RIM shows off BlackBerry 6 on video

While RIM's WES 2010 keynote is still ongoing, the company's YouTube channel has kindly released the first teaser video for the incoming BlackBerry 6 operating system. There's a lot of movement on screen -- so much, in fact, that it's almost like RIM really doesn't want you to see the OS at all. We did catch sight of a Cover Flow-aping music organizer, an onscreen keyboard engaging in some threaded messaging, Facebook and Twitter clients, and even the briefest of glimpses at that famed WebKit-based browser. Interaction in the video is done via touch, but you'll naturally be able to utilize the new interface on more conventional, touch-less devices as well. Skip past the break for the moving pictures.

[gadgetOCD Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:45AM]

watch with no sound - these dancer people are terribly annoying...btw - this is a weak rehash of the os

[Mach Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:58AM]

@gadgetOCD Though I agree that the video is a bit bizarre, I actually think the OS doesn't look too bad... Some of the contextual popups and organizing the feeds looked pretty nice.

[Bratan Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:00AM]

@gadgetOCD Is dancing a requirement for UI to work? I'd feel real uncomfortable if I had to do a spin every time I need to send SMS

[Rice090 Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:08AM]

@Bratan
Blackberry 6: Now with Project Natal integration!

[hastings Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:09AM]

@gadgetOCD

This actually looks very promising, there are a lot of subtle changes that you would miss if you're not a BlackBerry user. I've created a list with time stamps.

- Slide the homescreen icons to pull up the Application Menu.
- "Extended Search" in the Media player which searches your library of multimedia while also searching YouTube, and presumably the internet. (0:23) (0:37)
- Cover flow style media player. (0:27)
- New YouTube application, more iPhone style looking. (0:38)
- Pinch to zoom added to photos. (0:53)
- Some sort of Quick Menu to switch applications, zoom, set as wallpaper, all within multimedia.
- Touching the notifications area on the home screen causes all of your "Today" content (Messages, Calls, Calendar events) to slide down. (0:57)
- Improved HTML email support. (1:02)
- New 'Contacts' Quick Menu, touch a contacts name to email, view, call, BBM, text, etc. (1:04)
- New Application Switcher, no more scrolling left-right, instead it appears in a 3xX grid. (1:11)
- New Search function, again, looks similar to a Universal Search feature. Search your applications, web, contacts, etc, all from the home screen. (1:15)
- New keyboard, presumably what we'll see on a new touch screen device. Is it surepress? No idea. (1:15)
- Much nicer looking calendar. (1:20)
- Slide through different application sections on your homescreen, "All", "Favorites", "Media". (1:28-1:33)
- New WebKit browser, which apparently drives a lot of the OS as well. (1:44)
- Tab support in the new browser. (1:45)
- New "Social Feeds" application. Looks to combine all of your Facebook/Twitter messages into a single stream. Also shows "RSS" option. (1:49)
- Improved messaging features, touch a contact to display all methods of contacting them. AIM, Twitter, Live Messenger, Google Talk, BBM, Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook, MySpace. (1:51)
- Native Twitter support right from the OS through the "Social Feeds" app. (1:59)

[Hitman Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:10AM]

@gadgetOCD

My Storm 2 feels lusty.
PS, What's with the cheesy commercial, RIM?

[Stevenamani Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:14AM]

@hastings "I'm so 2008, you're so two-thousand-late" - Ironic isn't it?

[Darth Vadar Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:19AM]

@Hitman
I think they partnered up with modernista........

[AppleDrank Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:19AM]

@hastings

Ok do people in suits actually do work or just fack around onYoutube/TWITer and Facebook all day while enslaving Chinese babies to make iPods...

just want to know.

[Maddux Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:20AM]

@gadgetOCD
AND a rehash of a better implemented Palm commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1OHlFOee2w

[haosu Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:26AM]

@gadgetOCD Yeah, they are really distracting

[CHICHIgetdaYAYO Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:37AM]

@gadgetOCD

So do I have to "Pop lock and drop it" everytime I update my FB status? just sayins is all :/

[Bobot Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:38AM]

@gadgetOCD

I have watched the video without sound and its very funny!!! I specially like the "shag movement" the businessman did when he viewed info about "Natasha" LOL!

[Wesscoast Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:41AM]

@AppleDrank

Since when are 16 year olds babies?

Just because you didn't have a job in your teens to support your family doesn't mean harder working people out there shouldn't.

[creamthemintman1 Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:44AM]

@gadgetOCD

It doesn't matter if it's a weak rehash of the OS. Blackberry is the official phone of ghetto trash... the same folks that thought the sidekick was OS was great.

[fLim Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:46AM]

@hastings

Man! If Kin got into some kind of trouble for showing someone taking a picture under his t-shirt, RIM is going one step beyond!

At 1:08 the "suit-guy" is calling Natasha Simoes to tell her is about time to "get jiggy with it."

Awesome! I dig!

But I might that BB is dying a little bit more...

[furquanatique Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:55AM]

@Stevenamani
"I'm so 2008, you're so two-thousand-late" - Ironic isn't it?"

She is actually singing:
"Im so 3008, you so 2000 and late" - No irony there. You fail.

[ZorroAMG Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:56AM]

@Stevenamani she actually says 3008, so uh.....

Either way BB is always playing catchup it seems.

[teesquared Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:57AM]

@Stevenamani

she said 3008 not 2008....but yeah

[donv69 Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:58AM]

@gadgetOCD I thought the girl danced damn well. Made me hot.

[seangt Posted Apr 27th 2010 11:02AM]

@Stevenamani she says....3008. three-thousand. and eight. but yeah, this would really only be impressive in 2008.

[brokensticks Posted Apr 27th 2010 11:05AM]

@gadgetOCD I agree... WTH just show us the interface, how to access things... The dancing people are just too much of a distraction.

[bonesb Posted Apr 27th 2010 11:22AM]

@Bratan But you could get away with telling your friends to sit and spin, although it *would* get old after the 55th time...

[Jakejd Posted Apr 27th 2010 12:03PM]

@Stevenamani
Irony WIN

*yawn* still the same 3:4 ratio display. Put this on a sleek touchscreen running at least 480x854 and MAYBE we'd have something noteworthy here.

[NYNY Posted Apr 27th 2010 12:09PM]

@gadgetOCD I couldn't watch the whole thing... Is this really how BB wants to show off its new OS? As Maddux said, Palm has a similar ad which is better. Which is funny given Palm's troubles with marketing.

[kklier Posted Apr 27th 2010 12:17PM]

@gadgetOCD super duper pooper annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[flyboy A Posted Apr 27th 2010 12:36PM]

@Stevenamani it's 'I'm so 3008', nice try though.

[Oghowie Posted Apr 27th 2010 12:48PM]

@Bobot Natasha is obviously his mistress.

[crichton007 Posted Apr 27th 2010 12:56PM]

@gadgetOCD Yes, this does look like lipstick on a pig.

[danielbello92 Posted Apr 27th 2010 1:10PM]

@hastings why is no one else noticing all these changes? people need to play this in slow motion and take in what is actually happening. at first it looks like just a fancier animation UI but if play it again there's a ton of little hints in changes in the UI and new features. I think this is seriously something for BB users to be excited about. Nothing Earth Shattering, but exciting none the less.

[bioadam Posted Apr 27th 2010 1:54PM]

@hastings Feeds: yes that looks cool. What was missing though was some indication that the cut and past tabs will stop jumping all over the screen like squirrels on fire. Unlike the dancers in the ad, I usually type messages longer than one word.

[retro77 Posted Apr 27th 2010 3:23PM]

Did I really see multitouch when she showed the picture of the headphones and made it slightly bigger? Eluding to multitouch devices coming out?

[iBuferd Posted Apr 27th 2010 3:28PM]

@Rice090
"Project Natal Integration!" Bravo. I love it!

[Jakejd Posted Apr 27th 2010 3:30PM]

@retro77

The Storm and Storm 2 are both multi-touch already. What you mean is that this has "pinch to zoom," which OS5 lacks.

[Jakejd Posted Apr 27th 2010 3:37PM]

@gadgetOCD

Serious question about the dancing -- there are times when the dancers shimmy or shake and all of the sudden a menu pops up. Was this because the choreographer didn't know what to have the dancers do at that point, or because the OS features context-sensitive kinetic commands? Like "shake for task switcher"? Check out 1:10 -- dude shakes, and then the screen shakes, and then the task switcher comes up.

Either way, I'm not sure if that would be a pain in the ass or very convenient...

[karmeenpc Posted Apr 27th 2010 5:40PM]

this ad looks just like Palm's one for webOS...RIM obviously has no more ideas

[merianloki Posted Apr 27th 2010 6:47PM]

@gadgetOCD Been waiting for this, as well for the 9650 having this new platform. First view.. http://j.mp/blackberry-9650-viewed

[first name Greatest Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:02PM]

@donv69
i get the feeling you and i are the only ones that noticed that there was a BAD chick at the beginning!
i didnt notice the BB OS til 0:56

[donv69 Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:12PM]

@gadgetOCD Honestly, if RIM comes out with a Storm 3, I'm diving in. I'm really tired of getting tossed around the WebOS, Android 1.5 and Android 2.1 game.

I'm saying this cause Canada has a real lack of good phones. Most of what's read here will never make it to Canada. And if they do, be so outdated when we get it its nuts. Thinking of leaving Bell and going to Telus.

[jovanin Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:28PM]

@donv69
Get a Motorola Milestone, honestly best phone i have ever used. Its upgraded to 2.1 now as well.

[n19htmare Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:49PM]

@gadgetOCD

I watched it at work with no sound. thought it was GAY!!!!!

[n19htmare Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:50PM]

@gadgetOCD

I just watched it at home W/ Sound and it's even Gayer!

[Hades Posted Apr 28th 2010 1:55AM]

@hastings maybe i didnt catch all the changes cause android been doing that for a year already, with HTC sense and moto blur nothing that left me in shock and awe.

[SamStoleWhat Posted Apr 28th 2010 9:50AM]

@gadgetOCD
Its ironic how in the song it says: I'm so 2008 ...

[wtgig Posted Apr 28th 2010 4:54PM]

@Stevenamani

actually... it's "I'm so 3008 you so 2000 and late"...not what you just typed... in other words you should not have been highly ranked...

[mattflick819 Posted Apr 30th 2010 12:26AM]

@Bobot Haha wow your totally right! Thats awesome.

[Miakandogadget Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:46AM]

What the feck?

[Dirojey Posted Apr 27th 2010 9:49AM]

@Miakandogadget more like "what the puck!?"

[genomalice Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:08AM]

@Dirojey
Nope, more like what the "phuck"

[Mike Posted Apr 27th 2010 10:14AM]

@Miakandogadget

What the "feck" indeed at the iPhone wallpaper in the photo gallery at 0:50!