BB launched new RIM OS 6

All of this new behavior comes courtesy of BlackBerry OS 6, which was also introduced with the new phone. If you've got a Bold or a 3G Pearl, you'll have the chance to upgrade should your carrier allow it; everybody else will need new hardware to enjoy the new OS.

The name for the device itself actually comes from a key acquisition that helped BlackBerry match its competitors: the company bought Torch Mobile specifically because it offered a WebKit-based browser with excellent HTML5 compatibility. It was difficult to test the browser thoroughly because of the oversubscribed wireless connectivity at the introduction, but the pages that did load displayed nicely in both portrait and landscape mode.

RIM will also let developers create standalone HTML5 apps, which will have full access to the device's services, such as calendar and contact lists, and to the GPS-derived location information.

Beyond making Web browsing a central experience, most of the features RIM highlighted in the new OS involve taking existing user favorites and enhancing them. For example, the notification bar, which shows incoming e-mails, messages, and social networking updates, can now be clicked to slide out a preview of the messages so that users can get an idea of whether something requires an urgent response. The home screen has been redesigned around multiple categories: frequently used applications, user favorites, etc. Contacts can also be placed there for easy access.

A universal feed app will aggregate messages, RSS items, social networking updates, etc. into a single screen. Selecting any item from this list will open the application dedicated to that content. RIM happily pointed out how having a true multitasking operating system makes this sort of behavior simple.

There are some completely new features as well. Like iOS, BlackBerry will now have universal search. Typing in the bar will bring up messages, applications, contacts, meetings, and settings that match partial search strings. Third-party developers will also get the opportunity to offer the data produced by their apps to the search function.

To enhance consumer appeal, BlackBerry has significantly beefed up its media capabilities. Music and photos can now be synced over WiFi with a user's PC. The music software will actually obtain the entire music library's metadata, allowing users to manage content and playlists, even for songs that aren't currently on the device (they'll be synced later if requested). Photos can now be organized on the device as well.