First look: BlackBerry OS 10
Research In Motion (RIM) used its annual BlackBerry World conference to demonstrate a few of the key features coming in its BlackBerry OS 10 software, due later in the year.
Joseph Hanlon travelled to BlackBerry World as a guest of Research in Motion.
(Credit: CBSi)
Welcome home
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins helped demo BlackBerry OS 10, starting with the home screen. There wasn't much information offered as to how each of the swatches on-screen worked; whether they were fully functional widgets, like in Android, the Live Tiles in Windows Phone or something completely different.
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Go with the Flow
We're not 100 per cent sure that this is the official naming, but Heins referred to this multitasking view as the Flow, stressing that users needn't be aware of which applications are active, rather focusing on the tasks they are trying to accomplish. Heins also told the audience at the keynote that BlackBerry OS 10 would offer real-time background processing for all active apps.
(Credit: CBSi)
A familiar face
BlackBerry OS 10 will keep the unified inbox view, common with current-generation BlackBerry devices running on OS 7.
(Credit: CBSi)
Something new
Email now has a very clean, very minimal layout.
(Credit: CBSi)
Keeping it in line
Attachments in an email will appear in line with the email message they are associated with.
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Excuse me, I have to take this
This image shows how OS 10 will handle the interruption of a phone call while reading email, as an example. Rather than a full-screen takeover, notifications are only offered a portion of the screen.
(Credit: CBSi)
Gesturised
Answering a call requires a swiping gesture. Given the use of gesture-based commands in the PlayBook OS, we're guessing we'll be seeing many similar swipes, flicks and pushes across the system.
(Credit: CBSi)
The new RIM on-screen keyboard
RIM has tried to harness the passion its users have for its physical keyboards in virtual keyboards before, most notably with the poorly received SureType system on the BlackBerry Storm.
This new approach is more akin to some of the popular third-party keyboards available for Android, like SwiftKey. Essentially, the keyboard predicts your next word, based on info it collects from previous messages, and puts a link to this word on the keyboard. Users can then swipe up from this first letter to enter the entire word in a single keystroke.
(Credit: CBSi)
Up close
You can see more clearly in this image how the position of the predicted words is dependent on the first letter of the words predicted. This is a clever evolution of the SwiftKey formula, giving touch-typists an advantage.
(Credit: CBSi)
Easy media streaming
Nothing was said in the keynote about the media-streaming capabilities of BlackBerry OS 10, but it is clear from this image that it is a major focus for the new system. In RIM's own demo video, we saw a man looking at content on his phone, then pushing a button to throw the image to the TV in front of him.
(Credit: CBSi)
Game face
RIM spent quite a bit of time during its keynote speaking about gaming, including time with representatives from gaming studios Gameloft and Fishlabs about upcoming titles for BlackBerry OS 10. Gameloft revealed that it is working on 11 OS 10 titles, including the unreleased Nova 3.
Latest comments (Add your comment)
I've always been bemused by people who asked me why I don't have an iPhone (or an Android phone for that matter), but rather a 9900 Bold. Once you've used a Blackberry (looking at one in a shop doesn't count, sorry) for any length of time it's ability to act as a Hub for calls, messages and multiple email accounts sets it apart from the pack. I might not be able to play Angry Birds, or have a library of Apps I never really needed, but I do have a phone that is beyond reproach in one key area - As a telecommunications device. I guess that makes me old fashioned that I place that quality far above all these other points that supposedly make "Smart Phones" smart.
I just hope that RIM in their efforts to "sex" themselves up for masses don't forget their core values.
In saying that, BB have been really really closed minded in the last two years and thus their device sales and market share has tumbled.
I would love to have blackberry to use android but have a heavily customised skin on top of it so it was still completely a BB UI pretty much. In that way, blackberry would still have full access to the apps people want, but still look and feel like Blackberry.
You are so right I had two blackberries both excellent phones and the keyboards were amazing.
Dare I say it I do miss them.
I switched to Android when BB was most behind (BB had 2.0MP cameras meanwhilst Android is releasing 8MP etc etc.)
And whilst my Android phones have been good i have never been as content with them as i used to be with my old BB's
You never know how good BB's are until you own one..
Software at this point is basically useless because as long as the phone does not crash, it can do all the same crap. And Storm crashed so much. I still have nightmares.
It was known as the BB Dud.
But RIM ... please ... hurry up!