Waterloo, Ontario — BlackBerry will begin rolling out its updated BlackBerry 10 version 10.2 through carriers in many parts of the world this week, but a U.S. rollout won’t come until sometime this winter, the company said.
The update works with the company’s BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Q5 smartphones. The latter isn’t available in the U.S.
The company earlier this year launched its first phone available out of the box with version 10.2. That phone, the Z30, is the company’s first big-screen phone with 5-inch display. It isn’t available yet in the U.S.
The updated OS adds such enhancements as:
* Priority Hub: This feature learns what conversations are most important to a user and automatically puts those messages at the top of the inbox. A new attachment view helps users find files and documents across messaging accounts and within specific message threads.
* BBM Video with Natural Sound: With this enhancement, BBM video and voice conversations between BlackBerry 10 smartphone users will sound more natural, the company said.
* Instant Previews of BBM, SMS and email from any app: Messages will appear no matter what app is currently in use, and users will also be able to respond while in any app. Users can also respond by going to the BlackBerry Hub with a single swipe to respond to email. Rules for in-app notifications can be customized by the user.
* BlackBerry Keyboard: Enhancements include personalized next-word suggestion and auto-correction. On the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Z30, improved audio feedback with distinct tones for specific keys like backspace and shift are designed to help users type more confidently because they will be reassured they hit the right key.
* Copy and Paste Enhancements: BlackBerry 10.provides more precise cursor control and easier text selection, the company said. Once text has been selected, a pop-up menu provides editing options and direct sharing with BBM, Facebook and Twitter for quick sharing of selected copy.
* Sharing: To speed up sharing of content from within any app, the phone suggests people to share with based on who the user has shared content with in the past.
*Lock-Screen Notifications: Users can view email, text, BBM, and other notifications from the lock screen. Users can customize which accounts appear on the lock screen and scroll over the icons to display the sender and subject line.
*Reply Now: This feature lets users respond to incoming phone calls from standardized or customized BBM, SMS or email responses .
*BlackBerry Calendar: The calendar app now comes with an ‘I’m running late’ function. Users can also specify a new time in their notification.
More details on the OS update are available at www.blackberry.com/blackberry10OS.
