returned". The previous doctor evidently forgot about it, and the woman just followed instructions. This situation is similar.