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CES 2012: BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 hands-on [Video]

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 3:30 PM

Many of you have been patiently waiting for the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and while it’s not available until February, we got a chance to check it out at CES 2012. This finally brings native e-mail, calendar and improved Bridge features, so take a look at the video below to see if it has been worth the wait.

The standout and much-needed feature of the PlayBook OS 2.0 is the native e-mail and calendar apps. As you would expect from Research In Motion, it looks like a great way to send and receive messages, as well as organize your appointments. RIM has also layered in some solid social features, including the ability to manage your appointments by people (instead of by times). You can also look for strong Twitter and LinkedIn integration.

You can also look forward to a beautiful notes app which is made with the Cascades tool. There’s also a video store now and it continues to get more mainstream apps like Angry Birds.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 will also enhance your Bridge capabilities, as you’ll be able to use your BlackBerry as a remote control for your tablet. This will also bring the Android app player to the tablet, so hopefully the app selection will get much better.

RIM has been (fairly) criticized for what was lacking in the PlayBook but I think it addresses most of those with the 2.0 software. Look for the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 to land in February and it will be a simple over-the-air update. What do you think so far?

About The Author

Marin Perez

Marin Perez has torture tested cell phones and smartphones for industry leaders like CNET and InformationWeek. He remembers when 4G was just a screen on PowerPoint presentations and is fascinated with the amount of innovation out there. Marin has spent a lot of time with BlackBerry and Android but he finally broke down a bought an iPhone to see what all the hype's about. He also has too many tablets.

  • D.

    Awesome PlayBook demo!  Can;t wait for 2.0!

  • Chris

    Will there be PPTP vpn ability like on every other tablet on the market?  I’d love to be able to use my Playbook for Remote Desktop sessions.