RIM has released BlackBerry 10 SDK Beta 3 which finally reveals the true nature of the new BB10 UI. Along with this new SDK RIM also released a new device only meant for developers called the Dev Alpha B. Actually, RIM claims this device was born out of necessity as it ran out of the original Dev Alpha. This new device shares more or less the same specs with its predecessor, but its screen has a different resolution of 1280×720 pixels.
But the big deal out here is the SDK, which actually shows off the UI of BB10 smartphones. Like the QNX powered PlayBook, the UI of BB10 is based around swipes. It is actually in way a mishmash of MeeGo and QNX. BlackBerry touts glanceable information thanks to what it calls app Frames, that portray miniature versions of running applications similar to ‘Tiles’ on Windows Phone or ‘Widgets’ on Android. These ‘Frames’ are not restricted to being miniature versions of apps, but are rather scalable and can be designed to service a particular function.
While these frames dominate the home-screen one can dive into it by just swiping upwards, from the gesture bezel. From the frames if one swipes towards the right then one will have access to a grid of app icons similar to iOS.
Similarly, users can dive into the unified inbox call the BlackBerry Hub by swiping upwards and then left. The unified inbox has been built from the ground up and even integrates social networks like Facebook, FourSquare, Twitter, LinkedIn and even BBM. Additionally, RIM has even announced that apps for all these social networks are coming to BB10.
Another interesting little feature added to BB10 is the ‘Work Mode’. When in ‘Work mode’ users can be use company approved applications alongside one’s personal apps. From whatever we have learnt about the new platform, one thing is for sure, the user experience is definitely unique and it is also quite smooth.
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