BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 was showcased at CES but no one knew exactly when the new platform would debut… However, now it appears that the date February 17th is being tossed around in speculations. The info comes from “a solid source” and I’m curious to see how fast RIM manages to roll out its new OS on PlayBook slates.
PlayBook 2.0 brings native email and calendar action, plus social media integration via Facebook, Twitter and the likes, straight from the inbox. The new software will be offered for free to all current Playbook tablet users and RIM mentioned it will give Android developers a more efficient way to port apps to this platform. The problem here is a very strict approval process, since RIM wants to rule out any potential malware. I must remind you that some of the features demoed at CES included BlackBerry phones used as remotes for the PlayBook, even when showing a presentation on the tablet, which is very cool.
True multitasking is also mentioned and I’m really anxious to see how they’ve improved on the already good “swipe between preview windows” multitasking mechanism. Sources say that RIM also added access to Android Market for apps in PlayBook 2.0, although that sounds pretty incredible to me. I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
