BlackBerry PlayBook won’t be getting BlackBerry OS 10

Do you own a BlackBerry PlayBook? The 7-inch tablet made by RIM (BlackBerry) two years ago? If yes, bad news awaits.

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins announced that the promised BlackBerry 10 update for all PlayBook isn’t going to push through.

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That is announced after not being able to reach target profit for the Q1 2013. BlackBerry’s sole justification of leaving PlayBook behind is that they wanted to focus and give more attention to core products since it wasn’t able to deliver good performance in terms of profit.

Remember what Heins said in an interview? “In five years I don’t think there’ll be a reason to have a tablet anymore.”

BlackBerry PlayBook was released in April 2011. It did received an update to it’s OS dubbed PlayBook OS 2.0 last year that enhanced the independence of the tablet from a BlackBerry smartphone and also had the ability to sideload Android applications.

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The race to break the OS duopoly

During the course of the past six months, several companies have announced their new mobile platform hoping to break the Apple-Google duopoly. Today we’ll take a closer look at 5 of those operating systems and see which one has what it takes to be the next big thing in the OS wars.


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Two of the candidates in this list (BlackBerry OS 10 and Windows Phone 8) are already out in the market, while three are still in the last phase of development and is scheduled to make its debut in the latter part of this year. Furthermore, the two OS out in the market are both closed source and the 3 upcoming platforms are all open source.

BlackBerry OS 10

Company: BlackBerry Ltd. (formerly known as Research In Motion)
Source Model: Closed source
OS Architecture: Real-time Microkernel (QNX)
Supported Programming Language: JavaScript, CSS, HTML
Supported App Framework: Qt/QML and HTML5
User Interface: BlackBerry 10 UI
Min. Hardware Requirements: Undisclosed
Announcement Date: January 30, 2013
Status: Available
Devices: Limited to BlackBerry handsets as of the moment

The BlackBerry OS 10, as well as the BlackBerry Tablet OS, is the product of the acquisition of QNX Software Systems, the company behind this Microkernel-based OS. As such, the platform shares some distinct features with its tablet counterpart just like the bezel-to-screen swipe gestures called Blackberry Flow and Peek for navigation and multitasking.

bb os 10

Apart from revamped UI, the BB OS 10 also boasts several new features including BlackBerry Hub, Balance, Time Shift Camera. Being known for providing one of the best keyboard in the industry, the on-screen keyboard of the BlackBerry Z10 has also seen a significantly improvement over the previous builds. The virtual keyboard bears the company’s renowned layout and is now capable of auto-predicting the next word that the user will type. The predicted word/s is displayed on top of a certain key and can be used by flicking upwards.

After a long period of silence, BlackBerry is starting to create a buzz in the mobile industry with the release of the highly anticipated mobile platform, the BlackBerry OS 10. The OS, along with the two new handsets (Z10 and Q10) that features it, has been regarded by many smartphone enthusiasts as the Canadian company’s last ditch effort to regain its place in the consumer and enterprise market. Now that the OS is out in the open, the key is for the company to back up their brainchild with aggressive marketing strategy.

Firefox OS

Company: Mozilla Foundation
Source Model: Open Source
OS Architecture: Monolithic (Linux Kernel)
Supported App Framework: HTML5
User Interface: Gaia
Min. Hardware Requirements:
Processor: 800MHz
RAM: 256MB RAM
Display: QVGA
Announcement Date: July 25, 2010 (Boot to Gecko), July 2012 (Firefox OS)
Status: In development, target launch on Q3 2013
Devices: Alcatel, LG Electronics, ZTE, Huawei, TCL Corporation, Sony

Deeply rooted in Mozilla’s core is the organization’s advocacy to promote openness, innovation and opportunity. This belief is reflected on almost everything that they do, including their latest endeavor the Firefox OS.

The goal is to build “a complete, standalone operating system for the open web.” In order to achieve this, Mozilla uses HTML5 in programming the platform and for developing applications. This allows developers to easily port their apps that are previously written for other platforms to the upcoming OS.

firefox os

In the recently concluded MWC, the organization announced the companies that joined their cause. These companies include several telcos and a handful of device manufacturers. At the convention, Mozilla also showcased a pair of handsets (Alcatel One Touch Fire and ZTE Fire) that sports the OS.

Sailfish OS

Company: Jolla Ltd.
Source Model: Open Source
OS Architecture: Monolithic (Linux Kernel)
Supported App Framework: Qt/QML
User Interface: Jolla UI
Min. Hardware Requirements: TBA
Announcement Date: November 21, 2012
Status: In development, target launch on Q1 2013
Devices: TBA

Equipped with more than enough knowledge and expertise about mobile OS, Jolla Mobile, the team that brought us MeeGo and MaeMo is back with a vengeance and is looking to make another mark in the industry with their upcoming platform dubbed as Sailfish OS.

sailfish os

The concept behind the OS is rather simple; merge Mer (MeeGo Reconstructed) and MeeGo’s architecture and further develop it using Qt Quick, QML and HTML5. The result that the team is hoping for is platform that “brings and fosters innovation to offer unique differentiation and a competitive advantage for OEMs and ODMs, chipset providers, operators, application developers and retailers.”
Jolla Ltd. has yet to officially name a mobile manufacturer that would carry their OS. It’s been said that the design of the phone will come from the organization itself, but because of the platform’s versatility, Jolla is confident that the integration of the OS to other devices should be a breeze.

Ubuntu Touch

Company: Canonical Ltd.
Source Model: Open source
OS Architecture: Monolithic (Linux Kernel)
Supported App Framework: Qt/QML and HTML5
User Interface: Unity UI based on Ubuntu 10.10
Min. Hardware Requirements: 1GHz Cortex A9 processor, 512MB RAM
Announcement Date: January 2, 2013
Status: Slated for Q4 2013 launch
Devices: TBA

Ubuntu Touch hails from a long line of Open Source operating system developed by Canonical for desktop users. With a slogan of “One Device To Rule Them All”, Canonical is looking to capitalize on their expertise in the desktop ecosystem and apply those in their upcoming mobile platform.

The mobile OS will sport a home grown, gesture-based UI called Unity UI which is inspired by the netbook-optimized version of Ubuntu. Unity UI bears some similarities with Blackberry OS 10’s UI, particularly in the navigation aspect, as both makes use of the every inch of the device’s display for basic operations. This eliminates the need for a physical button and makes it easier for users to navigate through various selections. The downside, however, is that it requires a lot of getting used to in order for the touch-based operation to feel natural.

ubuntu touch

Canonical’s goal is to provide users with the near-desktop experience on their mobile devices by integrating some of key components of the desktop version of the platform to the gesture-based UI. The company has yet to disclose the manufacturers who will use the Ubuntu Touch on their smartphones, but Mark Shuttleworth (Founder and CEO of Canonical, Ltd) mentioned that the first devices running on their Linux-Based OS is slated to debut on October of this year.

Windows Phone 8

Company: Microsoft
Source Model: Closed source
OS Architecture: Hybrid Windows NT Kernel
Supported App Framework: Microsoft XNA
User Interface: Windows 8 (Metro UI)
Min. Hardware Requirements:
Processor: Snapdragon S4 dual-core
RAM: 512MB (WVGA), 1GB for 720p
ROM: 4GB
Announcement Date: October 29 2012
Status: Out in the market
Devices: HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung

For the majority of users, Windows Phone 8 may just seem like a major update to the last version of WP7.8 (Tango). This misconception may have sprung up due to the similarities that this OS and the previous generations share in common, especially in the user interface department. However, truth be told, there are more to Windows Phone 8 than meets the eye.

Probably the most significant improvement that WP8 has over previous builds is at its core. Instead of using a similar kernel as the pre-historic Windows CE, Microsoft utilized a Hybird (Monolithic – Microkernel) Windows NT kernel that is also being used on Windows 8. The use of this kernel has resulted to a significant improvement in the mobile platform’s ability to handle multi-core processors, higher screen resolution and storage expansion via Micro-SD card; three of the many things that users and journalists have been complaining since the debut of Windows Phone7.

windows phone 8

However, one of the major drawbacks that WP8 has is the fact that it cannot be installed on devices running on WP7. Microsoft explains that this is due to the hardware limitations presented by the earlier devices running on an older version of their platform. When this news made the headlines, it sparked an uproar in the WP7 community which also proved crucial to the success of WP7-powered handsets in the market. In the end, users are left with a hard pill to swallow; be content with their current device’s OS or move on to WP8.

As of the time of writing, both BB OS 10 and WP8 have a clear advantage over the other candidates in our list. In the case of BlackBerry, it has already established a following in the past; they just need to get things back on track to reclaim their spot in the upper echelon of the OS wars with BlackBerry OS 10. Windows Phone 8, on the other hand, is still on shaky grounds, but the single major edge it has over its competition is the fact that users can seamlessly transition from one Windows-powered device to the other since it also has a counterpart in the tablet and desktop scene.

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As for the three upcoming open source OS, it’s still pretty early to tell whether these platforms will make it to the big leagues, let alone break the two-horse race between Android and iOS. Make no mistake though; each of these platforms presents a very interesting proposition for its potential users. So the effort is definitely there, the question is if it’s gonna be enough to be named as one of the greats in the industry.

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BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 to run Android 4.1 apps

In an effort to further expand the Blackberry World’s app offering, Blackberry is planning to upgrade the runtime of their new platform for it to be able support Android Jelly bean apps in the future.


One of the things that the Blackberry platform has always been criticized for is its scarcity of popular apps. The main reason why it is such is because the Blackberry OS’s runtime is still stuck at Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). In effect, app developers cannot port their app to since their apps are already designed for latter iterations of the Android OS.

Blackberry Z10

But that’s about to change as Blackberry is planning to bring their platform’s runtime up to speed with Android‘s runtime. They have their work cut out for them, but if they succeed in this venture, it’ll open a lot of doors for the new platform and eventually bring in more quality apps to the Blackberry World.

As of the time of writing, the project is still on the planning phase and the Canadian company is still mum on when they plan to roll-out the update.

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BlackBerry Z10 meets iOS and Android users

More than its external features, much of the publicity that’s going for the recently announced Blackberry Z10 has something to do with its OS. And while there’s no doubt that the Blackberry OS 10 offers innovative and relevant features, we wonder how long will it take for an average user to figure out the phone’s basic functionalities.


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Luckily, we’re not the only one wondering about this. Mashable has taken this curiosity to the next level and asked a few willing first-timers to execute basic tasks on the new Blackberry Z10. Watch out what happens when Android/iOS users meets the Blackberry OS 10:

So does this mean that the new Blackberry OS is not user-friendly? Well, it’s kinda early to tell, but judging from my experience when using the Dev Alpha device, I think that the platform was nothing short of great. However, as with any other new things in this world, it will take some time before a user can fully maximize the operating system’s great features.

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BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 officially announced

Finally! RIM, or should I say BlackBerry, has officially announced its first BlackBerry 10 smartphones – the full-touch Z10 and the keyboard-equipped Q10.

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For those who want a full-touchscreen experience, the BlackBerry Z10 offers 4.2-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 768 which equates to 356 ppi. It sports a dual-core TI OMAP 4470 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front-facing, 16GB of internal storage. microSD card support up to 32GB, Micro HDMI, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, WiFi a/b/g/n, LTE, and a removable 1,800 mAh battery.

BB_Q10

Next is the BlackBerry Q10 which is equipped with a QWERTY physical keyboard and an “edge-to-edge” glass. It has a 3.1-inch super AMOLED touchscreen display with 720 x 720 resolution at 330ppi. Like the Z10, the Q10 also has an 8 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front-facing, 16GB of internal storage with microSD card support, Bluetooth, WiFi and LTE.

Both handsets will run the new BlackBerry 10 OS which include new features such as BlackBerry Hub, an improved BlackBerry Keyboard, BlackBerry Messenger with Voice Chat and Screen Share, BlackBerry Balance and BlackBerry Remember.

Local pricing and availability are still unknown but Thorsten Heins mentioned that price points depend on carrier partners.

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