UPDATED 14:10 EDT / JANUARY 10 2012

RIM Gets Back to Basics: CES Demos Focus on Business Users, Cloud

Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry devices, has been awfully quiet for some time now.  2011 wasn’t kind to RIM, with the service outage, slow OS update, flopped tablet and a lot more headache-inducing situations.  It’s quite impressive that RIM hasn’t turned their back on the mobile industry all together.  As the saying goes, “It’s the calm before the storm,” RIM is back in business at this year’s CES.

New Phone OS

RIM announced the new BlackBerry 7.1 OS which incorporates a new feature called BlackBerry Tag, which allows BlackBerry users to share information and content by simply tapping their NFC enabled BlackBerry smartphone against another NFC enabled BlackBerry smartphone.  BB users can now instantly invite a friend to BBM, exchange contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content.  Also, users of BB smartphones not equipped with the NFC feature can pair their device to an NFC enabled Bluetooth device so they can enjoy BB Tag.

“BlackBerry 7 delivered a next-generation platform for our customers around the world and the range of software updates announced today build upon the strengths of that platform to further enhance the mobile experience and make life easier, from managing daily tasks to planning big adventures,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

Aside from this,  BBM, BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Travel apps were all updated. BB 7.1 OS is already rollingout to devices worldwide, while the updated apps are already available in the BlackBerry App World store.

New Tablet OS

RIM previewed the new features of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, which will enable customers to stay even more connected and productive in their personal and professional lives.  The BB PlayBook OS 2.0 is available for free for all PlayBook owners/users by February 2012.

“BlackBerry PlayBook is already recognized for delivering powerful performance, true multi-tasking, advanced web browsing and HD multimedia in an ultra-portable design,” said Lazaridis. “With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 we are building on this strong foundation, as well as leveraging our strengths in communications, social integration and productivity, to allow people to use their BlackBerry PlayBook in new ways throughout the day.”

BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 Features

  • Advanced Messaging Experience: includes a new unified inbox, multi-tasking within email, rich-text email, composing and editing, and inbox management tools – allows for powerful inbox search across multiple email accounts, as well as the ability to set out-of-office messages and email signatures directly from their tablet.
  • Deep Integration of Social Relationships: includes innovative people-centric calendar and relationship-centric contacts app.
  • Making Your BlackBerry Smartphone and Tablet a Powerful Pair which includes remote control for the BlackBerry PlayBook with the new BlackBerry Bridge that allows a user’s BlackBerry smartphone to act as a keyboard and mouse for their BlackBerry PlayBook and opening content on the BlackBerry PlayBook with the BlackBerry Bridge so you can take documents, emails, multimedia files and web pages found on your smartphone and open them quickly and directly on the BlackBerry PlayBook.
  • Improved Mobile Productivity: Updated document editing capabilities for Documents To Go makes it easier for users to create and edit documents while on the go.  It now features enhanced support for the virtual keyboard, the ability to view and update embedded charts and chart sheets within spreadsheets, a new formula wizard with over 100 functions as well as the ability to edit presentations including text, bullets and formatting; Print To Go application via WiFi; Increased control and manageability of corporate data – the combination of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and BlackBerry Balance will help to overcome many barriers to widespread tablet deployment.
  • New Apps and Content: more available apps in the App World such as Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Groupon, Thomson Reuters, Zinio and many more; Video store will initially be available in the United States; Enhanced web browsing.

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