Research in Motion has recently released the latest update to its mobile operating system on the BlackBerry platform. The smartphone company has also launched a series of new devices that come enabled with the latest operating system in 2G and 3G versions. Users who want to enjoy the latest features available on BlackBerry will have to shell out a few hundred dollars for the new device, as older versions cannot be upgraded to the latest release. The highest OS you can upgrade your older phone to is 6, which is a stripped down version of what’s available in OS 7.1.
BlackBerry is said to have made the cheapest smartphones on the market today, staying ahead of the competition in both cost and features. Its main competitors in the mobile operating system market are Android for mobile devices and iOS, which is only available on Apple’s iPhone. Each of these has an uplink to download apps to your smartphone device. Android apps are available on Google Play (from the Google.com home page), while the Apple Store and BlackBerry App Store can be accessed on desktop and on the phone. Each of these phones also provides a native browser and integrated social feeds and networking sites.
Operating system 7.1 provides a smoother experience using the touch panel or touch screen that is available on higher models. Some new features have been introduced in the latest BlackBerry that are not available in the previous operating system. The search bar on the home page is a dynamic toolbar that doubles as a notification tray. Displays notification icons for Facebook, Twitter, BBM, text messages, and configured emails. There’s also a search shortcut on the right and a shortcut to sound profiles on the phone on the left. The usual home screen details are displayed on the top bar, which is also a drop-down button that opens Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and connection settings.
Research in Motion has developed the latest operating system keeping in mind the changing trends in the smartphone market. With Android allowing users to have and customize multiple home screens that can be accessed with the swipe motion, BB 7.1 also allows you to navigate through Home, Favorites, Downloads, and Media with the motion of the trackpad. Any website page, preloaded software or downloaded application can be added to the favorites tab for one-click access from the home screen. The latest operating system also has a default QWERTY key search that searches all folders, files, phone book, and recent browsing history.
