BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 hands-on (video)
Highlighting RIM's presence at CES 2012 is the official unveiling of PlayBook OS 2.0. On track for a February arrival, this release will deliver many features that productivity-minded users have pined for since the tablet's arrival. First and foremost, we were given a demo of the PlayBook's new email client and address book. The new software is functional and intuitive, which offers a unified inbox, application integration and ties to social networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn. Also quite nice, the calendar displays both day and agenda views, along with the individuals you'll meet during the day. We also saw a quick demo of the BlackBerry Bridge functionality, which offers integration between the smartphone and tablet. While the PlayBook fell on its face a few times during this bit, we ultimately saw the smartphone successfully push web links and pictures to the tablet for easier viewing. Due to the Bridge hiccups, we noticed the PlayBook took especially long to boot, which RIM states is due to the support for Android apps. We were given a quick demo of this feature as well, and much to the company's relief, this segment went quite flawlessly and without fanfare. Be sure to check the full demonstration just after the break.
Joseph Volpe contributed to this report
