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The BlackBerry Torch may be the only of RIM’s smartphones on the market to currently run the new OS 6 operating system, but that’s not stopping the company from showcasing several handsets running OS 6 at the Developer Conference in San Francisco this week.
We took a look at OS 6 powering the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and 9650, the Curve 3G, and Pearl 3G. It’s no coincidence that these are the same models that carriers like Sprint and Verizon are snapping up; RIM would never let conference goers and the press anywhere near top-secret handsets. Even so, it was nice picking up the phones and taking the operating system for a spin on devices other than the Torch on which OS 6 debuted.
OS 6 was fully operational and looked good, even on the BlackBerry Pearl 3G, with its much smaller design. Universal search continues to be a shining star of the OS feature set, and the trackpad made for smooth navigation.
Notably absent were demo units of the Storm and Storm II, which frankly doesn’t surprise us since we haven’t heard news of whether an upgrade is in the works.
A release timeline for these demo devices isn’t in the cards at DevCon, just the display handsets themselves. It’s common practice for handset manufacturers to defer to carriers in announcing availability. The upgrades first need to go through carrier certification, and our booth manager did mention that both RIM and the carriers had some work to do before the upgrades are ready to ship.
