BlackBerry Next Generation Operating System V6.0. New Browser, Pinch to zoom, and more..
Talk about coming out swinging! Rumors of Research In Motion working on a new BlackBerry operating system and web browser have been floating around for weeks now. It also has been also been rumored that RIM is launching at least 5 or more new BlackBerry devices this year; including the device we have been calling the BlackBerry Slide, which could be the first touch screen BlackBerry for AT&T or possibly T-Mobile. Boy Genius over at BGR has posted the first look at the new upcoming BlackBerry Operating System V6.0, and it looks like Christmas may have finally come to BlackBerry users. Let’s take a peek shall we..
The New BlackBerry Web Browser:
The BlackBerry web browser has been a pet peeve for even the most loyal BlackBerry users. If you are a regular reader of BlackBerryDreamBlog you know we posted a video showing the new BlackBerry Web Browser in action. So what’s the new Browser like?
1. Adobe Flash Support: Based on the announcement from the CEO of Adobe, you should see BlackBerry web browsers supporting Adobe Flash, hopefully by the end of the 2nd Qtr. ( IPhone will not be supporting Web Based Flash Content.)
2. Tab Switching : If you have been using Opera Mini 5 web browser for BlackBerry, Tab Switch is nothing new to you. If not, Tab Switching allows you to switch between open web browsers to view different web pages without a need to close the page you were on.
3. Revamped Web Kit Browser: In a nutshell, The IPhone and Android devices currently use WebKit web browsers. A WebKit Browser renders a web page on a Mobile device closer to what you are used to seeing on a desktop computer.
4. Multitouch: Yes, that pinch to zoom thing is coming to BlackBerry. You should be able to use multitouch capabilities in the web browser and on your pictures. Hopefully, this feature will also work on Google Maps.   
New Media Player: Music and Pictures
6.0 is supposed to launch with an all new Media Player and Photo Viewer. According to BG regarding the music player, “the navigation in this view is done by using your finger to browse the album art work and then touching the specific album cover to start playing, and the photos application looks quite a bit like the iPhone’s layout, big tiled square photos that appear in thumbnail view with very small borders, that you can flick that list up or down to navigate. Pictures also appear on screen instantly.†Some users who have been beta testing the unofficially released BlackBerry OS, have noticed a podcast folder in the media storage section. I would not be surprised if podcast download and support end up in this version.
New Enhanced Messages Box:
I do know that some BlackBerry users don’t like having all there messages in one Box. Personally it works for me so I can see my text messages,emails, Facebook, and Tweets all in one convenient place without having to switch between applications. Apparently your messages box is getting a facelift also with larger thumbnails to the left of each message to identify the type of message (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and even RSS feeds built right in. Also composing an email is said to have a very clean and modern web 2.0 feel.
We’re being told you also could expect to see:
- Kinetic scrolling with rubber banding throughout the OS (more fluid experience)
- New Pages Homescreen: BG’s explanation:
- “You can have your applications on the main page, then slide left or right to another page with different applications and browse that way. In the homescreen screenshot above, you’ll see a sliding field towards the bottom, and you can slide that up, and reveal the first page of applications, and you can then slide that to show the different groups which correspond to the different homescreen page. Favorites, all, home, etc.”
- BlackBerry touchscreen devices will support pop-up with gestures: You tap and hold the screen and it will pop-up an icon (menu) set with context menu items.
No matter how cool some of the features a device may have, it seems that the world is app driven thanks to the IPhone. RIM recently held a developers’ conference and the big news was that RIM is pushing out a new developers kit for app makers to begin working on something RIM is calling Super Apps. So the next generation of BlackBerry Apps could possibly bring a new level of Wow factor to what you can do on your BlackBerry smartphone.
Boy Genius Report, who’s known not to go easy on BlackBerry and its operating system, seems to REALLY likes the new BlackBerry OS. To me it sounds very much like RIM is building it’s new OS based on some of the cool features you would find on the IPhone and on Google’s Android operating system. RIM has already given BlackBerry Storm2 users a little taste of things to come, since it is the first BlackBerry with OpenGL support which allows for 3D gaming.
Apparently this is just the tip of the iceberg of what the new OS has offer BlackBerry users. So let’s get some of your glaring questions out of the way…
1. When will the new OS be available? So far BGR and other reports are saying sometime around the end of the 2nd quarter (June/July). That make sense to me, that the new BlackBerry OS will more or less go head to head with the IPhone 4.0 OS, Android’s better business support OS upgrades, and the release of Windows 7.
2. Will my current device be upgradeable? The honest answer is right now it’s too early to tell. More info on the new OS will become available over the next few months.
If you are a BlackBerry fan and have been thinking of jumping ship to get your hands on some of the cool features offered by guys that leave their prototyoe phone in a bar so that it gets reported by the world media…Yeah Right… You just might want to sit tight, Christmas just might come in July.
Click here to read the full BGR post on the new BlackBerry v6.0 OS.
[...] And we’re back!! BlackBerryDreamBlog was on a little hiatus, but we’re back and boy do we have tons of great news for you from the world of BlackBerry. Last Week Research in Motion held it’s annual WES 2010 showcase, which is generally known as RIM’s coming out party for what’s new this year for BlackBerry. The first big announcement coming out of WES 2010 this year is the upcoming release of BlackBerry OS v6.0. [...]
T-Mobile Interested in Supporting BlackBerry 6…
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