Here is a run down of some of the new features in the forth coming BlackBerry OS 5.0.
I am no expert and there are probably alot more features which i will have missed out but this is just a guide to what you can expect when the OS upgrade finally comes out.
I am running OS version 5.0.0.130 which has been leaked and is not official or a final version and there are newer versions being tested by official testers which have even more improvements.
So here is my guide to OS 5.0
This is the about screen showing the version number and settings for the OS, as you can see its 5.0.0.130
This is the options menu
and this sees some changes, one notable change here is that the applications options has been moved from Advanced Options and in to the normal options menu.
When you open the applications menu it has been updated and now shows a small avatar/picture of the application and more details about the version number and software company who made the app.
A new feature
which has been seen before in some 4.6 OS updates is the wireless update option under the advanced options menu.
This will be used to update your OS over the air rather than having to spend hours downloading software and installing it via your pc.
One of the major visual changes in OS 5.0 is in the options menus they have been changed so they look like the options on the storm with the big option buttons which when clicked bring up a scroll down menu. There is no real benefit of having it like this but does look better than a plain text scroll menu.
One good feature in the options menu is under the memory, where the details have been increased and shows you how much app memory, device and media card memory you have remaining. I have an 8GB microSD card in my BlackBerry.
Another change to
the options menu is that the sounds and ringtones options have been added. From here you can change the settings for all your profiles. You can also add a specific ringtone and message tone to each person in your address book and for each profile as well. I couldnt get a screen shot of this as it wouldnt let me for some reason but it is a great new feature. Also if you have 'Call from home screen' turned off you can still press Q to turn your phone on to vibrate function! very handy!
A new option in the email messages application is the ability to flag messages for follow up. This is great if you need to find out some info and get back to a contact. You can also set up alerts in the ringtones option menu to remind you like a calender reminder.
You can now also access the ringtones settings menu via the options menu in the email and sms applications. This menu has been changed alot and now has drop down menus for each of the alert types.
NEW BLACKBERRY MESSENGER 5.0The new blackberry messenger 5.0 has lots of great changes from the old versions. The first major change is the layout, you now have pictures of each of your contacts (if they add one) and you can see their status and availability from the home page. You can now also backup your contacts list to your sd card or device memory, which is handy as mine often get deleted during OS upgrades. And another cool feature is the ability to add a contact via their own unique 2D barcode, simply take a picture of it and it adds the contacts details!!!
There are also now lots of new smiley faces which you can use! And one new feature is you can link a contact to your home screen so you can chat with one simple click. This icon can be moved anywhere and so you can have it as your top 6 apps and have it on your home screen for very quick ease of use!
There are lots more features including new style iphone bubble boxes for the text in the conversation rather than plain text and you can link your BBM contacts to your address book and it will show their status in the address book and enable you to BBM them from there to!
The media folder has also been changed now and has all your music, pictures, videos, ringtones, voice messages, video camera and voice recorder. The music player has been updated and now includes album artwork or pictures!
A new feature in the media folder is one has have been waiting for is the ability to check your memory useage. This can be done from the options menu in the media home screen, it brings up your memory useage for your device and SD card and then can be expanded to show exactly what you are using your memory for - in my case a lot of music!!
One of my favourite simple new features is from the home screen or the application menu you can click the BB button and it brings up this menu and has a new options option! From here you can change your prefered download folder, change your homescreen from zen to a new today theme and change your wallpaper
One new feature in the BlackBerry browser which was added in 5.0.0.130 is tabbed browsers, meaning you can have more than one browser window open at once! And i hear it has been updated in newer OS version to allow quicker changes between windows by sliding the track ball to switch between them like on the iPhone.
One other thing about the browser is that it is SUPER FAST!!
Other changes include:
When viewing pictures you can now slide the track ball from left or right and it will show the next or previous picture! Like the iPhone
Conference call options in the calender funtion
And probably alot more which i haven't noticed!!!
No release date as of yet but will definately be worth waiting for!
