back to article Hands on with BB10: Strokey dokey

There is no back button in BB10, BlackBerry's long-awaited new operating system, because all the screens flow so intuitively you won't need one - at least according to Canadian mobe-makers Research in Motion (RIM). Instead, a series of swipes and pulls will let the user navigate the OS upon which RIM has pinned the survival of …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's good to have some competition in the market. It seems both Nokia and RIM are doing the innovations in usability and design that Apple used to do.

    The camera rewind is handy and having seen a demo of the OS in use it is a solid alternative to anything out there right now. Okay, if you are the sort of person who likes gimmicky features that half work then by all means stick with Samsung and Android.

    1. Lutin

      You probably didn't know that the samsung galaxy (s3/note2) already have the "gimmicky" camera rewind feature that you seem to like in the upcoming (by which I mean about 6 months away) BB10.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhkgTLCmias

    2. HMB

      Apple Innovation.

      Apple are too deeply entrenched. When you have a formula that's clearly successful, you get very scared of changing it. This is a real tough call for iOS as yes, it's looked fabulous in the past against the competition, but some people are finding that it can look a bit dated now.

  2. Lutin

    The keyboard sounds a lot like SwiftKey for Android which has all the predictive features you mentioned.

    The SGS3 and galaxy note 2 also have the "time lapse" feature on the camera, where the camera takes a burst of 5 pictures and you can choose the "best" facial pose for each person in the photo.

    1. Ambivalous Crowboard
      Thumb Down

      SwiftKey *was* good

      but since they've added features which mean that you swipe left to delete the previous word, all of a sudden you can't type as fast as you used to be able to.

      SwiftKey's response to this is as follows:

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So just like the MeeGo OS on the N9

    with screens getting bigger and bigger nice to see people get rid of silly buttons onscreen.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: So just like the MeeGo OS on the N9

      Was about to say the same. Looks like they were heavily inspired by the N9, which is no bad thing.

      Good points will be the UI and proper push mail/app notifications not hammering battery life.

      Bad point will be it won't be as open as Meego or hackable as Android because its selling point is security, so it'll be locked down more than WP or iOS. So near yet so far.

      1. P. Lee
        Angel

        Re: So just like the MeeGo OS on the N9

        Locked down is fine when you can split the phone between personal and business. I don't want the IT dept hassling me because I put vlc-remote on the phone, but neither do I want them to stop me doing it.

        It seems that innovation isn't dead after all and it isn't all about the apps.

        Good luck to BB with this one, even if some of their new features aren't new anymore. :)

        The question is, can I have two sim cards as well?

  4. The Baron
    Happy

    Success

    > What they could tell us is that BB10 is for "successful" people.

    > "It's for people who want to get on and be successful. "

    Technically, wanting to be successful is not necessarily the same as being successful. I mean, I want to be in the pub, yet regrettably I am actually at work...

    What do you mean, say something on topic? Oh, ok, the work/personal split is nice, but there are so many mobile device management tools for other OSs now that it'll be hard for them to get their "BB=security" crown back.

    1. SkippyBing

      Re: Success

      I thought that, I mean who markets a phone at people who want to fail and be unsuccessful? Although marketing it at people who've failed and been unsuccessful would probably find a larger market...

      1. Joseph Lord
        Facepalm

        Re: Success

        Well did you see the ads in the US for the original Google TV? They seemed to be aimed at customers who wanted to be sad lonely nerds. It didn't turn out too well though. It was some of the worst marketing I have ever seen I think.

        They had Kevin Bacon playing a Kevin Bacon obsessive. They were trying to show what the product could do and trying to be funny but they completely missed any aspiration to be (or even know) the character with the product and any emotional link with them. And it wasn't actually funny or a very good product explanation.

        RIM could certainly do worse than trying to market to those who want to be successful (and marketing to the actual successful is one way to do that).

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Success

        In fact, if there are lots and lots of unsuccessful, average people in most developed countries, you might get more revenue targeting them? Just need to get the marketing right. ;)

    2. HMB
      Flame

      Re: Success

      Does that mean BB's failover infrastructure department will get to use BB10 or won't they be deemed successful enough? :P

    3. RyokuMas
      WTF?

      Re: Success

      I work in an office and have a lot of contact with other professionals... I've yet to see anyone over the age of 21 using a BB...

      1. Gerhard den Hollander

        Re: Success

        Depends on what kind of office or business you're in.

        The dutch government, prime-minister and all top members are using blackberrys.

        Company I work for, all higher management has a blackberry.

        And all of those having a blackberry are over 21.

        I've said it before, blackberry might have low market numbers in actual number of phones sold, but looking around the streets, concerts etc about 1 in 4 has a bberry.

      2. Ambivalous Crowboard

        Re: I've yet to see

        Fuck me, do you walk around with your eyes shut? Or maybe you have just yet to see anyone over the age of 21?

        "IT" types tend to have Android/iOS.

        "Business" types tend to have BlackBerry devices still. You just can't beat the email experience - as the owner of an iPhone 4 and Samsung S2 device, I can honestly say I want my BlackBerry back and am waiting eagerly awaiting them to ship!

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Work/personal split

      It might be niche, but not being able to provide this capability is keeping security for one company I know from allowing users iOS or Android devices. The concern, at least one example: there is no way to keep apps from viewing your contacts and potentially leaking them out. MDM tools can't address that without pushing down separate/controlled mail, contacts, and text messaging apps... and out of them all I think Good might be the only one that does it (maybe not even them).

      Most companies/users don't care about it... but it is an issue for some.

      1. Beavertail
        Thumb Up

        Re: Work/personal split

        Imagine this work/personal split concept is translated to unsecured/secured split for consumer. Consumers are protected with their banking, financial transactions, health records and personal IP etc done on the secured side, completely firewalls from the unsecured side where you can run Android/BB apps and surfing.

        That would be very interesting.

  5. James 51

    This looks very promising. Just a pity it's going to be after Christmas before devices hit the shelves. I'll have had my BB7.1 for a year then, glad I didn't wait.

  6. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Hurrah! I practically run my business, Twitter accounts, etc. from my Blackberry. Although knocking them seems to be the in thing, the machines are solid, the keyboard excellent, and the slide-y one I use is robust & reliable.

    Plus now I won't have to buy an iPhone, assuming this gets a bit of traction.

    I hope they've built in some backward compatability for Apps though. Google/Android got that incredibly right, and developing for Android 2.2 still makes sense as everything newer still runs it, unlike many others where the slightest update means the OS refuses to even try to run it.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "BlackBerry is scrapping with Nokia and Windows Phone for third place"

    Windows Phone isn't even on the radar, let alone 3rd place, being outsold by even Samsung's BadaOS (which almost nobody outside Asia has heard of).

    1. HMB

      Bada - Something

      Childishly, I've always hoped for a BadaOS - Microsoft alliance.

      I just....

      I just really want them to launch a product called "Bada Bing".

      I would find it hugely amusing. It would make my day. I wouldn't buy it, but that's not the point.

      1. TheOtherHobbes

        Re: Bada - Something

        Comrade - I have reported you to the ThinkCrime Police.

        There is *no* excuse for levity in corporate communications.

      2. That one over there

        Re: Bada - Something

        Perhaps it was also double as a multipass?

    2. RyokuMas

      Re: "BlackBerry is scrapping with Nokia and Windows Phone for third place"

      Depends which analysts you believe - the stats can be twisted whatever way you want.

  8. RyokuMas
    Joke

    BB's timing is superb...

    Dissatisfaction with the UK government is at a high, just as Blackberry bring out a new version of the device all the kiddies are using...

    I predict a riot!

  9. Slim

    The phone looks a bit too square

    This patent lawsuit stuff is getting silly!

  10. Tom Chiverton 1

    "Up to 8" - so when I start the 9th I'll still have to, you know, *close* something ?

  11. AndrueC Silver badge
    Joke

    > successful in their social group.

    So not really a phone for geeks then.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    STROKEY DOKEY

    Am I the only one who read that as Strokey Donkey? Like the codename of a wierd touchscreen focussed branch of Ubuntu... I thought to myself "these things used to at least alliterate"...

    1. FrankAlphaXII
      Pint

      Re: STROKEY DONKEY....only in Tijuana

      Yeah, I saw it as "Strokey Donkey" and given that I wasn't too surprised to see that on El Reg, I'm really not sure if it says something about either myself or the authors here. And its a question I don't exactly want answered.

  13. Confuciousmobil
    Alert

    Core market

    It's good to see RIM going after their core market. The 12 - 14 y/o should love this.

    Provided RIM can stay in business long enough to release it.

    Breaking in to the Smartphone market isn't just about having a good OS (I have no reason to doubt that this is) but they need the marketing clout to get it out their. RIM have an advantage that lots of businesses still use them, I just hope this can revive their fortunes. A third major player in mobile OS's can only be good for consumers - wether that will be Bb10 or Windows I'm not sure. I just hope at least one of them makes it.

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