We announced a couple of days ago that BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 was coming in beta phase and now it’s here, ready to please all developers who are interested in it. This is version 2.1.0.560 beta of the platform and RIM implemented quite a few changes in the new software.
The changelog includes improved HTML5 support, portrait support in email, calendar and contacts and improved folder support (IMAP folder support). There’s also full device encryption available, so the entire device and personal partition can be secure. Screenshots will be saved in lossless PNG format and each Android app will run in its own window. This way, the user experience is greatly improved and the other applications runtimes get more consistency.
Camera access is supported in Android apps now and in app payment is included as well, through the BlackBerry Payment SDK. This way Android applications can include virtual items for sale in app. In order to get the download, you’ll need to whitelist your PlayBook slate. This is intended for developers only, so don’t go messing about with this release, especially if you can’t deal with bugs.
