RIM announces an updated Blackberry 10 developer preview

SAN JOSE: BLACKBERRY MAKER Research in Motion (RIM) has shed light on an updated build of its Blackberry 10 (BB10) mobile operating system at the Blackberry Jam conference in San Jose.

RIM said that the release, which is being unveiled alongside the "dev alpha b" test hardware unit at the 2012 Blackberry Jam developer conference, gives the most comprehensive look yet at the BB10 interface.

Among the features that will be showcased in BB10 is an interface concept the company calls BlackBerry Flow.

Michael Clewley, director of handheld software product management for RIM, said that the aim of the Flow interface is to provide a seamless link between applications.

"The way a lot of competing platforms have approached it is an in-and-out user experience," Clewley told The INQUIRER. "In flow you go from one application to another without even realising you did it."

The company is also looking to overhaul the Blackberry Inbox screen, which has been renamed the "Blackberry Hub". The new system will merge the traditional email inbox with messages and notifications from Blackberry Messenger and Facebook, among other services.

Clewley said that the move to a hub system is important for Blackberry users, who tend to view the Inbox as a central feature of their smartphone usage.

"The Blackberry Hub is a place where a Blackberry user tends to live most when they are checking their phone," he explained.

"Because a Blackberry person tends to spend the bulk of their time here, we want to give them a 360 degree view of what is going on around them."

The release is the latest milestone on RIM's road to the general release of Blackberry 10. The delayed operating system, which has been hailed by industry watchers as a make-or-break release for the embattled smartphone pioneer, is due to arrive early next year. µ

This article was originally published on V3.