Short on details but big on promise, Research in Motion teased audiences in Orlando Tuesday with a preview of a new BlackBerry operating system the company claims will change the way people see the popular smartphone.
BlackBerry 6, announced just weeks after Apple teased its followers with the company's new iPhone operating system, does much to try to shed the image of BlackBerry as a professional device and grab the attention of general consumer markets.
RIM expects to launch the new platform in the next calendar quarter.
The changes include a revamped web browser that will be based on the same core platform as iPhone's Safari browser and feature better integration of social networking feeds like Facebook and Twitter. The upgrade will also include better multi-touch support (pinch-to-zoom maps, photos, etc.) and new home screen layout. Developers will also have the opportunity to access some of the BlackBerry's deeper system functions like better GPS access.
BlackBerry, however, might just be playing catch-up to other players in the smartphone market. While BlackBerry was the first handheld device to offer instant e-mail, multi-tasking and confidently enter the corporate market, Apple and Android devices have since eclipsed its level of innovation.
"RIM is definitely taking usability cues from their competitors with BlackBerry 6," says Daniel Bader, editor-in-chief of thecellularguru.com, a smartphone analysis and review website.
"The success of the iPhone showed them that even with multi-tasking capabilities and an attractive design, what matters is the way that people interact with the ecosystem. RIM has worked very hard courting developers to the platform, but despite that they are still lagging behind both iPhone and Android in the total number of apps offered," Bader said.
"Because BlackBerry already excelled at multi-tasking, they are simplifying the use of the OS for the mainstream user. Fewer clicks are going to be needed to do the same things, and there will be less reliance on the dreaded BlackBerry button."
The smartphone market is red hot with three primary players battling it out for more users. Apple, Android and BlackBerry are the key players in a race that's worth billions of dollars per year. And the timing of BlackBerry 6 with the release of iPhone 4 is no fluke.
"It will likely be released very soon after the new iPhone OS4, and lots of comparisons will be made between the ability for RIM to bridge the gap between "hip" and "young" without alienating their existing, business-focused consumer base," said Bader.
Because of its large number of corporate clients, BlackBerry still leads the smartphone war in terms of market share. In 2009, BlackBerry represented 41.6% of the U.S. market to iPhone's 25.3%.
In terms of Internet usage by smartphone users, however, iPhone led the way with more than half of all webpage visits from smartphones.
With that in mind, Bader points out that BlackBerry's move to incorporate social networking sites into the general user experience is a shrewd one.
"Further integration will be made with Twitter and Facebook. Updates to both those applications are going to be released in the coming months, and you will be able to see your friends' updates through your Address Book," Bader said.
"There will certainly be more adopters of the BlackBerry when BlackBerry 6 is released. They are going to market it as a fresh new face on an old, reliable product."
According to a spokesperson for Research in Motion, key highlights of BlackBerry 6 include:
- Crisp, more immersive visuals, including new graphics, animations and transitions
- New WebKit browser; it's high-fidelity and very efficient, for fast, rich browsing with support for multiple sessions (i.e. tabbed browsing)
- Multi-touch support (e.g. pinch to zoom) while browsing, viewing photos, etc.
- Graphical, context-sensitive menu pop-ups
- Redesigned core apps, plus a new media player UI
- New Home Screen experience; multiple views based on content type (All, Favourites, Downloads, Media, etc.), universal search
- New app for integrating RSS and social networking feeds
Watch the Blackberry 6 preview video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlO8KMv7Bx4
