BlackBerry OS 6 details and screenshots are here from BGR and it looks like we’re going to see a much different BlackBerry than the one we’re used to. The whole UI and experience sounds like it’s in-line with a new web 2.0-based smartphone world, and RIM has learned a lot from what their users want and their partners are providing.
The latest OS 6 details seem like they’re going to have huge implications for BlackBerry touschscreen devices. Considering the latest buzz that Lazaridis said there were uncertainties around the touchscreen market, I think this is going to very certainly make touchscreen BlackBerrys much more awesome. Some of the new gestures such as click and hold to bring up contextual menus, will make the whole Storm (assuming it will get OS 6) experience much more rich. OS 6 also features system-wide kinetic scrolling with rubberbanding, which makes it a much smoother experience.
For non touchscreen users, the experience will still be much improved. Tabbed browsing is going to rock, and many of the UI improvements to email will make the whole experience easier on the eyes. Being able to see a quick icon preview of an incoming message will make things a little more efficient. That being said, RIM’s first party apps will surely play a big role in OS 6, allowing them to integrate with all the new features.
One thing of particular interest was that apparently the new inbox style features RSS feeds, which might explain the Viigo acquisition. Although, they probably wouldn’t need the acquisition for this, but I’m sure we’ll see more creative implementation of RSS in OS 6.
It’s a little too bad we didn’t hear anything about widget support, as I think they’ll play a big part in the BlackBerry app market in the coming years. It would have been interesting to see how OS 6 performs with widgets and lets them complement the user experience.
In terms of release date, it looks like we might see this actually hit the market in the June/July timeframe. This is incredible and it might mean an announcement at WES next week.
Continue reading ‘BlackBerry OS 6 Screenshots Emerge with Huge Touchscreen Implications’
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