BlackBerry OS 6.0 detailed with video

Robert Hallock 27 Apr, 2010 at 10:47am ET Article published in Tech

WES 2010, Research in Motion’s annual event dedicated to all things BlackBerry, is underway today after CEO Mike Lazaridis announced this week that BlackBerry OS 6.0 would be coming in the next calendar quarter.

Though BlackBerry OS 6 is not a revolution over the likes 4.x and, particularly, the rarer 5.x, it still offers several notable enhancements that are bound to please BlackBerry users, including:

A WebKit-based browser with tabs and multitouch.
A redone media player with coverflow-style album selection.
System-wide cushioned scrolling for smoother scrolling throughout the OS.
Pinch to zoom as a system-wide gesture.
A unified messaging inbox that can collect Facebook, SMS, MMS, Twitter and RSS updates.
A revamped home screen with a pull-up shade that offers multiple left/right pages of apps.
New 3×3 context-sensitive menus that largely replace the clunky menu summoned by the BlackBerry key; the new 3×3 menu is designed to cut down on the increasing third-party clutter collecting in the current menu.
A restyled UI, complete with larger icons, cleaner graphics and more modern coloring.

While many enhancements are obviously being made with touch devices in mind, the ones that make sense for the company’s large roster of QWERTY handsets are sure to land on those devices as well.

Finally, to give users an idea of what the OS looks like in action, RIM today launched an infotainment video that demonstrates BlackBerry OS 6 in action. Interested parties might also enjoy BoyGeniusReport’s walkthrough of BlackBerry OS 6 gleaned from a source within AT&T.

Comments

27 Apr 2010 ~ 11:33am Ryder Stupid choice for a song, silly choice to dance my way through an OS. Yay marketing.
27 Apr 2010 ~ 11:41am Thrax but OMG IT'S HIP AND MODERN DON'T YOU GET IT. MODERN.
27 Apr 2010 ~ 11:51am primesuspect I admit fully that I have no idea what the features of the OS are because I was staring at the chick dancing.
27 Apr 2010 ~ 1:00pm Shorty I am excited (as I always am) to see improvement to the BlackBerry OS. SHAME THIS VIDEO DOESN'T SHOW THEM!!
28 Apr 2010 ~ 6:31am Aranyic I'm just ready for Verizon to get the bold 9650 announced / released. I'm still working off my curve 8330 which has been a great phone, (almost 3 years I've had it now) but I'm ready for something new. I skipped the first version of the tour and the new curve holding out for the wifi/upgraded hardware/touch pad instead of wheel all in the same phone.
3 May 2010 ~ 1:25am ardichoke All I got from this ad is that BlackBerry OS 6 is "so 2008, you're so 2000 and late"

I'm not sure if I want a cell phone running an OS that's so 2008 when it's 2010.
3 May 2010 ~ 9:54am wpeltola

primesuspect wrote:

I admit fully that I have no idea what the features of the OS are because I was staring at the chick dancing.

I was about to post the same thing :cheers2:
3 May 2010 ~ 11:19am Cyclonite

ardichoke wrote:

All I got from this ad is that BlackBerry OS 6 is "so 2008, you're so 2000 and late"

I'm not sure if I want a cell phone running an OS that's so 2008 when it's 2010.

The lyric is "I'm so 3008..."
3 May 2010 ~ 6:01pm ardichoke

Cyclonite wrote:

The lyric is "I'm so 3008..."

Meh... It sounded like 2008 to me and most people watching a commercial aren't going to google the lyrics. (Further, I did google the lyrics and a lot of sites have 2008, not 3008.)
3 May 2010 ~ 10:57pm Cyclonite It's a fairly popular song. I think the possible target audience for the video would be familiar with it.

Anyway, the OS is nice, but I'm still holding out for Windows Phone 7.