BlackBerry parent company Research in Motion has officially launched the long overdue BlackBerry 10 OS, with the new BB10 operating system a make or break launch for the former smartphone giant.
Following a fairly disastrous eighteen months for RIM which has seen the company face receding earnings, repeated layoffs, a declining user base and a history of service failure problems, today’s January 30 BlackBerry 10 release date has seen the new BlackBerry 10 OS finally enter the realms of reality.
Designed with touchscreen handsets in mind, the new BlackBerry 10 OS will see RIM once again bring the fight to the market’s current dominant forces Apple and Google and their respective smartphone operating systems, iOS and Android.
“The device is for people with a hyperconnected social group, who like to get things done, who like balance in their work and social life, who like the simplicity of having everything in one place, who want to move from app to app without having to hit the home button the whole time,” said Thorsten Heins at the BlackBerry 10 launch.
BlackBerry 10 Features
Created using a combination of BlackBerry’s own technology and elements from RIM company, QNX, the new BlackBerry 10 OS features a bevy of dramatic changes over past BlackBerry offerings with the new BlackBerry Flow UI introducing a selection of intuitive and seamless multitasking capabilities.
Adopting an app-centric interface akin to the iPhone 5 powering iOS, new BlackBerry 10 features will see BlackBerry Peak gestures allow users to view apps running in the background simply by swiping from the left or right of the display. Similarly to the company’s now dated BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the new BlackBerry 10 OS will allow users to utilise handset’s bezels, swiping from off the touchscreen’s surface to active a number of feature and carry out a number of tasks, including unlocking devices.
An updated BlackBerry 10 homepage shows a grid view with all currently running programs, whilst swiping to the right will allow access to all installed applications. Swiping to the left from the BlackBerry 10 homepage opens the unified messaging inbox via the BlackBerry 10 Hub.
BlackBerry 10 will also feature a touch screen keyboard with an all new predictive typing function. When users press on a letter the BlackBerry 10 OS will offer a selection of words it believes would fit in the sentence’s context, with users just having to swipe up to choose one of the offerings. Adapting to a user’s habits, the keyboard will learn over time to offer more accurate suggestions the more messages a user sends.
Elsewhere, new BlackBerry Balance features within the newly launched BlackBerry 10 OS allow users to separate their personal and business phone personas by swiping up on the home screen. Users can create separate profiles for work and play, even having both running simultaneously with different applications open in each.
BlackBerry 10 Handsets
Entering the realms of reality alongside a selection of new BlackBerry 10 handsets, the BlackBerry 10 OS will first feature on the BlackBerry Z10, RIM’s flagship BlackBerry 10 handset that boasts a 4.2-inch touchscreen display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor.
Lining up alongside the BlackBerry Z10 in the list of compatible BlackBerry 10 launch handsets, the BlackBerry Q10 is a more traditional looking BlackBerry handset, with a smaller touchscreen display featuring alongside the company’s trademark physical full QWERTY keyboard.
What do you make of the new BlackBerry 10 OS? Has RIM done enough to tempt you away from the likes of Apple and Android, or even a new Windows Phone 8 handset? Let us know via the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds or through the comment boxes below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
