Mobile
Leaked Images of BlackBerry 10 OS Show Numerous Refinements
It’s unclear if a series of leaked pictures that were obtained by BlackBerry-centric site CrackBerry will represent RIM’s final vision for its next-generation BlackBerry 10 operating system or if the images are concepts that are still being tuned and developed. Whatever the case may be, the images depict numerous refinements and enhancements to the BlackBerry operating system similar to what Nokia Belle offered to the Symbian^3 platform.
At a glance, visually, there is now a shortcut tray at the bottom of the screen that will house three shortcut keys for search, phone, and camera. Curiously, as many BlackBerry smartphones have four hardware or capacitive touch OS navigation buttons at the bottom (Call send, BlackBerry or Menu, Back, and Call end), the phone button would seemingly duplicate some, if not all, of the functionality offered by the Call send navigation button. Having a quick shortcut key to the camera would help to make BlackBerry smartphones more consumer-friendly, especially from stiff camera competition from Apple’s iPhone, Samsung’s Galaxy lineup, or Sony’s XPERIA lineup. With Windows Phone 7 supporting a dedicated hardware camera key for quick launching the camera, the on-screen camera key would at least position RIM as at least trying to listen to the interests of its consumer customers. It’s unclear if the navigation shortcuts at the bottom of the screen will be user programmable.
The icons for BlackBerry 10 will also be more smart. For instance, the icon for launching the Pictures or gallery app now shows a stack of photos, with the most recent photo downloaded or captured by the user on top. This is similar to the photo stacks as shown on Apple’s OS X iPhoto application.
There’s also a new and more refined call screen, giving users easy touch-based access to important features and functionality when within a call, such as activating speakerphone, muting a call, adding another caller to the call, or activating the keypad.
The email app has been modernized and refined and does support, as BlackBerry devices have in the past, universal inbox functionality.
There’s also more subtle changes to how folders are displayed within BlackBerry 10 OS. Now, like on iOS, Folders are dynamic and will show the content of the apps or shortcuts contained within them.
BlackBerry 10 OS will be a major step for RIM, much like how Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was for Google. The platform will begin merging the smartphone OS and the tablet OS found on RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook OS. In doing so, BlackBerry 10 will be based on the same QNX OS framework that the BlackBerry PlayBook was based on, and will help RIM tackle multitasking, multimedia, and processor-intensive applications.
A leaked new touchscreen-only smartphone called the BlackBerry London is expected to debut the BlackBerry 10 operating system when launched.
Brian Hillier
02/14/2012 at 7:55 am
Even if this is the new OS, it seems dead in the water. None of these updates should constitute a new OS number and most are fixing oversights at best. A unified inbox is not a brand new fascinating feature when your competitors have had them for 3 years. It would be like a car manufacturer saying their front wheel drive is a new feature in 2012. Come on guys, get you act together.
Really want to make a splash,? Add enterprise servers for free. Open up systems to allow development of mobile pos apps and integrated banking. Add systems to integrate texts with bbm and unify the instant messaging box. (txt,bbm, third party apps) add more business features like virtual electronic fax via emAil to your cell number. And make great improvements to the contact list which add CRM like features.
WhySoSerious?
02/14/2012 at 8:29 am
I may not understand some of the features you escrowed completely, I believe BB 7 on my BB Bold 9930 has some of the BBM and Text integration as well as a unified mailbox. So onto of not being innovative I don’t really think it is actually new.
I agree. This looks like they’re playing catch-up and making a clone. It most assuredly will be DOA why would anyone buy an AndroidiOS clone that doesn’t have any apps?
I like your CRM idea, as business users need a tool not a toy, like many of the Android devices. BB needs to innovate and continue to be different and business focused instead of cater to the lowest common detonator of the consumer market. Their never going to take consumer device market share if they don’t have the apps to drive it.
So instead make some killer Business apps, I would like to have intelligent CRM like features build in. You can force some of that stuff in BB today, but to embrace and streamline the concepts would be a killer app for me and many business users.
WhySoSerious?
02/14/2012 at 8:07 am
As someone that switched from a BB to a Droid then back to the BB Bold 9930. Where is the keyboard? RIM, don’t just make another candy bar touch phone. There are about 10,000 on the market. Why do we need another one. It just looks like a copy of iOS, Android, or a Windows Mobile device.
Lieu Tran
02/21/2012 at 7:25 pm
The icons for BlackBerry 10 will also be “more smart.”
Nice