[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LE_3SVRYx4&w=640&h=360]
In a marketing move almost as clever as bringing unannounced devices to an NBA game, RIM has rounded up 20 of BlackBerry’s biggest fans to take a look at the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, which will most certainly make or break the Canada-based phone maker.
The lucky ducks were sent to RIM’s Waterloo headquarters to get a quick hands-on demo of the new OS, and even got to meet with the one and only Thorsten Heins, RIM’s CEO.
And if there’s one group that can be safely called excited about RIM’s forthcoming OS launch, it’s the BlackBerry loyalists. In the video, you’ll hear plenty of buzzwords like “seamless,” “natural,” and “game-changer.” One guy even calls it a “rebirth” (no joke).
But there are also some concrete bits of true praise, which RIM deserves, especially when it comes to multitasking and communication management.
RIM recently demoed a pre-release build of the new software in London, showing a feature called BlackBerry Hub. This lets users see a real-time feed of notifications by simply swiping the side of their screens. At the same time, however, the user can still see the page they were on, whether it be a web page, an app, an email, etc.
It’s essentially the equivalent of sliding down Android or iOS notifications, but only part of the way, maintaining a full view of whatever you were originally doing.
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It’ll be a huge feature for the phone maker and a much-needed one if RIM wants to stay on top of the rapidly-evolving enterprise customer.
Some other BB10 tricks include new camera software that adjusts time, a “Flow” feature that lets you swipe between various content, and an awesome predictive keyboard.
Only time can tell, as we hold out just a little longer for RIM’s new software. In the words of one of the members of Team BlackBerry, “I can’t wait.”
