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BlackBerry 10 OS: Can It Win Back the Lost Ground!

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PANKAJ
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With rumors and speculations abound in, RIM finally planned a roll out of BlackBerry 10 on 30th of January 2013, along with unveiling of smartphones powered by the latest OS. RIM promises that its new crop of devices will be faster and smoother than existing BlackBerry devices. Meant for enterprises and high end users, the new OS comes with many new features and improvements.

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RIM promises that its new crop of devices will be faster than existing BlackBerry devices.

We got a chance to be a part of demo of the latest OS from RIM. And here is what we found in the latest version of BB OS.

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What's new?

Among the list of changes that BB 10 brings to table include the refurbished user interface which is more integrated. Flow interface, unified inbox called Hub, a new intelligent keyboard, as well as a camera app which allows the user to adjust an image by moving through timeline scale to mix and mesh the best shot elements are the main highlights.

The 'Flow' interface allows for seamless flowing from one app to other without actually quitting it. Swiping from right to left takes you to the app list. The new Peak allows you to go to notification pane from any page. There is no Home button.

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Swiping up from the bottom of the screen minimize the current app you're on and takes you to notification zone called 'Hubs' down the left hand side. Hubs refers to the unified inbox which simplifies the way you manage your email accounts, Facebook updates, Twitter feeds, and more. As you complete the slide, you get to the



Hub to check the apps like texts, emails, BBMs, and tweets, otherwise you will be taken back to the page you were viewing.

The home screen allows to create 4 Active Frames that can give an overview of the information in an app.

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BlackBerry 10 also introduces intelligent keyboard which can predict words for you. While is BB phones are known for their touch and type interface, RIM is keen on taking this experience forward in BB 10 powered devices. The predictive keyboard gets you next-word suggestions appearing on the character the word starts with. To use the suggested word, you just need to drag it up and it gets added to the sentence.

The BB browser looks more minimalist. Just by swiping from left to right you can peek at the Hub from the browser as well.





Personal and Work modes

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BB 10 powered devices will offer two profiles offering flexibility of making most of both worlds. Called BB Balance, the modes, personal and work, have encrypted partition in between thus barring you from copying files from work to personal territory. As you step into your office and choose Work mode, you end up with little freedom. You can access email, apps, and documents you're entitled to. You will have to comply with the IT policy. Similarly, IT admin will not be able to encroach your Personal territory to monitor what all you do over there. And you can switch between your profiles with a simple gesture.



BB App World

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RIM would stick to relevance and quality as far the app game is concerned. They will remain focused on region-specific apps and push apps relevant to BB buffs. Also, RIM people big bet on it as the most profitable market for app developers with 15 thousands apps ported to BB App World, already.



Early verdict

The new OS looks promising with many new intuitive features and tweaks. However, that may not be enough for RIM to bring back its legacy with no killer app proposition embodied in it.

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