After a number of delays, BlackBerry is ready to begin the rollout of BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 on 19 February. This release has already been available for Passport and Classic users, and starting 19 February, it will be available for other BlackBerry users too.
Looking forward to trying out BlackBerry Blend, it looks like a neat piece of software and having a hub on the PC will be very useful.
Yes, but I sincerely hope they will create a Linux version of Blend as well. Since they use QT on the devices, I expect QT is used for their desktop software as well. If this is the case, a linux version shouldn’t be any hassle.
But looking forward to the new version. Altough 10.2.x is running fine here. What a wonderful OS! (Especially compared to these recent Android UI’s which are laggy and look too cartoony to me)
I have a leak installed on my Z10. It has a few issues, but nothing so serious what wouldn’t allow to consider it a daily driver. Remembering how solid 10.2.1 was/is, I think the official 10.3.1 release will be mind blowing (especially for those who patiently waited for its release).
I really couldn’t hope for a better mobile OS, only better hardware…but hey, I can buy a Z30 or a Passport if I really want to. However, I would love to see more powerful all-touch device with the Z10’s look and size.
Good to hear. I’m one of those who hasn’t installed any of the leaks (a combination of 10.2.1 being already very good and me being nervous of unofficial installs)
I have 2 x Z10s and a Q5. I’m very much looking forward to 10.3.1 and all the goodness it brings
Are there any downsides, design/functionality-wise, in your opinion?
The flat UI was a bit strange at the beginning, but there are a number of great features that it came with, so it’s a good trade. I miss the blue 3D banners a bit though.
The whole thing is speedy but as far as I know (the leak I am running at least) it’s optimised to the 3Gb ram of the Passport, so the official release for the 2Gb models will likely be even more fluid.
I played with a passport not too long ago. It seems like a good device. The QNX based OS has come a long way since the playbook ( store employees begged me not to play with it or buy it, because it crashed so often ).
That’s a shame. The Playbook remains my favorite tablet. It would easily beat my larger Android tablet in terms of UX. If it weren’t for simply the age of the Playbook vs anything newer (and all that implies – older screen, older CPU, etc.), and the lack of certain key apps, I’d still mostly use that over Android.
It’s really a shame they threw in the towel so fast on that lovely tablet.
Very interesting. That was my only experience inside a Office Supply store here in the states.
I remember that it couldn’t do anything without a blackberry phone, so maybe that was part of it. I mean, that’s kind of crazy, right?
Requiring a tablet to be attached to a phone to send emails? Or did they change that in later versions?
They did change that in OS v2.0 which included functions that should have been included from the start, and if they had been then maybe the fate of the Playbook would have been different.
The PIM app of the Playbook (from OS v2.0) was much, much better than anything offered (at least out of the box) by the competition, and it grouped email and social networks into one aggregating app, which in Blackberry 10 became the hub.