After reviewing the new devices we saw yesterday—the Blackberry Bold 9650 and the Pearl 3G—RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis revealed what we’ve been waiting for at this year’s WES: BlackBerry 6.0. Updated: Video! More »
In a long overdue move, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is set for a major rehaul of the phone’s operating system.
RIM will launch OS 6.0, a snazzier version of its operating system that will include a better web browser, a customizable home screen, widgets and an overall perkier user interface.
OS 6.0 is expected to be available next quarter but it won’t be compatible with all BlackBerry devices, says RIM.
RIM is playing coy with the details about OS 6.0 but the company says the system has been optimized for both trackpads and toushcreen devices.
An earlier leak of the OS 6.0 prototype showed a user interface similar to that of the BlackBerry Storm. The OS 6.0 home screen has a has a digital clock, wall paper and large icons to access services such as music, web and e-mail.
The browser, for long a sore point for RIM users, also has gotten an overhaul. Instead of displaying links and text in a reformatted version for the mobile phone, the OS 6.0 browser is closer to what iPhone and Android users get on their devices, throwing up web pages that look as good on the phone as they do on the PC. RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis showed a sneak preview of the browser in February.
OS 6.0 will include a revamped music player with an interface that displays album art.
It’s nice to see RIM take a step to modernize the BlackBerrys user interface. But when rivals such as Motorola, HTC and even Microsoft with the Kin smartphones are integrating features such as social networking, video and cloud syncing into their devices, RIM’s efforts seem too little too late.
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Photo: Blackberry phone (LymStylez/Flickr)
We’ll be very honest with you: unless you’re a Tour user amped to upgrade to something that directly addresses your specific complaints, this video might be of little interest. That said, we were able to browse a little site called Engadget (using the same old non-WebKit browser, of course) over the Bold 9650’s newfound WiFi support, and while it wasn’t about to set any speed records, it’ll take some more comprehensive analysis to understand how much blame the WiFi radio, the hotspot, and the browser’s rendering engine should take, respectively. We totally dig the optical pad over the old trackball (pardon our stupidity in the video where we attempt to keep scrolling beyond the end of the page — it wasn’t the Bold’s fault, honest), and the keyboard is every bit as good as it is on the Tour of old. Check the full, mind-bending experience on video after the break.
Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9650 video hands-on
BlackBerry Bold 9650 video hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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RIM’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis just announced in an analyst call today that the company’s next platform — coined BlackBerry 6 — will be available “in the next calendar quarter,” which we take to mean the third quarter of 2010. We weren’t able to see a video preview of the platform that was shown to analysts attending the event, but the demo apparently showed a touchscreen interface; a follow-up question from the audience confirmed that it’ll be available for both touch and non-touch devices, though. Interestingly, Lazaridis said that the company’s all-new WebKit-based browser is part and parcel with 6, pointing out that the rendering engine will have implications throughout the platform and the apps that run on it, not just on the browser alone; in other words, we wouldn’t expect a release of a WebKit browser from these guys for OS 5.0-based devices. Speaking of OS 5.0, the intention is that every device in RIM’s portfolio will eventually run 6, but not everything in the market today will necessarily be upgradeable — Lazaridis says that they’ll “do [their] best,” but he’s not making any guarantees. More on this as we get it.
BlackBerry 6 coming in third quarter of this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Observe, the rare BlackBerry Pearl 3G feeding in its natural habitat. Just look at the majestic display of vibrant colors as it attempts to court the journalist in a mating dance never before captured on camera! All kidding aside though, here’s a quick look at the user interface on the 20-key version of the Pearl 3G; it’s stock OS 5.0, so you’re not really going to notice anything fresh here, but what we did see worked smoothly and without delay — the delightful result of pairing a responsive optical pad, 624MHz processor, and what we would assume is a pretty well-optimized build of the platform. As we mentioned earlier, we’re pretty sure the keyboards on these things are going to be a polarizing experience for users — some will love them, others will hate them, still others will tolerate them at first and grow used to them over time. To be fair, the peak-shaped keys are probably an improvement over flat keyboards of Pearls gone by; when you’ve got five keys per row on a fairly narrow body, you need all the tactile help you can get. For some reason, we weren’t able to connect to RIM’s open WiFi network with the particular unit we were given — the Bold 9650 next to it fared just fine, so we’re not sure if the 802.11n-capable radio in this bad boy is a little dodgier than its cousin, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on. Follow the break for the video.
Continue reading BlackBerry Pearl 3G video hands-on
BlackBerry Pearl 3G video hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We suspected that both Sprint and Verizon Wireless would eventually pick up RIM’s hot-off-of-the-press BlackBerry Bold 9650, and sure enough, the former has already come forward with a glowing press release stating as much. Starting on May 23rd (that’s just under a month, for those operating sans any sense of time), Sprint loyalists will be able to score this very smartphone for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract. It’ll reportedly be available in “all Sprint sale channels,” tempting you with that 480 x 360 resolution display, BB OS 5, Wi-Fi module and 3.2 megapixel camera. So, VZW — got a similar announcement you’d like to make?
[Thanks, Travis]
Continue reading Sprint gets BlackBerry Bold 9650: $200 on contract, ships May 23
Sprint gets BlackBerry Bold 9650: $200 on contract, ships May 23 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you had any illusions about what exactly the Bold 9650 is, make no mistake: owning a Tour takes you 95 percent of the way to understanding the experience. The only thing you’ll really notice on an ongoing basis is the optical pad, which is definitely a big improvement over the trackball of old — not only does it eliminate the issue of gunk buildup, but it’s totally responsive and arguably even easier to use than the ball for most tasks. The version we used was Sprint-branded, but RIM has unbranded units on hand, too; we can only assume Verizon will end up picking it up, though Big Red has been uncharacteristically silent about the matter so far. Hit up the quick gallery below (or, you know, take your Tour and just tape a picture of an optical pad over the trackball to get the experience firsthand).
Gallery: BlackBerry Bold 9650 hands-on 2
BlackBerry Bold 9650 hands-on: yeah, it’s a Tour with an optical pad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We just wrapped up a quick play with RIM’s just-announced BlackBerry Pearl 3G, and our initial impression is a positive one — if you’ve currently got a Pearl 8100 series (or even an 8200 series flip, for that matter), this looks like a must-have upgrade. The phone’s UI is lightning fast, the optical pad is plenty responsive (as RIM’s optical pads tend to be), and 802.11n and HSDPA are obviously both welcome additions. The keyboards are a little funny, but that’s nothing new — Pearls have always had polarizing keyboards, dating back to the early days — but we think we prefer the 14-key just a smidge over the traditional 20-key. For whatever reason, RIM has chosen to give the 14-key version more rounded, curved keys, whereas the buttons on the 20-key version have angled tops that put a little more pressure on the fingertips (we’re sure you could handily get used to either version, of course). The company is quick to note that the numeric keypad is not using T9 — it’s using a flavor of SurePress — so… you know, don’t get it twisted. Hit up the gallery below!
Gallery: BlackBerry Pearl 3G first hands-on!
Gallery: BlackBerry Pearl 3G hands-on 2
BlackBerry Pearl 3G first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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