Official: PB OS 2.0 Previewed at CES!

[Thunderbuck]

Yes!!!!

The announcement of the preview alone is music to my ears!!

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA--(Marketwire - Jan. 9, 2012) - (CES 2012) - This week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) will be previewing new features of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 that will enable customers to stay even more connected and productive in their personal and professional lives...

(Edited to add press snippet)

[NJPhilliesPhan]

I don't see a mention of the Android player anywhere. Very dissapointing.

[app_Developer]

Originally Posted by NJPhilliesPhan

I don't see a mention of the Android player anywhere. Very dissapointing.

I'm assuming this is what they meant by "thousands" of apps. But they're right to be highlighting the native ones.

[Thunderbuck]

Originally Posted by NJPhilliesPhan

I don't see a mention of the Android player anywhere. Very dissapointing.

I don't think that means it's not going to be there. In fact, I'd be extremely surprised to hear that would be dropped.

But think about it a minute: PB doesn't quite run Android apps natively, they have to be converted to .bars. To announce that the Playbook can "run" Android programs without ten pages of disclaimers could set a false expectation.

There have already been a number of Android apps approved for App World, and they're accessible to users running the Developer Preview.

I won't deny the possibility this is being dropped, but I'd bet against it.

[wayoung]

They didn't list all the features in the press release, just a few of them. This is to grab people's attention, it isn't a full feature list. It also focus' on unannounced features, not capabilities we already know (and dev beta users have played with). Just because a feature isn't mentioned in this list doesn't mean it won't be included.

[batboris]

It will be there .. but (right now) I don't care ...
not after reading the list of features:

• New unified inbox
• Multi-tasking within email
• Rich-text email composing and editing
• Innovative people-centric calendar
• Relationship-centric contacts app
• Remote control for the BlackBook application

[EdS817]

Looks like that if you have multiple email accounts on your phone you can select which ones you want on your PlayBook. Very nice.

I'm also looking forward to the Print2Go.

[kb5zht]

Originally Posted by EdS817

Looks like that if you have multiple email accounts on your phone you can select which ones you want on your PlayBook. Very nice.

I'm also looking forward to the Print2Go.

Out of that list the only thing i see that i have been really looking forward to is print2go. That alone will make 2.0 worth it for me but sadly, most of what the bb community has been yearning for isn't represented there. We know native bbm is delayed but it looks as tho they arent even improving bridge bbm.

Edit: On reading that list several times, it occurs to me that OS 2.0 is all about business and corporate users, not private consumers. While a large part of the customer base will be disappointed by this, it will go a long way to addressing the "world's first professional grade" issue.

[Sith_Apprentice]

All the social integration is aimed squarely at consumers lol.

[TLS2000]

...but it doesn't exactly say what the social integration is. Is it just Facebook? Or does it include Twitter? Or anything else?

[azrin640]

I don't think android player will be included.

thousands of android apps has been converted as native playbook apps which will be sold in app world. app world in os 2 beta is not showing all the apps available after the release of os2 soon.

Just ordered a 64Gb pb and a 9810 for the hotspot. too slow on my 9800.

a question, if bb video will only be available only in us, what about canada? the home of RIM?

[sleepngbear]

Video store ... this alone may quadruple my PB play time. Suh-weeeet. I might fill up my 64GB with Robot Chicken.

Lots of good looking stuff in there. Can't wait for the release.

[scott.slater]

Question I have about the new bridge is the multimedia files, does this mean I can access movies and/or music off my BB now?

[wayoung]

Originally Posted by scott.slater

Question I have about the new bridge is the multimedia files, does this mean I can access movies and/or music off my BB now?

That's what it sounds like! Another potentially huge feature that many of us thought was going to be part of the initial OS.

[Thunderbuck]

Originally Posted by TLS2000

...but it doesn't exactly say what the social integration is. Is it just Facebook? Or does it include Twitter? Or anything else?

When the developer preview was released last fall, RIM also provided a preview virtual machine emulator of 2.0 that was a little bit different from the preview that could be loaded onto hardware. That emulator included a new "Accounts" tab in the device settings that included the ability to register Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts. There may be other stuff included by now.