We’re here at Bangkok, Thailand for the BlackBerry Jam Asia 2012 or previously known as DevCon Asia (Developer’s Conference). We got a chance to talk to the RIM’s head honchoes to tell us more about their latest project, the BlackBerry 10.
The upcoming BlackBerry 10 was built from the ground up following RIM’s three major principle; Integrated, Social and Beautiful. Each aspect of the new OS revolves around those three things, from the UI down to the apps that the company has heavily invested on.
BlackBerry Flow and Peek
RIM has put in a lot of effort in to the BB10’s UI that veers away from the typical physical keyboard/button navigation. In addition to this, the company also envisioned a UI which would let the users seamlessly switch or open a new app without having to close the previous app. The multi-tasking experience they’re gunning for is similar to the PC experience, wherein users can just switch from app to app without the UI closing the other app that they were using it.
The result is a UI called BlackBerry Flow which, to our opinion, looks very promising. The interface is, in some aspects, similar to the UI of the BlackBerry PlayBook which relies heavily on swipe gestures. But RIM took it to the next level by ensuring that users can easily transition from one app to the other and letting the other open apps run on the background while they’re doing it. In addition, BB10 allows user to just Peek in to the other apps such as BlackBerry Hub by just swiping a little to the right without having to close the app that they’re currently on.
To give you a better insight on how BlackBerry Flow, here’s a short demo courtesy of RIM’s Head of Software Portfolio, Vivek Bhardwaj.
BlackBerry Hub
As mentioned earlier, Integration is one of the key aspects of the BB10. RIM understands that users will most likely be in multiple social networking sites and managing each separately can be a pain in the neck. Having said that, the company unified most of those SNS to a single purposeful native app called BlackBerry Hub.
With BlackBerry Hub, SNS notifications, email, even calendar events/invitation are now all in one place. Another great thing about it is that it allows users to update their FB status or Tweet directly inside the app. This in turn makes it easier for the user to interact with their friends because they don’t need to go to the FB/Twitter app to do it.
BBM 7.0
Messaging is an integral part of the BlackBerry ecosystem. It’s been RIM’s bread and butter which made their device a must-have for some users. The company took it upon themselves to improve the BBM service by incorporating some of the sough-after features found on other communication apps.
BBM 7.0 enables BlackBerry users to communicate better thanks to its new feature called BBM Voice that allows them to make free calls over Wi-Fi. The good news is that the latest version of BBM is not only limited to the BlackBerry 10 , meaning it’s compatible with older BB handset so long as it’s running on BB OS 5.0 and up.
You can also check out our previous previous post to know more about the BBM 7.
Enhanced Keyboard
Another key element of BlackBerry that users have fallen in love with is the keyboard. RIM takes pride in having the best keyboard in the business and they made sure that it remains that way when they introduce the BlackBerry 10.
What RIM did was to take what worked for them in the past and integrate new technologies which dramatically improved the keyboard functionality in terms of usability and intuitiveness. Just to show you how awesome the BB10’s keyboard is, check out this short video demo below.
Two new BlackBerry handsets
Along with the launch of the upcoming BlackBerry 10, RIM will also launch two new BB handsets that will run on the new OS. One will be a full touch device while the other one is a hybrid handset that is both touch-enabled and has a physical keyboard.
The device that’s getting all the attention (praises or criticism) right now is the full touch model because it’s the only device that RIM has distributed to developers. However, RIM announced yesterday that they will start seeding Dev Alpha C devices to eligible developers so they can start creating/porting their apps to the QWERTY-sporting BlackBerry handset.
Summary
RIM acknowledges the fact that BlackBerry’s strengths have always been BBM and the handset’s keyboard. The company is hoping to capitalize on those two aspects again by offering relevant enhancements to make each aspect more functional and appealing.
Now I can keep on blabbing how awesome the BlackBerry 10 is but I think it’ll be better if I just let Christopher Smith, Martin Mallyck and Alec Saunders tell you what you can expect from BlackBerry 10. Enjoy!
Note: Listening to this may cause severe LSS. You’ve been warned.
RIM will be unveiling the BlackBerry 10, along with the two new handsets on January 30 next year. We hope that we’ll be invited to cover the launch, but even if we’re not, rest assure that we’ll bring you the latest buzz on the upcoming OS and the devices that will feature it.
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Apple Addict says:
BB is doomed, user wants ton of apps and RIM has no plan of leveling the field w/ samsung & iphone so even if OS is evolving no apps could adapt to it. Sorry for the BB user but it’s a fact.
Kaloy says:
woohoo.. will definitely be waiting for BB10. my problem now is which to get, the full touch or the touch & type hmm.. hoping & praying that BB10 would be a big success!
BananasPajamas says:
BB10 looks awesome, but in my opinion, it will flop BIG TIME!!! Why??? In my opinion, it comes down to the hardware… If the phone is ugly and doesnt provide something new… It will just end up like the Lumia series and Xperia series; BTW nokia is rumored to join the android party.
Zo says:
that BB flow is sexy.
I love my nexus and will be getting the nexus 4. But man, i have the BB 10 as a strong contender for my office phone :)
Bryan says:
Hmm.. I’ll wait for this. Been thinking of getting another BB. I hope they have enough money to pay apple. Surely they will get in this patent war. hahaha..
maclovin says:
yung phone sa video parang iphone copycat. ang cheap talaga nila. lahat na lang kinokopya apple.
Jingjiing says:
Um, just because they’re also rectangular?
Orange says:
Looking forward to the new releases! Will keep an eye out for something close to Torch – keyboard and a big touch screen, hopefully it’ll be thinner but I appreciate the heft of Torch anyway so it’s not a dealbreaker for me.
erikjames says:
This BB is ugly and expensive. Android phones are the best!
Therese says:
They haven’t confirmed anything about pricing yet, so for now we can’t really say it IS expensive. I guess it is more precise to say it LOOKS expensive. :-)
Boy Butet says:
^ Looks promising! Ill wait for this and use it as my second phone, I hope this gets successful para all OS’ shall strive to give better apps and OS.
Therese says:
Agree! I believe we should welcome that BlackBerry is making a strong bid – the landscape shouldn’t be just iOS and Android. The more players in the game, the better the competition, which is much better for us consumers! Love that they’re challenging each other in giving us the great mobile experiences that we deserve.
Levi says:
Saving all my love for Blackberry 10, so worth the wait.
wreek888 says:
Anu anung model pwede update sa BB10?
Romar says:
No older devices will be upgradable to BB10 since the new os is a different platform than os7 and below. BB10 will come preinstalled only their future devices.