14 DAY TRIAL // We're pretty sure BlackBerry enthusiasts are anxious to get their hands on the upcoming Passport, the Canadian company’s innovative smartphone that's expected to go official next month.
Until then, the latest BlackBerry OS leak might make the wait easier, especially since it's a very functional, stable and seemingly complete OS 10.3 build.
A beta version of the BlackBerry OS with number 10.3.0.1052 has just been leaked and is now available for most BlackBerry 10 smartphones available on the market, including Z3, Z10, Z30, Q5 and Q10.
We decided to do a clean install of OS 10.3.0.1052 on our BlackBerry Z10 (STL100-1) test device and here are our first impressions on this work-in-progress version of the platform.
The first thing we noticed is that the UI (user interface) has been revamped and features a flatter and lighter look now. The dark theme can now be applied for most BlackBerry applications and even the action bar labels can be turned off, for increased UI simplicity.
There are all-new icons for all preinstalled apps and there's also an extra row of app icons on homescreen. We have also noticed that icons don't have an outline anymore like in previous versions of BlackBerry OS, which gives the homescreen a cleaner, more polished look.
There are new data management features included now, where you can turn data services on and off, including roaming. This is where you see your mobile data usage and can set notifiers for when you reach your monthly data limit. The Data Management screen also allows you to set up data limits or monthly usage cycles, a feature BlackBerry users have been waiting for ever since OS 10 was first released.
As expected and announced by BlackBerry, OS 10.3 comes with the Amazon Appstore by default so you can easily install Android applications and get updates like you would from Google's Play store.
The BlackBerry Assistant is the Canadian's company response to Siri, Cortana and Google Now. It allows you to perform various tasks and interact with your phone by using your voice or by typing actions and questions.
Some new camera features, including Geo-Tagging have been added as well, probably in the light of the new BlackBerry Passport release which is expected to pack an impressive 13-megapixel camera.
Advanced Interactions is another new feature present in BlackBerry 10.3. It uses the phone's sensors to detect action and perform simple tasks. Basically you can perform some gestures for basic actions like “Lift to Wake,” “Flip to Mute” and “Flip to Save Power.”
You can also set your phone's screen to turn on automatically when you receive a notification.
There's also the new BlackBerry Software Logging Tool, which allows you to select Save Log Snapshot in order to save a file that contains an encrypted snapshot of device logs to the Logs folder within the Document folder in the phone's storage.
We've noticed some new tweaks as well, such as the option to swipe with two fingers from the upper edge of the phone in order to access the Quick Setings bar. You can perform this action from anywhere within the phone's interface. Keep in mind that if you swipe from the upper edge with just one finger, it will open the app's menu.
The Hub, BlackBerry's bread and butter has been improved with small but very useful productivity features. Delete and File icons show up next to a message after you read it and tap Back. Processing multiple Hub entries at once is easier than ever thanks to the top multi-select button that's present at all times.
When it comes to performance, BlackBerry 10.3 looks and feels faster on our Z10, so this really seems an important and much anticipated step in the right direction.
It certainly feels like the Canadians have been taking a few good decisions lately, although one can't wonder why they're still slacking off on the hardware front where, apart from the Passport, there isn't anything else new and exciting in the BlackBerry 2014 roadmap.
If you noticed any other improvements brought over by this OS 10.3 leak please let us know in the comments.
