BlackBerry 10 Update Available; OS Improvements to Battery Life, Camera, and App Performance
BlackBerry 10 users are now able to access their first update for the BB10 mobile operating system.
Michael Clewley, senior product manager in the handheld software product department, wrote in a BlackBerry blog post Friday that most of the updates and bug fixes were based on users' feedback.
"It's almost been a month since we officially unveiled the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones and many of you already have a BlackBerry Z10 in hand," Clewley said. "You've been using it for weeks, and we've been listening to your feedback."
The over the air update, which is approximately 150MB in size, was designed to improve the performance of third-party applications. It also addresses some problems users found with Gmail calendar support and importing contacts from online sources.
BlackBerry cameras also got optimized low-light settings that help with the Time Shift feature.
One of the biggest new improvements with the operating system is the update to the battery life. The upgrade gives users access to more than 60 battery savings options for casual and heavy phone usage.
Users can also manually check for the update by going to Settings, Software Update, Check for Updates, then following the on-screen steps to install.
BlackBerry announced that the update will be made available to all carriers within the next few weeks.
The new BlackBerry smartphones Q10 and Z10 were announced on Jan. 30 and have been rolling out in international markets.
The Z10 is expected in the U.S. in mid-March and the Q10 to mid-May to early June depending on the carrier, according to The Associated Press.
The new Z10 comes with a 4.2-inch display with 356 pixels-per-inch (ppi), along with a textured backing that makes it comfortable to hold.
The Q10 comes with a fully-fledged mobile QWERTY-keyboard from a slightly smaller portrait display. It comes with a glass-weave cover, making it thinner and lighter, but also stronger than plastic.