BlackBerry OS

This article is about the older BlackBerry OS. For the QNX-based mobile operating system formerly called "BBX", see BlackBerry 10.
BlackBerry OS
Developer BlackBerry Ltd
Written in C++[1]
OS family Mobile operating systems
Working state Stopped (Replaced by BlackBerry 10)
Source model Closed source
Initial release January 19, 1999 (1999-01-19) (as Version 1.0 for Pager BlackBerry 850)[2]
March 4, 2002 (2002-03-04) (as Version 3.6 for smartphone BlackBerry 5810 Wireless Handheld)[3][4]
Latest release 7.1.0.2931 (BlackBerry 9790/9900)[5] / November 2013 (2013-11)
Marketing target Smartphones
Available in Multi-Lingual
Package manager BlackBerry Desktop Manager
Platforms BlackBerry line of smartphones
Kernel type Java virtual machine
Default user interface Graphical
License Proprietary
Official website us.blackberry.com/apps-software/blackberry7/

BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system developed by BlackBerry Ltd for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking and supports specialized input devices that have been adopted by BlackBerry Ltd. for use in its handhelds, particularly the trackwheel, trackball, and most recently, the trackpad and touchscreen.

The BlackBerry platform is perhaps best known for its native support for corporate email, through MIDP 1.0 and, more recently, a subset of MIDP 2.0, which allows complete wireless activation and synchronization with Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise email, calendar, tasks, notes, and contacts, when used with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The operating system also supports WAP 1.2.

Updates to the operating system may be automatically available from wireless carriers that support the BlackBerry over the air software loading (OTASL) service.

Third-party developers can write software using the available BlackBerry API classes, although applications that make use of certain functionality must be digitally signed.

Research from June 2011 indicated that approximately 45% of mobile developers were using the platform at the time of publication.[6]

BlackBerry OS was discontinued after the release of BlackBerry 10, but BlackBerry will continue support for the BlackBerry OS.

Release history

This article is the BlackBerry OS release history; for the BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system, see BlackBerry 10 version history.
Obsolete Discontinued Current Beta Future Release
Table of versions: BlackBerry
Version Release date Features / Information about
January 1999 The BlackBerry OS made its debut and it was released for the Pager BlackBerry 850.
March 2002 Released on the BlackBerry 5810 smartphone.
August 4, 2009 It was released on the BlackBerry Bold 9000 8520 and came to the other BlackBerry smartphones a short while after its release.
Q3 2010

In April 2010, RIM announced the BlackBerry OS 6.0 version, which was released in the third quarter of 2010.[7] This version included a new WebKit-based browser.[8]

Summer 2011

It was officially released in August 2011, making its appearance on the BlackBerry Bold (9900/9930), BlackBerry Torch (9810/9850/9860), and the BlackBerry Curve (9350/9360/9370/9380). Any smartphones running an earlier version of the BlackBerry OS could not be updated to version 7.0.[9]

2012 It has now been superseded by the BlackBerry 10 operating system, but is still sold by BlackBerry on its smartphones. This was an update to version 7.0 and added several new features compared to 7.0, including[10]
Version Release date Features / Information about

BlackBerry 9720

The BlackBerry 9720 runs a version of BlackBerry OS 7.1 with updates to the user interface, such as a new lock screen that lets you swipe to unlock the phone or access the camera, and redesigned Application Switcher, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Phone apps.

Availability

While BlackBerry Ltd. develops and releases updated versions of its operating system to support each device, it is up to the individual carriers to decide if and when a version is released to its users.

Discontinued Still sold[11] Upcoming
Version Supported devices: BlackBerry 8000 series
4.5 BlackBerry devices in the 8100 and 8800 series, plus BlackBerry Curve 8300/8310/8320.
4.6 BlackBerry Pearl Flip.
5.0 BlackBerry Curve 8330/8350i/8520/8530/8900.
Version Supported devices: BlackBerry 9000 series
5.0 BlackBerry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Storm 2 and BlackBerry Tour.
6.0 BlackBerry Bold 9650/9700/9780, BlackBerry Curve 9300/9330, BlackBerry Pearl 9100/9105, BlackBerry Style 9670, and BlackBerry Torch 9800.
7.0 BlackBerry Bold 9790/9900/9930, BlackBerry Curve 9310/9315/9350/9360/9370/9380/9220/9320, BlackBerry Torch 9810/9850/9860, and BlackBerry 9720.
7.1

For the BlackBerry 10 series of devices see BlackBerry 10 Devices.

BlackBerry fonts

The following is a list of fonts that were included in some versions of BlackBerry (note: some of them were not included in older versions):[12][13]

  • Andale Mono
  • Arial
  • BBAlpha Sans
  • BBAlpha Sans Condensed
  • BBAlpha Serif
  • BBCAPITALS
  • BBCCasual
  • BBClarity
  • BBCondensed
  • BBGlobal Sans
  • BBGlobal Serif
  • BBMilbank
  • BBMilbank Tall
  • BBSansSerif
  • BBSansSerifSquare
  • BBSerifFixed

BBAlphaSans and BBAlphaSerif are based on the free software DejaVu fonts.[14]

BlackBerry Tablet OS

Main article: BlackBerry Tablet OS

On September 27, 2010, BlackBerry Ltd. announced a new unrelated QNX-based platform, BlackBerry Tablet OS, to run on its recently released BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer.[15]

See also

Notes

References

External links

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