BlackBerry 10 Functionality Detailed

BlackBerry World is well underway, with RIM CEO Thorsten Heins taking to the stage to detail the features that BlackBerry 10 will bring to the table. Based on QNX like the PlayBook OS, BB10 will bring BlackBerry up to speed and add features typically found with modern day smartphone operating systems, with couple of new twists too.

BlackBerry 10 looks to include gesture support, with users swiping in order to reveal notifications and shrink apps. Gestures will also be used in order to navigate within apps, so you can swipe to move "up" a level and back out of the app. Multitasking is fully supported, and RIM says that any app can continue running in the background without any restrictions, at any time.

Since the developer device won't include a hardware keyboard, BlackBerry 10 will include a software variant that is styled after existing BlackBerry keyboards, including spacing. Word prediction is supported, with suggestions hovering above the keyboard as you begin typing. Gestures are used in order to pull up numbers and symbols, so you don't necessarily have to break focus and switch to the alternate keyboard.

Finally, RIM briefly teased its camera application. The company will be focusing on camera speed, and you'll be able to tap anywhere on the screen to take a photo. After that, a lens can be brought up which allows you to save the correct moment you wanted. So let's say someone blinked during the photo, you can scroll backwards or forwards slightly using the lens to get a perfect shot.

RIM all but confirmed that 4G LTE support would be coming to BlackBerry 10 devices, and is detailing how it's easy for developers to get to grips with the new platform, with a particular emphasis on gaming.