Wad of BlackBerry OS 10 pics 'leaks' from RIM's inner circle A "leak" of more than a hundred screenshots purporting to be from the release version of BlackBerry OS 10 has washed up on a blog. For those readers fascinated by setup screens, user licence agreements and configuration dialogue boxes, a treat awaits you here. For those of you who are not, we can summarise: it's very much as …
"Who is going to want to buy a Blackberry handset when seems they are most likely to release Blackberry email software to run on iOS / Android?"
That's not likely to happen. The FIPs security rating on their email system depends entirely on the security design of the hardware, OS, network stack and email application software. Putting just the application software on top of an OS / hardware combo that doesn't have a security rating makes it pointless. As things stand, if you care about the privacy of company and client data then BB is still the only way to go.
WIth BB10 RIM have been significantly cleverer than MS, Apple & (thus far) Google. By having a FIPs approved private / employer divide (Blackberry Balance) in the phone you get the best of BOYD whilst your IT admin stays happy too. WinPhone and iPhone don't do this; the whole thing belongs to your IT admin. I think Google are working in the same direction as RIM, but are miles off getting it FIPs approved.
"Allow access using a Wi-Fi network to personal files store don your device or media card"
Cue internal memo from IT Sec department:
"Storing personal files on your device or media card is not allowed. Accessing wifi networks from mobile phones is not allowed. Printing data to mobile phones is not allowed. etc etc..."
I'm sure it's a genuine unauthorised leak, Blackberry go to extreme lengths to keep the appearance, use and even existence of its phones a closely guarded secret.
We aren't sure why this is the case - but it must be part of some brilliant business plan to become the number 4 smartphone platform - starting from being number 1
does it let you view all these different documents then?
because, i suspect for most people, my printer is nearer to my computer than it is to my phone. even at work the effort required to print a document directly from my computer is far less than emailing it to my phone and then printing it from there.
but i can see where it would be useful if the blackberry would appear on the network as a printer device. and then you could print anything to it, and it'd store the "printed" item so that you can view it later while at the airport, or hotel check-in desk or something. kinda like the Passbook idea on iOS except they haven't made it too easy to set up your own passbook items in iOS. If PrintToGo works like that, it'd be very useful.
Yes, I read it as the latter - that it's a virtual printer you "print" to.
I agree it does sound useful - as it says, people often do this by emailing as a workaround, but that's fiddly (you've got to create the email rather than clicking print; it's also nice to have it on the phone rather than relying on network access). Another way I do this on Android is by printing to a PDF, then transferring over USB or bluetooth, again more fiddly.
The blackberry appears indeed as a printer, if you install that special bit of software first. In it also networked in a way that all mobile phones are networked, by definition (and by whatever means you have enabled in the phone itself). And yes, the whole point of printing to that printer is to make your documents accessible to you while away from home.
I know because PlayBook has the same feature already.
...but all the screen shots I've seen show a pleasingly uncluttered aesthetic, leaning slightly more towards a Windows Mobile LAF. Here's hoping uncluttered != major functional omissions, as we've long moved past the Cut'n'Paste Not Needed school.
As for the competition: To my eye, iOS has got graphically uglier and more inconsistent with each release - the entire iPad clock app is an foul joke, the address book is twee and olde world for no good reason, and why the crazy decision to have fake leather and book textures randomly added to apps? Unfortunately Android is just wildly inconsistent everywhere - perhaps that's the Java heritage showing through. That leaves Windows Mobile, which looks good, but needs more functionality and a whole lot less Microsoft to succeed.
So good luck RIM.
Flicking through the first 40 or so screens I would consider that the interface is
Android - 85 % ( Most of the layouts are very similar - yes I know that there are not really 1000 of alternatives)
Apple IOS -6%: All those slidy button things ( I hate those slidy buttons, i prefere checkboxes but that just personal).
MS - 3 % : there appeared to be a hint of that nasty flat Windows 8 look smattered around......
The remaining 1% is for originality, of which I didn't see much.
I worked for a short perdiod with QNX many years ago and I seem to remember that it had a very distinct interface, although I dont see any of that in the screenshots... Shame cause the QNX I remember was quite original .
These are probably alpha->beta screenshots but I presume that they won't be too far from the real thing...
Such bull here. Get online and read past your bloody nose. There are plenty of things this OS does that others don't. Anyway, QNX has no mobile interface until RIM picked it up in 2010, so no idea what you're going on about.
Anyway, even it contains elements of other OSes, you've listed the best parts (slidey buttons - why click an ugly tickbox when it's difficult to target on touchscreen when it's generally too small like on Android?). The important thing is that this is damn reliable. If the battery pull for RIM devices is a thing of the past and holds its own to act as an effective "communication" device, then it'll sell. Stuff the Android gimmicks. Open-source is it's only selling point and makes it dirty cheap. More importantly, makes the operation of it cheap.
I'm praying the launch is successful and they can show off that starting from scratch will give them back 3rd place in the market and wipe WP8 off the map.
I guess you missed the gesture screens that show you how to navigate menus, home screen and switch between apps with out the need for any physical or virtual buttons. If you've spent any time using a playbook you'd know how this UI is far superior to the others out there.
And if we were looking at the iphone UI in 2007, it would look 100% of my 2005 feature phone (or perhaps a 1985 Amiga*) with the grid of coloured icons.
Does original mean better? And how much % comes from earlier BB versions (such as the also-QNX-based Playbook) - does it really have nothing in common with that?
Were the earlier QNX uses with mobile phones? The desktop UIs aren't necessarily appropriate.
* - I remember that QNX was also chosen by Gateway in the late 1990s, to base their next generation AmigaOS on, except they then went bust - hopefully this will have better luck!
Will they do the traditional thing and just happen to leave a new iPhone Blackberry in a bar where a journalist with an Apple Blackberry mag will just happen to find it and then have time to try it and write a review before Apple RIM draw attention to the review by publicising their legal demands for the return of the "lost" device?
Just curious as to why there appears to be an anti-RIM sentiment on this? They're only a company that produces devices, just like Apple or Samsung (or whomever). Personally I think BBM10 looks good and at least it's a change from what's already out there. Why not wait to see what its actually like in "real life" before flushing it down the toilet? Think BES10 looks promising personally.
Do not work for RIM. Just happen to have a Berry Bold. Solid unit IMHO.
I agree; ever since BB10 was announced there has been a huge amount of negativity on these boards towards a company that's potentially going to give consumers more choice in the marketplace. Maybe these people are seeing it as a genuine contender and just can't stand the fact that it might do things that their prized and beloved OSs can't.
Kinda sad really!
The world has moved on - Blackberry hardware and OS is antiquated - people want and expect more (iOS and Android) - if you value security you pick iOS - if you want cheaper handsets you pick Android.
See little or no reason to buy a Blackberry branded handset - odds on RIM still making hardware in 2 years?
"The world has moved on - Blackberry hardware and OS is antiquated"
So what do you think their upcoming BB10 release is all about then?
"if you value security you pick iOS"
Smirk. "If you don't mind Apple reading all your emails and scouring all your content, pick iOS". That hardly sounds 'secure' to me... With BB / BES you're getting an email service that no one other than yourself and your employer can read. Not even RIM can read it.
"Odds on RIM still making hardware in 2 years?"
Pretty high I should think.
Surprises me that people are willing to slag something off without actually having seen or used it. However this does seem to be part of the modern British psyche.
Anyway I digress....
I have been using a BB10 (dev) for 2 weeks. It's a very enjoyable experience. Very sleek, very fast and a pleasure to use. After using it for a while I put away my Android device as it's appears clunky and frankly, like a glitchy POS.
Couple of standout features...the Hub, the peek function (who would have guessed that seeing and ignoring pointless emails while watching Homeland could be so easy), the browser is also extremely good, easily the best touch keyboard I have used and lastly the BlackBerry Balance function (which gives the device work and personal containers).
From my own dealings with enterprise is that they really like the device and coupled with BES10 (which gives IT the capability of managing existing BBOS devices together with BB10 devices and also IOS and Android) I think it's a solution that many enterprises have been wanting for ages.
So it would appear that the fat lady hasn't sung and I certainly see this device doing better than WP8.
Check on out yourself when they are released before making judgement.
Enough fair comments about RIM software (c'mon, there is a reason the bought and extended QNX!) but I want to comment on the hardware. Yes the CPUs are not the fastest, the memory's not beating the records but if you have Dalvik i.e. JVM running on your Android phone there is plenty of overhead for simplest of application. RIM do not have to run all applications on JVM (although they can), thus they can deliver very smooth experience with fewer CPU cycles and thus not the fastest CPU.
Also, entirely different point: I picked BB Bold as my first smartphone because of the keyboard. For me, a phone is primarily communication device, for texts, emails and BBMs, and for this I wanted a good keyboard. And I got one, best in class. If you think that keyboard is "antiquated" you've clearly never used one so, kindly please, stop spilling bollocks and shut the f* up.
My PlayBook has about a hundred apps. Anyone (aimed at developers with advanced copies) know how's the support for all the legacy apps? Assume 'abandoned' apps that would not be updated for OS10.
Also, the Android apps will still be supported I assume?
TIA.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
