Glance Back
Saying BlackBerry 10 is all about the "flow" between apps, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins showed how users could quickly see other apps running by "glancing back" via menus that peek out from the side.
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[More from Mashable: RIM Releases BlackBerry 10 to Developers]
ORLANDO -- Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins gave the world a peek at what the upcoming BlackBerry 10 smartphones will offer customers.
The new system, announced Tuesday at BlackBerry World in Orlando, has some novel features. It emphasizes what Heins calls "flow" between applications, as well as social integration and multitasking. We've collected the best new aspects in the gallery above.
[More from Mashable: RIM’s Secret Weapon for Reviving BlackBerry: HTML5]
One of the key differentiators of BlackBerry 10: how applications interact with each other. Heins said the new OS would let users transition between various activities without having to return to a home screen and completely switch apps.
Instead, users will be able to "glance" at apps that are running in the background by swiping windows and menus from the side.
"No one has time to pop in and out of applications every time they want to change an application," Heins said. "We want to use a paradigm that is easy and fast. It's all about the flow."
Heins also showed off how the camera on BlackBerry 10 devices would work. When a user takes a photo, they'll be able to "go back in time" (presumably via an image buffer) to select the best shot, even if it happened before the shutter was pressed.
The functionality isn't completely new, but RIM showed off a novel variation -- you can limit the temporal shift to a specific area. So if you have the perfect shot, except your drunken aunt had her eyes closed at one moment, you can apply the effect just to her.
With the disaster that was the BlackBerry Storm a distant memory, Heins showed what RIM has in store for onscreen keyboards in BlackBerry 10. While typing, BB10 devices will predict the next word you want to type, presenting it above the letter key it starts with. To type that word, just swipe up.
Although RIM gave out prototype devices to every developer in attendance here at BlackBerry World in Orlando, the features Heins showed will only be available on consumer devices, which are due in the fall. The video below gives an impression of the consumer experience RIM hopes for
What do you think of BlackBerry 10's abilities? Does RIM have a shot at getting back in the smartphone game with them, or is it too little, too late? Have your say in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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