A BlackBerry OS hybrid takes the best of the various OS builds and puts them into a single load. Sometimes an OS version will have a faster browser or menu navigation, and someone capable of building a hybrid OS can extract that app/file and run it on a different OS base. A hybrid OS will also tend to remove extra files that aren’t needed, allowing the device to run a little smoother. The hybrid OS world is something unique to BlackBerry, and it’s something that every BlackBerry user can enjoy getting in to. The average user tends to avoid hybrid builds because they’re not official and can sometimes lead to critical failures. You have to be comfortable enough loading a new OS on your device and restoring a nuked BlackBerry in order to really enjoy the process.
Today, hybrids were released using BlackBerry OS 6 files from the BlackBerry Clamshell 9670 and compiled into a hybrid for the BlackBerry Bold 9000, 9700, Storm 9500, Tour 9600, Curve 8900 and 8500. We have been testing the hybrids on several devices, the first of which was the Bold 9000. The Bold 9000 probably won’t be getting OS 6 so it looks like a hybrid might be the closest that users will get to trying it out, unless of course they update their hardware. Click after the jump to see screenshots and details of what applications were extracted for this OS 6 hybrid. In general, the builds are really smooth and if you haven’t tried out the hybrid world, give it a shot. You will have a new appreciation for what it’s like using an “open” platform like BlackBerry.
This OS 6 hybrid uses either a leaked or official OS depending on which device it’s being loaded on to. For the 9000, the OS 6 hybrid uses OS 5.0.0.681 as base OS. In the end, you end up with a 5.0.0.743 OS with the following:
- East Asian Language support is included and fully functional.
- Google Maps v4.2.0, UberTwitter v0.971, Twitter for BlackBerry v1.0.40, newest App World, FourSquare v1.8.4, and Xtreme Labs Speedtest are all included.
- Includes all stock Blackberry games and IM Applications with loader options.
- Includes an option to install the Driphter.com Mobile Launcher
There are about 20 OS 6 files dropped into a 5.0 base build error free. Many of these are fairly useless files but there are some interesting updated files such as Search, which we know is very robust in OS 6 and might work on an OS 5 device with this hybrid. We’ll have to test more to see. Other than the OS 6 files, the build also uses 5.0.0.758 files on for additional UI speed and the browser file from 5.0.0.732 which ismuch faster than previous versions.
Stay tuned as more hybrid builds will become available allowing users to get a sneak peak at some of the speed and performance in updated files.
