Research in Motion Ltd. CEO Thorsten Heins gave the world its first look at the new BlackBerry 10 software this morning, which gives the smartphones a touchscreen instead of a keyboard, an improved camera, and the ability for users to swipe between functions.
Heins gave the keynote address at RIM’s developer conference inOrlando, Fl., then brought up on stage the head of RIM’s softwareportfolio to demonstrate some of the BB10 features on a prototype ofthe new BlackBerry device, the Globe and Mail reports.
One ofhe biggest changes is the elimination of a traditional keypad onthe new device. Instead, the new touchscreen keyboard adapts to theuser’styping style over time. Users can also swipe across the screen todelete words and add suggested words into a message by simply swipingthem aswell.
The new camera can zoom into a face within a pictureand allowsusers to improve photos they’ve taken by going back in time to chooseframes before or after they were shot if they look better.
The BB10 demonstration coincided with an IDC report showing RIM’ssmartphone sales fell by nearly 30 per cent in the firstquarter of2012, putting it in fourth place behind Samsung, Apple and Nokia.