BlackBerry OS 6.0 screenshots and details leak out
By Nilay Patel 
posted April 20th 2010 12:25PM
posted April 20th 2010 12:25PM
Now, here's the interesting parts. First, it's obvious that this system is made for and being demoed on a touchscreen device, yet BGR says it was being shown off by an "AT&T connect." That suggests Ol' Blue is about to get a touchscreen BlackBerry of its own to counter Verizon's Storm sometime soon -- perhaps that leaked slider? We can't say for sure. What we can say for sure is that this is the third set of 6.0 leaks we've seen that have content about San Francisco and the earthquake in Haiti displayed on the screen -- and while RIM has said the previous two leaks were just mockups, it's more than a little odd that SF / Haiti has become a theme here. What does it all mean? We may never know, but whatever -- just hit us with that new browser and we'll stop asking questions.
Looks like current version of Blackberry OS mixed with iPhone OS
@OCEAN CLAK
http://media.boygeniusreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/BlackBerry-OS-6.0-4.jpg
http://media.boygeniusreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/BlackBerry-OS-6.0-3.jpg
So who else is ditching a Storm for an Incredible?
@OCEAN CLAK
Bout flippin time...
@MONKEY See my comment below...I am! haha
Still hoping RIM can pick up their game though, I don't want to see them fail even if I'm no longer a user.
I hope the next Blackberry on AT&T is a good touchscreen, with a great 5mpx or above camera, and this updated software 6.0.
As much as I hate going to the iPhone (which I now have), with AT&T the choices are only so much if you're not buying the iPhone. And with the iPhone 4G coming out, and already having the knowledge it has flash + updated camera and is jailbreakable...I want BB to pull something crazy so I can use their BBM and docking station charging style.
@MONKEY Already ditched my Storm for a Pre Plus which is about to get ditched for an Incredible.
@bonesb I just ditched my Storm for a Pre Plus too. Mostly for the free wireless hotspot feature. Unless Android does wireless hotspot.. I'm skipping.
@OCEAN CLAK
Eh, this doesn't look like it's coming to my 9000 any time soon.
I'm tired of websites containing a bit of javascript bogging down the browser to the point where it takes 45 seconds to render a page.
@MONKEY
Does ditching a Tour for an Incredible count?
i agree
And to think, it was just last week that RIM’s CEO was telling us all about how touchscreens are passé.
On a more serious note, glad to see RIM stepping back up to the plate. Their sales have stayed high, but it’s been on a raft of cheap, forgettable hardware that’s done little to advance innovation in the industry. I hated the BlackBerry I used to have, but I’d be pleased to see RIM pull a Microsoft and put together a compelling, next-generation system. And a WebKit-based browser? Long overdue, but better late than never.
@Christian
I wonder if there are any real Blackberry fans out there? Everyone I know who owns a Blackberry, either got it free from their company or they are stuck on Verizon waiting for an iPhone.
@justinpe yea there are....if you do a Twitter search for #TeamBlackberry or #TeamBB and see all the people that love their BBs....sadly, most aren't tech people....but just people following the crowd
@Christian the CEO actually said that? What a fool. He probably only said that because they failed at making one themselves. Touchscreen phones are anything but passé. The only touchscreen phone that is passé is their crappy storm and storm2. They've got security and email down but that's about it.
@techi25
I think people are getting that from this Engadget post, which has since been edited/updated. That's not quite what he said...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/16/rims-mike-lazaridis-issues-report-from-bizarro-world-says-touc/
@justinpe im using a Bold 9700 on AT&T and i love it. i got it instead of an iPhone because i wanted multitasking and didn't want to have to use iTunes. i gotta say i don't know how you iPhone people live without multitasking.
@justinpe
one right here, i bought my tour about 4 months ago and couldnt be happier.
made the decision over the droid and i would do it again.
not interested in an iphone at all, its a good phone but meh i like physical buttons
@justinpe Hi there.
That browser looks pretty cool.
@N900: Isn't everything after Apple has done the heavy lifting, e.g., Webkit, multi-touch, appstore, etc.?
My Bold 9700 approves of this article!
Blackberry is the new Palm.
@captaind172
RIM shoudl buy palm.
@DeFlanko
I don't think RIM would know what to do with Palm. It's like the nerd (RIM) finally getting with a hot chick (Palm)...
@Plazmic Flame The hot chick with all of her emotional baggage (debt, employees making a run for it, etc). They would be better off going for a slightly less hot chick without so many issues.
@captaind172
Coca-Cola should buy Palm.
@Evan It's wrong to assume that every hot chick is loaded up with issues, just like it's wrong to assume every nerd is smart. Case is point: you.
@Techno1q -- "Coca-Cola should buy Palm."
Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?
@captaind172
Not sure why I was down ranked. The fact is, there is a mass exodus of Blackberry users. Their OS dated, and they've waited a long time to come out with something new. In the meantime you've had Apple, Google, MS and Palm coming up with come great stuff OS wise.
Like Palm, I think RIM has waited too long to come out with an updated OS. They're doing it after the fact that many people are leaving them behind. Palm made a big mistake of waiting so long to finally develop something like WebOS, instead of constantly pushing. ahead. Many of Palms customers waited and waited, got fed up and left. I think RIM has done the same thing.
'Me too' stuff but probably enough to keep them on top.
Too little too late?
@mr88 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rim-sales-earnings-expected-to-show-strong-growth-2010-03-31
But no I agree, they should just pack it up and quit....../s
@mr88
...thinking about it more, I think my comment only really applies to the consumer end of the market. I really think consumer will still want more. Businesses won't want too much change anyway, and they will still probably stick with RIM for the most part.
Personally, as a current BlackBerry Storm owner, it will be nice if this comes out in June/July, but I'm due for a new phone in August anyway, and the Incredible is still looking really nice to me right now. I don't plan on owning another RIM device (unless an employer gives it to me).
@N900
I didn't say they should just pack it up. It just seems like, as others have pointed out, this is a lot of just copying (not completely) of what other OSs have done recently. Aside from the browser (which has long needed an overhaul anyway) not too much has changed dramatically. It looks like they added universal search (or at least some kind of search to the home screen) and multitouch. Nothing new, revolutionary, or noteworthy, which is what they need to get ahead in the consumer market.
Is this a step in the right direction? Yes. But they need to have new features that Android and/or iPhone don't already offer that might attract new smartphone customers.
@mr88 Ok, sorry for the terseness. But here's to hoping that 6 will be a win for the consumers.
@N900 No worries, and I can agree with that. Also, these are obviously just a few screenshots and a few details, there could be a lot more we don't know about yet. I hope that's the case (especially some better resource management, pulling your batter a couple times a day is the worst).
WoW! A BB touch screen running 6.0 going up against iPhone 4th Gen this summer? Folks, IT JUST GOT "REAL" up in here! Oh, and DARN YOU AT&T AND YOUR DELICIOUS (unlockable ;^) GSM DEVICES!
@Frankenstein Black - I honestly don't find iPhone's Application Lockdown and DRM delicous at all. Just my opinion.
grats BB for basically becoming irrelevant and now just desperately ripping off iphone OS (photos app, fake coverflow etc etc)
@stevelam
FYI there pimp'n....jukboxes had cover flow loooooong before Apple. And what is your def of irrelevant? See...to this guy *points at self* 50% + marketshare is I dunno...poignant.
@YoMamaOS irrelevant = outdated, tech stuck in year 2000, backed by businesses who have no idea how to adapt to change.
just look at windows mobile. huge marketshare and yet completely irrelevant now. obviously windows 7 mobile was a reaction to the iphone as is this new BB OS.
@stevelam Ripping off iPhone OS in which Version 4 of the iPhone OS rips off WinMo/Android/WebOS. YAY! Vicious circle!
@stevelam
Adapting to change and using what works are 2 different things entirely. RIM and Microsoft cater to the enterprise and Android is moving in that direction as well. Apple caters to the general user and just happens to have SOME enterprise support. If Apple had the enterprise features of the BB OS, RIM would have been dead long ago, but here we are today both still standing tall.
I dunno why everybody thinks that business are just slow to change. There is a cost factor involved, but people rarely think about that here.
@stevelam
Dont believe everything that you breath, you'll get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleave.
@PBB
Which enterprise features does Android and the new Windows Phone Series have that iphone doesn't?
@Kwame Nkrumah Android and iPhone enterprise abilities are somewhat on par. The only difference between them is the ability to control them. Android isn't tied to a third party (i.e MobileMe) because it already integrates with exchange. As far as WinMo and BB phones are concerned, their enterprise features heavily outweigh MobileMe. For one, as long as you have an exchange server, you can remotely control both. As well as OS deployment, Software deployment, security enforcement, etc. MobileMe offers some of this, but is still nothing compared to what the Exchange server and BIS/BES can do naively.
Might get there some day though.
Looks so uninspired.
About bloody time!
@OCEAN CLAK
Other than the cover-flow lookalike, not really.