BlackBerry OS 6.0.0.358!
I was finally able to load BlackBerry 6 onto my Bold 9700, after waiting for a second leak to come out. Have to say, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, although it definitely has lived up to its hype.
The “tabbed” home screen browsing takes a little bit to get used to but is actually pretty smooth and intuitive once you get going. I wish there was a way to add or delete custom tabs in the list, because I don’t ever see the Downloads tab getting used on my phone.
A few of my favorite applications don’t work as well on OS 6 as they did on OS 5.
SocialScope, my favorite app, works but scrolling is unavailable, rendering it virtually useless. I suppose that is made up for with the Social Feeds native application, but I still prefer SS.
*** UPDATE ***
SocialScope is working once again. Deleted the app, battery pull, and reinstall fixed this issue.
BatteryEx, which I use to show my realtime battery status, works from the home screen in the notifications bar, but when in a full-frame application such as the native Browser app, the icon is simply just the battery without the % of battery remaining. Again, not a big issue but annoying.
Bugs
I’ve noticed that the Browser doesn’t work using the WiFi network I’m currently connected to, but works when I turn it off. I doubt that has anything to do with the WiFi itself because it has always worked in the past, so I’ll have to try other networks to see if there’s any difference.
I’ll add some more stuff as I find out more, but til then, I’d have to give a thumbs up for the time being.
Boredom
…and lack of sleep sure is a combination to beat all other combinations. Tylenol PM isn’t even working anymore. What a shame.
BlackBerry OS 6 Wishes PART #1 – Shortcut Apps
Given all the hype about the pending 3Q ’10 release of the 6th version of the BlackBerry operating system, there are some things I wish would be done. There are several paid, 3rd party apps that offer featured that should be native to our phones.
ยป QuickLaunch / ShortcutMe
Two wonderful shortcut applications. They both offer their unique ways of displaying on-screen shortcuts to frequently used applications. Somewhere on my blog are screenshots of my setups for both of these apps, and they both have their ups and downs. Currently, I’m using SMe (won the license in a contest from CrackBerry a while back and never really utilized it) and like the ability to color code and group similar shortcuts.
QL offers grouping via a folder process, however I feel that SMe executes it more efficiently. QL doesn’t allow you to assign colors to your shortcuts, either. However, QL’s appearance is much more aesthetically pleasing.
I think one feature both lack (and would benefit from) is the ability to add the icons that are associated with each shortcut to the menu you create. Yeah, this may be a little bit like how the Windows Mobile OS works, but hey, its neat.
Without statistics to back me up, I would venture as far as to say that a considerable (10-15%ish) number of BlackBerry users utilize either QL or SMe. For something so seemingly simple for 3rd party developers to do, RIM should strongly consider their own version of custom shortcuts or even outright purchasing the rights to one or both of these apps.
RIM makes excellent devices, and I’ll always use them. I wish that they would see what users post-purchase do with their phones and make an excellent implementation on future OS releases.
Part 2 to follow…. 
. If you read this, let me know what you thought, I’d greatly appreciate it.
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