Things I want to see in BlackBerry OS after the acquisition of TAT

By Ray Nicolini

Via Pocketberry.com

So earlier yesterday morning, it was officially announced that RIM acquired TAT (The Astonishing Tribe), which is a user interface company that specifically deals with mobiles.  After spending a full day of analyzing different videos and demos that TAT has put out, I’ve become really excited to see what’s to come of BlackBerry OS in the future.

In the announcement this morning, we were briefly informed that TAT will be putting in their efforts for the BlackBerry PlayBook and mobiles.  The PlayBook is expected to launch in first quarter of 2011 (we’re expecting it at the very end if that) and no word on any new mobiles rocking out any new OS on it besides 6.0.

So back to what I was saying before about the demos and visuals I saw today – we should have a better BlackBerry OS.  That’s really broad to say but in specific the following is to be done from my point of view:

Better overall touchscreen support including: easier keyboard to use, better pinch to zoom, multi-tasking and app switching using the touchscreen only, “swipey-er” movement without lag.

Email enhancements: I like BlackBerry’s emailing as is, but after seeing what TAT has done with an email client, it was really impressive.  I was really fond of the whole “click and drag” and image right into an email as an attachment, making it very user friendly for everyone.

Awesome 3D maps & applications: The other demos I saw included 3D effects to the menu where it looked like certain layers were coming out of the screen using shading in the background along with the motion sensor in the device.  Maps was cool to see.  While tilting the screen, the view of maps would turn 3D, allowing you to view city building and streets all around.

There’s a lot more I’d like to see but these are just some instant thoughts for the time being.  I’m definitely looking forward to what BlackBerry has to offer for tomorrow.  Because I know in the end of the day there are many of you BlackBerry users out there who do get a bit envious of iPhone and Androidusers – maybe not entirely but even just a bit.

RIM prepping a new OS for Tablets and Smartphones? Tablet next week?

By Ray Nicolini

There’s an interesting rumor floating around the internet that RIM is getting ready to launch their tablet, possibly as early as next week at their Developer Conference in San Francisco. Apparently the BlackBerry Tablet which could be called BlackPad or SurfBoard, will operate on an operating system developed by QNX, which RIM acquired last year. The real kicker of this rumor is that RIM might be developing future smartphones with a QNX based operating system. It’s a great rumor, but I guess we will have to wait until next week (Sept 27-30) to find out if RIM actually launches their tablet.

What are your thoughts? Do you want a BlackBerry tablet with a 7″ display?

[via BGR]

Archos 7 Android Home Tablet for $199

Portable-multimedia-gadget maker Archos on Thursday announced the Archos 7 Home Tablet: It's "the first large-screen Android-based tablet," according to the company, offering "always-on access to the Web, e-mail, photo, video and a dedicated library of Android Apps enabling users to customise the device to their lifestyle."

The very portable Archos 7 features a 7-inch high-res touchscreen (800 by 480), weighs a mere .8 pounds, and is just .47 of a inch thick. It comes with 8GB of Flash memory and has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity; it also can connect to your PC or other devices via USB.

The Archos 7 is rated for 7 hours of video or 44 hours of audio playback. Selected apps are preinstalled, including the book-reading app Aldiko, eBuddy for IM, and DailyPaper.  Other apps developed expressly for the device will be available to download. The table will play MP3 files and you'll also have access to Deezer, a the free music-streaming service.

If you're comparing this tablet in your mind to that tablet from Apple, here's one big differentiator: The price will be $199.99 list. You can pre-order at Amazon and get your Archos 7 early, in mid-May; it will hit other retailers in June.