Now for something completely different

I'm going to go out on a limb here and go against the tide of negative press and actually praise Research In Motion - and more specifically, its work on BlackBerry 10.

I was recently given the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with the new platform, and while my expectations were not exactly high, I was very pleasantly surprised. I had seen the keynote and demonstrations from the BlackBerry Jam Americas, and I had to admit my reaction was something along the lines of “meh”. That was until I actually had the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha B handset in my hands, and was able to experience the new platform firsthand.

All the threads seem to be coming together finally.

Kathryn McConnachie, digital media editor, ITWeb

A bit of background: I was a “crackberry” addict for many years, and the decision to move away from the platform was not an easy one. I craved something different though, and the products that RIM has been releasing over the last couple of years (let's just be honest here) are all much of the same.

I have also not taken much joy in writing about RIM's woes in mature markets and its dwindling global market share. No one wants to see a company do badly. Competition is a good thing; it keeps products fresh and prices down for consumers. So it's very unfortunate that RIM, until now, seems to have been buckling under the pressure to compete, while others have flourished.

There do, however, seem to be changes afoot in the way the company is approaching its next major product release. In the media demo of BlackBerry 10, the local RIM representatives were keen to emphasise there is a new energy in the company - people are getting excited about the product again and are keen for it to succeed. That energy is reflected in the new platform. All the threads seem to be coming together finally.

While I'm one of those people who always roots for the underdog, I still have had my doubts about BlackBerry 10 and its ability to refresh the brand - especially given the fact that its release has been pushed out to early next year. They say in mobile, with the sheer pace of innovation, one year is the equivalent of seven years. So if that's to be believed then RIM has set itself back quite significantly, and in so doing, placed even more pressure on BlackBerry 10 to be its saving grace.

But with that in mind, I must give credit where credit is due - and after having a hands-on with BlackBerry 10, I was suitably impressed. Sure, it has kinks that need to be ironed out, but it clearly shows the direction RIM is going - and it's a good one. It's fresh, unique and has a visual impact I never expected from BlackBerry.

In reviewing many mobile handsets, real innovation has been hard to find lately. The playing field for specs has levelled out and now the user experience seems to be doing the same. But RIM has managed to come up with a completely new look and feel for BlackBerry - a look and feel that is not a replica of existing platforms, but rather completely rethought from the ground up, and rethought while keeping BlackBerry's strengths in mind.

The OS is built around the concept of mobile computing, and rethinks how multitasking is done on the mobile phone. According to RIM, the OS consists of two main environments, namely the consolidated inbox (now called “BlackBerry Hub”) and open apps (which now appear as “active windows”).

The BlackBerry Hub is always accessible through a swiping gesture, and can be customised by users to include their own choice of services. Each notification in the BlackBerry Hub can also be dealt with without having to navigate or open that specific app or service. For example, if a user receives a Facebook notification, s/he can take an action such as sending a reply or posting a comment, without needing to open Facebook itself. A simple feature, but a very compelling one. I hate having to always be in and out of apps, waiting for screens to load just to perform a simple action.

Gestures are also deeply incorporated in the new OS - with key features being “peek” and “flow”. Peek gives users the ability to easily check notifications from any screen. From the lock screen, using a short swipe users can also view the last app they were using. By dragging one's finger across the screen, one can also 'peek' under the lock screen.

Multitasking is central to the new interface, and it is easily the best I've seen. Users can have up to eight applications running at any given time - and by running, I do mean really actually running in the background, so you can pick up where you left off at any time.

These apps appear as “active windows” accessible from the home screen. Each active window shows live updates from the app and use both images and text, depending on the nature of the service. For example, the weather app shows the latest forecast, while the music app shows the album art for the currently playing track. The BBM active window also automatically shows recent status updates and profile pic changes by friends. Four active windows can fit on the screen - meaning that each window can display information in a way that is very easy to view.

RIM says it will come out with both touch and qwerty BlackBerry 10 devices. With the keypad being so central to the identity of the brand, RIM has been putting a lot of work into the performance of the touch keypad.

Based on the context in which the user is typing (for example, whether it's an e-mail or a Facebook status), the new platform can actually suggest words based on the context and its knowledge of the type of language and tone used by that particular user. According to RIM, heat sensors will also be able to calibrate the keyboard to suit the user's typing style to ensure accurate touch typing.

While it will still be some time before we see how RIM will actually package its new OS, the company has said there is no question that the BlackBerry 10 devices will tick all the major boxes for specs. It's no longer about specs though, they say, it's about “the experience”.

That may be true, but the fact is that consumers won't actually get to see that “experience” if the devices it comes packaged in aren't compelling enough. And we won't be seeing any of those devices until next year. By that time, though, the smartphone space could have changed completely.

There's no doubt RIM has a lot of work to do here. BlackBerry 10 in its current form is a great catch up - and perhaps right now it could have been a few steps ahead in some respects, had RIM managed to get it to market.

I just hope RIM will be able to keep up the momentum and deliver great products that will prove the 'it's too late' sentiment wrong when the time comes.

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