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After a smattering of leaks, BlackBerry OS 7.1 is starting to work its way through official channels. The software update has previously snuck out for the Bold 9900, Torch 9810, and Curve 9360, but today Sprint is rolling it out to their Bold 9930 and Torch 9850-toting customers. In addition to providing mobile hotspot service (presuming you have a supporting plan, of course), OS 7.1 also introduces an interesting little device analyzer, which should help diagnose any device problems you’re having.
Since we won’t see a BlackBerry 10 device until late next year, I suppose it’s a good thing that RIM is keeping their latest handsets up to speed. Mobile hotspot is an ancient feature at this point, but still needs to be covered. It would be good to see more carriers flip the switch on NFC, since pretty much all of the latest handsets have support hardware, but as far as what RIM can do on their own, DLNA home media sharing support is the next thing I’d like to see.
If you’re a Sprint customer, you’ll be able to download OS 7.1 for the Torch 9850 and Bold 9930 here eventually, but you should be able to download to your device right now from the Software Updates section under Options. If you can’t find it at either spot, sit tight – the rollout will get to you sooner or later.
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
