RIM, on Tuesday, Sept. 25, provided an insight into the upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system. The company revealed a few of the new OS' features at the BlackBerry Jam developers' conference, which may prove to be sufficient for initiating both user and carrier enthusiasm at a time when Android and iOS are the popular platform choices.
The new closed source OS is based on QNX (a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market), which RIM acquired in April 2010. RIM CEO, Thorsten Heins, has averred that the company is considering licensing BlackBerry 10 to other OEMs.
"We recognize the need for change. There is a new energy and a lot of fighting spirit at RIM," said Heins.
The upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS is said to include a new feature that will let users manage messages sent through multiple accounts. Another major feature, the BlackBerry Flow, will provide access to a number of minimized windows on users' screens. The aim here is to show a user all the apps that are currently running on the device or are active in the background. As a result, the feature will let users easily flip through these apps without having to return to the main home screen.
Apart from this, BlackBerry Hub has also been introduced. The BlackBerry Hub is a one-stop message center that will allow users to access messages from multiple e-mail accounts. This feature implies that BlackBerry Messenger, social networking sites, and text messages can now all be found in one location.
The Hub is also set to serve as an event notification area and will keep users up-to-date on any previously fixed appointment or an upcoming meeting. What's more, the feature will also give users a list of any existing contacts who are also attending the same meeting.
"We are convinced this platform will shape the next 10 years as profoundly and positive as BlackBerry shared this week," averred Heins.
RIM, per reports, has also stated that the BlackBerry App World store will start selling music, movies, and television shows, along the lines of the Google Play and Apple App stores.BlackBerry 10 is currently slated for an early 2013 release.
