RIM shows off BlackBerry 10 with new on-screen keyboard and more

So today was the day many BlackBerry diehards have been waiting for, BlackBerry World and the reveal of BlackBerry OS 10 (BB10). RIM CEO Thorsten Heins took the stage this morning in what has so far, been called a dud of an event. While some of the features of the upcoming BB10 look fantastic, the overall package doesn’t seem to offer any valuable “must-have” features that customers can’t already get on other devices.

But let’s break it down.

blackberry main screen 4 icons RIM shows off BlackBerry 10 with new on screen keyboard and more
The overall user interface (UI), as you can see from the image above, consists of four live widgets, panels or tiles or whatever you choose to call them. Personally speaking, it doesn’t look very appealing or polished, in fact, it looks like the least used panel on my Android handset. You know the one that’s filed with useless widgets that barely get used. Anyway, while it’s nice that users can get information quick and easy, the design of these “tiles” are rather boring. The main page lacks the design and style that Microsoft nailed with its Metro U. RIM obviously tried something different, which I applaud them for, but I doubt this look will fly with the majority of consumers.

RIM without a doubt, makes a great physical keyboard and it looks like they’ve made another great one, one that’s actually on-screen.(*note* if you’re a fan of the BB keyboard, don’t worry, RIM has said that BB10 device with physical keyboards are coming.) Forget the mistake that was the BB Storm, RIM has gone back to the drawing board and created a new on-screen keyboard that resembles their physical keyboard found on devices like the BlackBerry Bold, but they’ve also added a very cool predictive text system, when you’re typing, a predicted word will pop up above the last letter you’ve hit, simply flick it up and it will show up in the text box above the keyboard. It’s certainly unique, but until it’s tested in the real world, we’ll hold our judgement (I can already see myself typing to fast and accidentally hitting a word or two by mistake).

The last big thing we’ll talk about is the camera, RIM’s basically taken a 3rd party camera app and turned it into their own BB10 camera software. Now when you take a picture, the phone records a few seconds before and after, like a sponge, it sort of absorbs whatever’s going on in the view finder. After you snap a shot, you’ll be able to rewind or fast forward the photo to find the perfect shot. It’s very cool, but does come at a price, from what we’ve seen, due to the technology behind this feature, there’s no auto focus on the lens. So it’s going to be trade off, will it be one that customers will sacrifice? I guess we’ll find out later this year.

While the camera’s kind of cool, but it’s sort of “Wii” cool, as in, it could end up being a gimmick and some people would rather have their auto-focus back. As for the keyboard, again, it’s cool, but it could cause problems for fast typers and it’s not something that Apple or Google couldn’t replicate for their upcoming updates. In the end, we’re left with an underwhelming home interface and nothing much else to show. RIM failed to impress, a camera and keyboard won’t force someone to buy a phone, they are two things that already exist, only slightly modified. RIM needs to come to the fight with more than a pocket knife, when Apple updated their iPhone they brought Siri and it changed the way people interacted with their phones. When Android updated to 4.0, they brought face detection, NFC beaming technology and a user interface that was beautiful and easy on the eyes, not to mention their camera had zero shutter lag and could do panoramic shots too. Most of you know me, I’m not the biggest RIM supporter, but believe me, I’m not trying to throw them under the bus. I’ll say it again, I applaud them for trying something new, but after seeing what they’ve presented today, I see nothing that would make people who love their iPhone’s or Android devices, kick them to the curb for a BlackBerry and BB10.

Sadly, I get the feeling that the RIM we know right now, will cease to exist this time next year. Prove me wrong Waterloo, prove me wrong.

And then there was X…

I guess as a blogger you appreciate the dangers of reporting on ‘previews’ as if they are final builds and as if you have personally tested them. You mention reserving judgements until you have tested the features but proceed and give them anyway?
Who told you there will be no autofocus? How do you know the rewind/fastforward feature will just disable autofocus, but the device will ship with it? The keyboard? Why is RIM the only company supposed to come with stuff Apple/Android cannot replicate?
I missed the part where RIM said those tiles were the home screen. I just saw a sneak peak of a weather app, a calendar, the music player and pictures. Even myself would never make that a home screen.
- http://www.techhog.com/ Michael T. Blake
  
  As a “blogger” and a member of the media, we get press sheets and information that’s vital to products, we also have contacts and sources who then give us feedback and believe it or not, we also do research.
  
  As far as the camera is concerned, there are technical limitations to what that camera can do, in order to achieve certain features, like rewinding, fast forwarding and such. RIM requires a different type of sensor and from what my sources tell me, in order to achieve this, they had to sacrifice auto focus, so while the camera CAN focus, it will just lack the ability to automatically do it, requiring the user to focus.
  
  I’m not exactly sure what you’re aiming at with the whole “Why is RIM the only company…” line, but that’s not the point, Apple and Android ARE THE two major forces in the mobile industry, so it doesn’t matter if RIM or Microsoft create something new that’s a simple software feature, because the leaders can simply implement it and eliminate that advantage. RIM failed to show anything that is technically groundbreaking or something that would make people kick their iPhone or Android device to the curb for a new BlackBerry, there is no WOW factor.
  
  If you witnessed the presentation, or know someone who did, you’d know that during Thorsten Heins’ presentation, the image with the 4 tiles was mentioned as being a “home screen.” Will it remain the same, mostly likely, but it could change.
  
  For RIM’s sake, I hope some of these issues can be fixed or changed, hence why I said, “Prove me wrong…”
  
  I understand and support your decision to be a BlackBerry fan, but as a member of the media and someone who deals with this stuff everyday, I see company’s strive and succeed and others crash and burn. You may not agree with us, but if you look around… we’re not the only ones saying it’s too little, too late. RIM has brought some cool elements to BB10, it’s just not enough to compete with Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and to be honest, Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS.