The Unified Inbox may very well be the "killer feature" of Playbook 2.0. Having one place in which to read and send all your messages is the future of mobile communication.

Prior to the OS 2.0 upgrade, the only way to email or message was to "Bridge" your BlackBerry to the Playbook. Even when bridged, you only had access to your various email accounts that were on your BlackBerry.

The Playbook surpasses virtually every other platform with the inclusion of a unified messaging inbox. What that means is that in one place - the Messages app - goes not only your email, but also Facebook messages, LinkedIn messages and Twitter Direct Messages.

Continue reading article

A full walkthrough of the new features introduced in the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update!

While the original release of the BlackBerry PlayBook left many users wondering where native email, contacts and calendar were, the long-awaited PlayBook 2.0 software has finally arrived and brings good news. It's sporting a load of new features including the noted native apps, a revamped home screen UI, updated BlackBerry Bridge features including BlackBerry Remote, notifications and much, much more. Let's dive in and see just what makes the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 software tick.

Continue reading article

Get Kindle, Google Maps, DropBox and IM+ on your BlackBerry PlayBook!

If you're looking to get some big name apps like Kindle, Google Maps or DropBox onto your BlackBerry PlayBook after upgrading to OS 2.0 - have no fear. You now have the ability to sideload (aka load outside of BlackBerry App World) many Android apps with just a few simple steps.  All you'll need a Windows PC and your PlayBook, and by following a few simple steps which we'll go over in detail, you'll be up and running with some great apps in no time at all. You can check out a full list of working Android apps as well as download some BAR files from our thread in the forums, then head to the link below for a full tutorial on how to sideload Android apps on your BlackBerry PlayBook.

How To Sideload Android apps on PlayBook OS v2.0 for use with the Android App Player
Links to over 243 BARs for your BlackBerry PlayBook

Okay, this may be a bit of a shocker, but Research In Motion released the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 OS today! We here at CrackBerry have spent of most of the day poking and prodding the new OS to learn of its secrets. It seems you have as well. One of the biggest questions we're seeing from you is how do you sync Microsoft Outlook contacts and calendar entries with the PlayBook?

Outlook is a very powerful email and scheduling client used by many companies and individuals. At the moment, it appears that those users who connect to a Microsoft Exchange server have no issues with syncing - though web access to that account might be required. Not everybody uses an Exchange server though.

For the many who use Outlook as an email reader - perhaps with accounts like siteowner@mywebsite.com, the PlayBook won't be able to retrieve your contacts without a little outside help. To do that, I'm going to suggest you sync your Outlook contacts and calendar with a GMail account. How-to's after the break.

Continue reading article

A cool addition to the new BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 software is that of the BlackBerry Video Store. Much like the Music Store, it allows you to browse movies and TV shows for both purchase and rental. There is a pretty good collection of titles (although it could always be better) so most likely something for everyone. It does have it's quirks however as I found out, like the abscence of Back to the Future despite both BTTF II and III being available. Once I recovered from that blow, I did find quite a few movies that I would say are worth downloading. Older titles will run you around $9.95, while shiny new ones are $19.95. When you choose a title to purchaes or rent (after signing up for an account) you can even watch while it continues to download which is a pretty sweet deal. Overall I really dig the Video Store but I just hope the catalog continues to get bigger. Currently available only in the US, the Video Store comes pre-installed on the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 software. And yes, I love Robin Hood even though I hate Kevin Costner :-)

The BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 software brings along some much-awaited apps like native Messages (email), Calendar and Contacts. The Messages app is a home for all of your accounts including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You now have one stop where you can check out all of your incoming messages, complete with LED and banner alert. The Messages app is easy to get running once you setup your accounts and everything is simple to navigate so you should have no issues figuring it all out. Check out the video above for a quick look at the Messages app and how it all works.

Having a native contacts app on the BlackBerry PlayBook is awesome. Thanks to the new PlayBook 2.0 software, it's easier than ever to get your contact list on your PlayBook - all it takes is a few steps. If you have your contacts stored with your email service, just enter your account info, choose to sync contacts and you're done. If you want to import contacts from Outlook or the like, you'll have to tweak a bit more but it can be done (you'll need web access to your account - we'll get into that more later). Everything is there when you start up the app - contact info, recent social interactions, calendar info and much more. Check out the video above as we take a look at the native Contacts application on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Along with native Messages and Contacts, the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 software is sporting a native Calendar application as well. Setting up your accounts is super easy and once you're up and running there's nothing to it. There are various views available like monthly and weekly, and you can color code each calendar for easy viewing. You'll find many of the same options in the calendar here as on your device as well, so most things should look pretty familiar. Check out the video above as we walk through the features of the Calendar app on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Setting up your accounts on the BlackBerry PlayBook is one of the first things you'll want to do. This gets all your email, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn messages into your inbox and it only takes a few steps. For the most part you just need to enter your account login and password, and the PlayBook does the rest. No messing with SMTP servers or crazy setup information - it's dead simple. Keep reading for a step-by-step of how to setup your accounts on the BlackBerry PlayBook

Continue reading article

I'm convinced that presentations never go 100% according to plan, regardless of what the presentation is about, and this morning's keynote at BlackBerry DevCon Europe 2012 was no exception to that. Vivek Bhardwaj, Head of Software Portfolio EMEA, experienced a glitch in his presentation while showing us some of the incredible new features that the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and BlackBerry Bridge 2.0 will be capable of. Specifically, he was demoing "Open On…" which allows you to open a photo or other document from your BlackBerry to your PlayBook with one click. Vivek snapped a picture of the 2000 people in the audience but when he tried to open it on his PlayBook it didn't load as expected. Fortunately, RIM really wanted to share this feature with everyone, so after the keynote Vivek got back on stage and they filmed a follow up of the demo, which worked flawlessly. You can watch that video above.

I've seen several comments since the video was posted and even on Twitter this morning about his lack of preparedness for the presentation, which is downright silly. A person could practice something 100 times, then the 101st time it goes wrong, and that happens to be the time he's on stage. Instead of focusing on the glitch, let's focus on the innovative new features that the update will bring to our devices. "Open On…" is one of many new additions, and looks really useful for presentations and other situations and I look forward to trying it out later this month when the OS 2.0 updates are available.

Source: Inside BlackBerry Developer's Blog

At CES 2012 we got to check out plenty of good stuff on the way from RIM, namely BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0. The update it due out in a few weeks and will bring along native email, contacts and calendar as well as some awesome new features like remote control support. After seeing all of it in action, I have a new found love for my PlayBook and can't wait for the update to hit the streets. PlayBook 2.0 - Better, stronger, faster! Ok maybe not so much faster as better .. but you get the idea (for those of you who are don't get it, check this out).

We've heard a lot about BlackBerry Balance on and off in the last few months, but haven't had a chance to see it in action all that much. BlackBerry Balance is built in to PlayBook OS 2.0 and allows users to balance (obviously) their work and personal items on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

For BlackBerry PlayBooks that are running via the BES and BlackBerry Fusion A new Work folder is sent to the device that will house all the user's work applications, keeping them separate from other items the user has on the device. Company apps are integrated in BlackBerry App World where optional applications can be downloaded and users can view any mandatory apps are pushed down to the device. Balance also brings security to other apps like limiting the abilty to copy text from work emails and in turn paste into personal applications. Very cool stuff here and it's an example of Research In Motion building upon their experience in enterprise to deliver smart solutions that will make both companies and end users happy. Check out the video above for a great look at BlackBerry Balance!

If you're currently running the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 beta then you'll want to go ahead and check for system updates. Right now v2.0.0.6149 is currently available for download. The change log, while slim, does mention new laguages, updates to BlackBerry Bridge as well as multi-media enhancements, but that all seems rather standard plus -- it remains unchanged from previous versions. There are likely some security enhancements in there to block the DingleBerry exploit as well but, that remains to be seen as it is not specifically outlined. Go head and grab the update -- let us know what changes you're seeing.

Discuss in the CrackBerry forums

We were on the edge of our seats this morning waiting for the first half of the BlackBery DevCon 2011 General Session to start. I think what we were all hoping for was a look at a QNX BlackBerry, or the announcement of the release of the much anticipated BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. While we didn't get either of those things, some other interesting topics were touched on.

Alec Saunders, VP, Developer Relations & Ecosystems Development, took the stage after Mike Lazaridis. While speaking with Danny Winokur from Adobe, they kind of let slip the information that PlayBook OS 2.0 will be available today, but only for developers. You can register to download it at the link below, or if you are attending DevCon you many choose to have it installed today. While not what we were hoping for, exactly, I suppose it's a step toward it being available for everyone, developer or not.

Register your PlayBook for Beta access

The other night we were treated to some leaked shots of what appears to be BlackBerry PlayBook v2.0, and since then a few more pics have popped up in the forums. And lookie there, the OS has been updated already from v2.0.0.2992 to v2.0.0.3013! Still no official word on when any of us might be seeing this for our PlayBooks, but hopefully the testing is progressing well and we'll get the update soon. A couple more pics after the break, and you can join in and discuss in the forums HERE or HERE. Thanks for posting this in the forums Rockiet and TotemG!

Continue reading article