BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0: Download Available For New OS With Native Email, BlackBerry Bridge Remote Control

Despite rather persistent death rumors, Research-In-Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is still alive and kicking. Now, RIM has delivered a software update to the PlayBook that could give it a little extra life.

RIM has outed PlayBook OS 2.0, the long-awaited update to its operating system for the PlayBook. PlayBook OS 2.0 comes with some much-requested new features, including native support for email, integration of social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook in the Contacts and Calendar apps, and a new remote control feature for BlackBerry Bridge that allows a BlackBerry smartphone to be used over BlueTooth as a keyboard for the PlayBook.

It is available now for download.

The update addresses several of what were widely viewed as the largest problems with the PlayBook tablet when it was initially released in April. Once lampooned for its lack of real email and calendar support, the PlayBook now boasts both a unified inbox that can combine work and personal emails, as well as a calendar that can thread together information from multiple social networks; once limited to only a small selection of apps in the BlackBerry App World market, PlayBook OS 2.0 opens up the tablet to thousands of apps from the Android Market; once hamstrung by its lack of options for movies to download, store and watch, OS 2.0 adds the BlackBerry Video Store (announced in September) for renting or buying up to 10,000 movies.

RIM has also introduced a functionality in BlackBerry Bridge which allows owners to use the physical keyboard and trackball on their BlackBerry phone as a keyboard and mouse to control their PlayBooks. PlayBook owners were already able to sync apps between their smartphones and tablets over BlueTooth with BlackBerry Bridge and to view email, contacts and other apps from their smartphone on the larger PlayBook screen.

The update is being trumpeted by many tech pundits as having filled out a once sparse operating system for the BlackBerry PlayBook. "A Year Later, The BlackBerry PlayBook Is Finally Fully Baked," wrote Dan Rowinski of ReadWriteWeb. "RIM's PlayBook Starts Its Second Life Today," announced GigaOM. "PlayBook OS 2 Plugs Some Gaps," wrote John Paczkowski of AllThingsD, in an article that detailed the features that were "inexplicably absent from [the] first iteration" of the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Though RIM has indeed added several badly-needed features to its iPad competitor, there is a question of whether this update is too little, too late. PlayBook owners have been expecting an OS update for over 5 months now, and many of those customers may be justifiably frustrated with RIM at this point; PlayBook sales have also been tremendously slow from the beginning, with RIM forced to slash prices on the PlayBook several times since its April release. When it first went on sale the 7-inch PlayBook started at $499, the same price as the iPad; now, a 16GB PlayBook can be yours for $199. Part of that may have been due to incredibly harsh, dismissive reviews, with "half-baked" and "unfinished" being two of the buzzwords surrounding the PlayBook at launch.

Eight months later, RIM hopes it has a fully-baked, finished product with its PlayBook OS 2.0. Check out a review of the PlayBook's new 2.0 operating system, shown off to the folks at TechCrunch at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2012, below:

Flick through the slideshow (below) for an overview of BlackBerry-maker RIM's biggest missteps in 2011.

• Blackberry PlayBook Flops, Prices Slashed

  The PlayBook tablet, which was the BlackBerry maker's answer to the iPad, went on sale in April 2011. Since then, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/blackberry-playbook-price-rim_n_1181167.html" target="_hplink">RIM has lost $485 million</a> on unsold units. At the beginning of January, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/blackberry-playbook-price-rim_n_1181167.html" target="_hplink">RIM slashed the price of all models</a> of its tablet to $299. The special pricing will last until February 4. PlayBooks, which come in 16, 32 and 64 gigabyte models, typically retail for $499, $599 and $699, respectively, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57351162-92/blackberry-playbook-price-now-$299-for-all-models/" target="_hplink">according to CNET</a>. In November, RIM temporarily <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/22/blackberry-playbook-price-drop_n_1107941.html" target="_hplink">slashed the price</a> of the 16GB version of the tablet to $199 at certain retail locations.

• Network Outages

  In October, BlackBerry <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/blackberry-outage-2011-rim-says-services-returning_n_1008596.html" target="_hplink">suffered an outage that affected</a> many of its then 70-million worldwide users, leaving some of its customers in Asia, Europe, Latin American and Africa without service for as many as three days. Some users in the U.S. were affected, but not for as long a period.

• Drunk Execs Disrupt International Flight

  In December, two RIM executives were fired after a flight they were on was forced to be diverted because the pair's "drunken rowdiness," <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/02/two-men-face-hefty-fine-a_0_n_1125214.html" target="_hplink">the AP reports</a>.

• BlackBerry 10 Platform Delayed

  Research in Motion announced in December 2011 that its highly anticipated BlackBerry 10 platform won't be available until the end of 2012. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/blackberry-10-phones-rim_n_1153314.html" target="_hplink">According to the AP</a>, the company claims the holdup is because the chipset needed for the phones running the platform won't be available until the middle of this year.

• Stock Slides In 2011

  In 2011, <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/quote/nasdaq/research-in-motion-limited-usa/rimm" target="_hplink">RIM's stock</a> dropped <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/rim-ceos-jim-balsillie-mike-lazaridis_n_1222605.html#s629929&title=Lessien" target="_hplink">a massive 75 percent</a>.

• Falling U.S. Market Share

  In less than a year, RIM's share of the U.S. smartphone market <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/rim-ceos-jim-balsillie-mike-lazaridis_n_1222605.html#s629929&title=Lessien" target="_hplink">dropped by almost 50 percent</a>, from <a href="http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/3/comScore_Reports_January_2011_U.S._Mobile_Subscriber_Market_Share" target="_hplink">30.4 percent</a> in January 2011 to <a href="http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/12/comScore_Reports_November_2011_U.S._Mobile_Subscriber_Market_Share" target="_hplink">16.6 percent</a> in November 2011. In 2009, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/blackberry-10-phones-rim_n_1153314.html" target="_hplink">RIM controlled 44 percent</a> of the US smartphone market. (Pictured above is the HTC Desire HD Android, which runs on Google's much more popular Android platform.)

• Investors Urge Company Sell Itself

  A nearly 75 percent drop in stock price in 2011 did not please investors. At the end of 2011, Jaguar Financial Corp, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/03/balsillie-lazaridis-rim-research-in-motion-jaguar-financial_n_1180885.html" target="_hplink">one of the largest investors</a> in RIM, called "for substantial corporate governance change and for a sale of RIM, whether as a whole or as separate parts." Vic Alboini, the chief executive of Jaguar Financial, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16393180" target="_hplink">told the BBC earlier this month</a> that RIM has "lost it." "The party is over, we believe, in terms of trying to design that cool, tech savvy smartphone," he said. "Microsoft has over $50 billion in cash, RIM has $1.5 billion. There is no way they'll be able to compete."

Comments

[Dee Ree]

11:25 AM on 02/25/2012

I just brought the Playbook yesterday because of this article. I got it for $216. including tax. I like it but I'm disappointed that it won't play Netflix. Thats one of the reasons I wanted a PC tablet. I was going to get the Kindle fire but playbook had more features except for Netflix:/ Now I know.

[Clarity22]

12:32 AM on 02/23/2012

I kept telling my son to get an iPad, but he turned around and bought a PlayBook yesterday and now everytime I see him be has it in his hands!

[leticeberry]

08:27 AM on 02/22/2012

I'm loving my Playbook! And now with the new OS.... Win Win!

[Gadgeten com]

12:50 AM on 02/22/2012

Plybook is a nice tablet, but it not offer many application like android or Ipad tablet

[LemonMeringue]

08:24 AM on 02/22/2012

RIM knows that is true. I was at a conference recently where RIM giving away a PlayBook to anyone who would bring in a few HTML pages and let them show how easy it is to turn a website into an app.

I'm sure the apps will catch up, for the PlayBook. I wish RIM luck because they're a good competitor and competition is what keeps things excellent.

[Dee Ree]

11:26 AM on 02/25/2012

I brought it yesterday and just found out it doesn't play Netflix:/

[RealityMyFriend]

11:27 PM on 02/21/2012

Only improvement would be if blackberrys now run iOS or droid OS!

[LemonMeringue]

09:56 PM on 02/21/2012

The Playbook is a nice little thing but it just doesn't have the apps the iPad offers.

[ProudToBeVeryLiberal]

10:30 PM on 02/21/2012

The Mac is a nice little thing but it just doesn't have the apps Windows offers.

Now tell me how a double standard applies...

[RealityMyFriend]

11:27 PM on 02/21/2012

I wouldn't want a over complicated windows blue screen of death on a tablet. The windows phones are already proving to be a complete mess.

[Anthony Dodd]

11:45 PM on 02/21/2012

If evaluating tablets and computers merely on apps, then yes, iPad trumps Playbook and Windows trumps Mac.

So what?

[Cael]

09:02 AM on 02/22/2012

and 99.9% of those apps are completely worthless.

[ProgressivesWin]

09:10 PM on 02/21/2012

I see this news is inspiring reams of comments...snort...

[edgemo]

08:30 PM on 02/21/2012

Seven people just breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Too little, too who cares....

[Flight]

07:24 PM on 02/21/2012

My, how the mighty have fallen. 2-3 years ago Blackberry was everywhere, now it's...where?

[Washington George]

08:57 PM on 02/21/2012

I am more worried about the us govt. 16 trillion dollar in debt reserve status for dollar slowly eroding. 4.5 million homeless and growing.

[Pectin]

09:55 PM on 02/21/2012

I'm worried about the clam dip.

[rikster]

07:11 PM on 02/21/2012

RIM, the next Palm, is quite out of touch with it's markets..and customers...

[Washington George]

08:57 PM on 02/21/2012

us govt. the next greece?

[Pectin]

09:57 PM on 02/21/2012

The clam dip was left out all day.

[helioszephyr]

06:38 PM on 02/21/2012

this will be their "RIMshot".
end of game.

[Washington George]

08:58 PM on 02/21/2012

reserve status for dollar gone? end of game for usa?

[Pectin]

09:58 PM on 02/21/2012

Plus the chips are soggy.

[Ralphiec88]

06:26 PM on 02/21/2012

As we speak, RIM executives are pondering their next move. Should they drag the company through a lingering death, gradually shedding employees and equity until the remains are traded to a vulture for $100 and a couple of used iPads? Or should they auger in leaving dazed employees staring into a smoldering crater? Choices, choices...

[Brian Hudson]

06:34 PM on 02/21/2012

Yeah. It's remarkable the number of enterprise customers abandoning RIM lately. The latest I heard about was NOAA, but they're far from the first. Life support, anyone?

[Jillxz]

07:34 PM on 02/21/2012

They should get rid of those old CEO's and get younger ones with a vision. The ones they have at RIM are old and stale.

[leticeberry]

08:25 AM on 02/22/2012

They did get a new, younger CEO. Don't know if he's a visionary though.

[Brian Hudson]

06:00 PM on 02/21/2012

Isn't this sort of like applying a band-aid to a terminal patient? Playbook's chance was last year; to be only getting native e-mail nearly a year into the release cycle is laughable.

[Anthony Dodd]

05:27 PM on 02/21/2012

I don't understand. If the Huffington has sold out to Apple, why is there a lead story about RIM?

[gwinegarden]

05:03 PM on 02/21/2012

OK, I have a Playbook and love it, but I also believe that the other tablets have their pluses and minuses.

But, for anyone who does not have a tablet, and is thinking about it, look at it this way, you can get a 32GB Playbook for less than a 32GB iPod Touch.

[jsgaetano]

05:25 PM on 02/21/2012

I got a Kindle Fire. Actually, I'm always complaining about having to use a virtual keyboard, so a Playbook would have been nice. Although I'm actually liking being able to use Android apps.

[PropTop]

06:35 PM on 02/21/2012

A friend of mine at the office (we're a tech company) actually went through a half dozen tablets or so before choosing the Playbook. The price/performance is great and with unique features of the device, the size, the 2.0 update and the ability to run Android Apps it seems like a win to me. RIM has to put the last year behind them and come at the market like this is a NEW product. That being said, the NEXT generation of Playbook is going to have to avoid the problems the had with the original Paybook product to win back some RIM fans.