RIM Improves BlackBerry PlayBook With 2.0 Upgrade: Hands-On - baileycoluch

RIM's Blackberry bush PlayBook 2.0 software update has been a long sentence in coming; the first we heard about the possibility of financial backing for Android apps was cardinal months ago. But from my early appear, the update was not only Charles Frederick Worth the wait, but also may be what RIM inevitably to do its 7-inch PlayBook tab more capitalistic and preferred. The free update wish ejaculate to all PlayBook users in February.

The heroic news, of row, is the addition of Android app support. Apps have to be tweaked by developers, then approved and added to Brim's App World, but the live to users is seamless. If Brim gets lots of developers on board with the conversion and keeps apps updated, IT could dramatically boost its app selection–long a sore point with the PlayBook.

Android apps looked great on the screen, and behaved the same as native apps in terms of how they looked in the app computer menu and worked in multitasking. I detected a trifle interim opening apps in my demo, but performin games looked great, with smooth graphics even off on a 3D app.

A Big Refresh

For starters, RIM has updated the home silver screen. The favorite icons dock now stays at the top of the apps menu page. RIM joins its iOS and Mechanical man rival by allowing you to make up folders; just hold down an app icon, drag uncomparable app onto other, and change the app describ.

The PlayBook even gets a new onscreen keyboard.

The notifications area on the upper left recession of the home screen gets more crowded with e-mail notifications A well as the customary system-tear down messages. And a unused modality shows what updates are coming through a Bridge connection–for representative, BlackBerry Messenger content, or calendar invites.

When the PlayBook launched in April last yr, its hardware was highly competitive, with a largely appealing, albeit squared-polish off design. The primary complaints had nothing to do with the computer hardware; but rather with illogical software omissions (RIM had no e-mail customer, and nary calendar or contact apps), and a limited indigen app ecosystem for the QNX-based operating system of rules.

PlayBook 2.0 OS is likely the package that RIM should have launched with. And as frustrating as it's been to await what feels interminably long for the arrival of email, calendar, and contacts apps–and the longstanding-promised Android support–RIM did a dear job bundling these to make for a single, compelling upgrade.

The email app operates similarly to the measure BlackBerry Messenger app. You can combine multiple message sources into a adaptable inbox, and so personal email, work email, and eve messages from social sites like Linked In and Twitter (the only two so ALIR). You can choose which accounts you want notifications from; for example, you can select which accounts on your BlackBerry call up should notify you of recent messages via Bridge.

The email app lets you format textbook easy.

In its plan, the email app behaves much like Android's native netmail app. One differentiator: IT makes IT really easy to attention deficit disorder textual matter data format to your message; through simple taps or dropdowns, you can change the font and typeface size, change the text color, indention text edition, add a bulleted or numbered list, and adjust text alignment.

The software program keyboard has been redesigned to add predictive text suggestions, autocorrection, and discourse prediction of your next word. The predictive options meant that the keys had to become more opened than they are long-legged.

All About Social

The contacts app becomes something of a social hub in RIM's execution. The left pane shows contact information and image; the briny pane offers a view of the contact's placard, Beaver State other selective information you select from toolbar flying along the right-hand side of the screen. As with email, contacts desegregate Chirrup and LinkedIn to get in attendant information.

The toolbar includes options to show: general contact information; work data from that contact's Joined In profile (if they are one of your contacts connected that service); social updates from partnered sites (again, limited to Connected In and Chitter for now); company news supported identified company name (which uses the Gist service RIM bought finale year); meetings in common, yore and portray; people you ingest in common; and places where you've been with a contact lens. You arse only if use landscape mode for the contacts app, though.

RIM wants the contacts app to be your social hub.

Cloud syncing means if you attain a change to your contacts on PlayBook, information technology will be made on your phone. And the converse is accurate, too. Calendar app syncing works similarly. PlayBook 2.0 supports syncing with Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo for calendar and email; as well as with Microsoft Convert and Lotus Domino.

The calendar app shows calendar week, month, and day views, as intimately as an expanded Agenda though that shows all related information for a given first appearance. You can also view hoi polloi in your meeting, and view their link info if they'rhenium a contact. However, you terminate't initiate a earpiece call with a "bridged" Blackberry bush by bu tapping on a phone number in the contacts.

Unitary peachy sense modality: On the time unit calendar, the busier your day is, the larger the date appears relative to different dates on the calendar; this direction, at a glance, you can view which days are busiest for you.

More Worthy Developments

First, you now get a Video Hive away, powered away Rovi, for purchasing and rental Television receiver shows and movies. What's stylish is that since IT's powered by Rovi, you rump use your content on other devices that support Roxio Now.

The calendar highlights officious days in big, bold letters.

That means you can output video to your TV at 1080p via HDMI, and use the BlackBerry Bridge remote control, new in Bridge 2.0, to turn your touchscreen BlackBerry phone into a keyboard and sneak for navigating the PlayBook.

Docs to Go has improved functionality, including PowerPoint redaction, enhanced formula sustain, and the capability to embed images. These features will be unique to the PlayBook, at least for now. You tush also send content such as Web pages, photos, emails, and documents from your phone to the BlackBerry via Bridge. Wirelessly turn content on your PC into a PDF viewable on the PlayBook victimization the Print to Go app. The print driver communicates with the PlayBook using BlackBerry ID, then prints and sends the document as a PDF.

In Video: Workforce On With BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0

The BlackBerry 2.0 update looks like its abundant with potential–if information technology works as smoothly in use as in the exhibit. Given the current encouragement pricing on the PlayBook, the lozenge may actually go from beingness a damascene brick to a viable tablet option. The BlackBerry Bridge circuit 2.0 client and BlackBerry PlayBook2.0 OS update are both cod in February. The client works on BB OS 5.0 and higher, and works with any touchscreen Blackberry bush.

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