BlackBerry Rolls Out 7.1 OS

RIM unveiled the latest version of BlackBerry operating system 7.1 OS towards the beginning of 2012. The first sample of the new BlackBerry platform was unveiled by Research In Motion on January 9, 2012. Expansion of its services to carrier partners took place over a couple of weeks following the release of BlackBerry 7.1. The new OS comes with a variety of new enhancements & features targeting a wider range of enterprises & individual users. Let us take a look at some of the additional qualities that consumers will enjoy from the use of BlackBerry 7.1 OS:

1. The most notable feature of RIM 7.1 operating system is the BlackBerry Tag. This is a content sharing tool that makes use of the NFC (near field communication) technology allowing every user to share files, contact lists, & different forms of media. Inviting friends to the BlackBerry Messenger has also become easier with the improved Tag framework just by touching two or more BlackBerry smartphones together.

2. The next prominent feature of RIM 7.1 is its ability to support Wi-Fi calling and add mobile hotspot capabilities. Earlier, these features were present only on the Android & iOS platforms, thereby resulting in declining popularity for RIM operating system. With the 7.1 OS, users can now turn their mobile devices into portable Wi-Fi routers which will enable getting internet connection across a maximum of five Wi-Fi devices, including tablets & laptops. The updated version of the BlackBerry operating system also allows making Wi-Fi calls, enabling users to save up on talk time minutes. However, this feature is wholly dependent upon the carrier availability of BlackBerry 7.1.

3. If the new OS platform is running on the BlackBerry mobile devices Curve 9360 & Curve 9380, users will have access to FM radio facility. These models of BlackBerry mobiles have built-in FM radios, so users can listen to music without the access of data.

4. The latest version of the RIM OS integrates discounts and local coupons with the BlackBerry Maps app. This has been done to attract potential customers on the lookout for cost effective solutions.

5. The Universal Search function in the BlackBerry 7.1 version will be available as an auto suggest feature.

BlackBerry is gradually targeting the ever increasing users of mobile devices & apps. With stiff competition from major operating systems like Android & iOS, RIM has announced the upgradation of not only its OS platform but also mobile apps running on it. This year has seen the launch of updated versions of RIM apps like BlackBerry Traffic, BlackBerry Messenger, and BlackBerry Travel. While Messenger comes with additional features such as new emoticons, animated avatars, more character count in personal messages, and customized color chat bubbles, Traffic’s voice guidance can determine the expected time of arrival for the user taking into account the traffic conditions he/she is currently facing.

The year was also marked by the unexpected announcement of slashing of the prices of every BlackBerry PlayBook model, in an effort by RIM to generate a larger number of users. The additional features and apps launched by RIM as part of its updated OS version 7.1 can however not be upgraded on any other version of BlackBerry operating systems other than BlackBerry OS 7. Also, Curve, Bold, & Torch are the only models of BlackBerry mobile devices which are compatible with the new OS platform.