RIM has announced new versions of the operating systems for their BlackBerry phones and BlackBerry PlayBook today at CES. The company described the new software in dual press releases issued this morning.
BlackBerry OS 7.1, which begins rolling out to BlackBerry smartphones today, includes a variety of new features. BlackBerry Tag allows users with NFC-enabled phones to exchange information – contact info, documents, photos, etc – by bumping their phones together. Mobile hotspot functionality has been added as well, along with enhanced search capability.
PlayBook OS 2.0, meanwhile, has a lot more catching up to do. The PlayBook was widely panned when it released, and several features users regarded as critical were missing from the device on launch. The new OS adds many of those features in, and includes a whole lot more. A slew of email and messaging features have been added, including a unified inbox, rich-text composing and edting for email, and inbox search tools. The new OS also adds the ability to pair a user’s BlackBerry phone with their PlayBook, making the phone a remote control, keyboard, or mouse for their tablet. The update also includes a variety of productivity enhancements and access to new apps and content. The OS is expected to be available in February.
[Source: BlackBerry Press Release, PlayBook Press Release]