Piesang
Executive Member
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Question of the Day: How do you normally pay for purchases in stores?
OS6 is now available for all 9700 owners
- Thread starter Piesang
- Start date
http://driphter.com/index.php/topic,2952.0.html?PHPSESSID=2a859da1843c3b2c9637c8e9c5741e5f
Yea, I'm going to wait to see how people say it performs first. Can't wait to use the webkit browser and the social feeds.
Yea, I'm going to wait to see how people say it performs first. Can't wait to use the webkit browser and the social feeds.
APoc184
Honorary Master
From Vodacom or MTN's site?
Or via alternative download?
Will have a look now.
I know what I will be doing tonight!
Or via alternative download?
Will have a look now.
I know what I will be doing tonight!
Piesang
Executive Member
Just remember (as far as I know) social feeds are not included in BIS. You pay extra for it. If I'm wrong please let me know. I haven't used it on my 9800 yet.
It's a alternative download. It's not a official version though.
Hugo_ZA
Well-Known Member
I am sure that all 9700 owners are elated about this, but its important to note that this is not an official release, so you are installing this at your own risk.
Head on over to the Crackberry.com site and see what people are saying about it. I am downloading it as we speak and will post some comments in due course.
rainynight65
Senior Member
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Hmm.
I should be getting my Torch quite soon. Then I'll subject my 9700 to this version. Luckily there's a way to do a clean reinstall of a BB OS, I've had to do it a few times.
I should be getting my Torch quite soon. Then I'll subject my 9700 to this version. Luckily there's a way to do a clean reinstall of a BB OS, I've had to do it a few times.
Hugo_ZA
Well-Known Member
Well think of it this way: a leak means that the final version can not be more than a couple of weeks away from release
Hugo_ZA
Well-Known Member
Ok its done and loaded. Graphics are awesome, os is smooth and fast, the browser rocks! More to come!
Piesang
Executive Member
I must agree. Browsing on OS6 is a major step up from OS5.
rainynight65
Senior Member
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BIS is your BlackBerry Data package. All data traffic from the device is covered by that (unless an app really screws up). I've used a multitude of third-party social networking apps on my BBs and didn't have to pay extra for any of them. Since Social Feeds is a RIM app, I am pretty sure it'll work through BIS.
Hugo_ZA
Well-Known Member
Im not sure about the social feeds either, but I do know that for any app to utilize your regular data plan you need to have the APN enabled and setup. I have not done this and social feeds is still working.
Also, lets look at the data used by the social feeds app, and then translate that into cost. Is it really worth creating a whole big drama over?
marine1
Honorary Master
Some guys have reported BIS not working on OS6.
Hugo_ZA
Well-Known Member
OK so being one of the early adopters of OS6 for the Bold I thought I would post a little feedback on the whole process:
The Install:
The install went as smooth as any other OS install I have done in the past. The biggest annoyance was the post install start-up, which took in the region of, well…a lifetime!
First Boot:
First off you notice that there is a brand new start-up animation. It ran smooth as glass, and looks awesome. The setup screens have been redesigned but the process is still more or less the same.
New Home Screen:
My first half hour with the new home screen and menu was a tad frustrating, as you no longer get access to the application menu by pressing the blackberry button. Instead you scroll down from the icon bar, or via the popup menu. Other than that the new layout works great. The new icons are awesome, and the general flow and usability is awesome. The favourites bar is great, though it does kind of share the same function as the “Recent” bar in my mind. All in all I cannot see myself using the additional bars all that often, but that could be purely based on the fact that I am used to the old way of doing things.
New Options Screen:
I have never had an opinion on the text only menus of the old BB-OS. They served their purpose and were straight forward. The new menu is graphical and categorized, which does make things easier and also less daunting to less tech-savvy users though. I especially like the way the alerts are filtered when selecting them, i.e. you are no longer presented with an exhaustive list of tones and chimes when changing alerts. Instead, they are filtered and only display the alerts relative to the type of tone you are applying. The new alert tones are also a welcome change.
Media and Photos:
Massive improvement in the speed of the applications, though the general functionality remains basically the same. Still, there is no option available to mute the audio when recording videos though. Support for some key formats on the video from is still missing.
Browser:
Many reviews have been written about the new Webkit browser in BB6 so I will keep this simple. My stress test for mobile browsers is always logging into my bank, and the blackberry did this admirably, even better than the much vaunted iPhone!
Overall Speed, Battery Life, and Memory
The speed of the OS is amazing. The animations are smooth, though I do feel that they are a bit too much. Then again, I prefer function over form or in this case speed over eye candy. That being said the animations do not impact the speed of the device at all. The battery life seems unchanged at the moment, but it will take more than 12 hours with the phone to establish whether or not there has been an improvement or not. Application memory, after installing my apps I have 72mb free, and since I don’t load a lot of apps this is more than sufficient for me.
Final Words:
A lot has already been said about the new OS, but those were mostly based on the touch screen version of the software. In short, BB6 is a great improvement over OS5, though it does feel as though it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary. In blackberry terms it’s a grand new design, but in the real word RIM is playing catch-up with the likes of Android and iOS. There is most definitely room for improvement, and I am sure that they will come. The camera interface for instance is as basic as they come and the video player lacks support for key formats. On the upside, I believe that there is no platform out there with better social media integration than blackberry. Everything fits together in a very clean, cohesive package that combines the best of social media with the best of business.
So is BB6 worth loading onto the ageing 9700? Most definitely! It is an upgrade that has been long time coming, and a most welcome one indeed. Sure the 9780 is just around the corner, but is it worth spending (what will probably be) a fortune just to have some more application memory and a 5mp camera? It comes down to choice. My choice is to stick with my trusty 9700 now that RIM have come to the party with BB6.
The Install:
The install went as smooth as any other OS install I have done in the past. The biggest annoyance was the post install start-up, which took in the region of, well…a lifetime!
First Boot:
First off you notice that there is a brand new start-up animation. It ran smooth as glass, and looks awesome. The setup screens have been redesigned but the process is still more or less the same.
New Home Screen:
My first half hour with the new home screen and menu was a tad frustrating, as you no longer get access to the application menu by pressing the blackberry button. Instead you scroll down from the icon bar, or via the popup menu. Other than that the new layout works great. The new icons are awesome, and the general flow and usability is awesome. The favourites bar is great, though it does kind of share the same function as the “Recent” bar in my mind. All in all I cannot see myself using the additional bars all that often, but that could be purely based on the fact that I am used to the old way of doing things.
New Options Screen:
I have never had an opinion on the text only menus of the old BB-OS. They served their purpose and were straight forward. The new menu is graphical and categorized, which does make things easier and also less daunting to less tech-savvy users though. I especially like the way the alerts are filtered when selecting them, i.e. you are no longer presented with an exhaustive list of tones and chimes when changing alerts. Instead, they are filtered and only display the alerts relative to the type of tone you are applying. The new alert tones are also a welcome change.
Media and Photos:
Massive improvement in the speed of the applications, though the general functionality remains basically the same. Still, there is no option available to mute the audio when recording videos though. Support for some key formats on the video from is still missing.
Browser:
Many reviews have been written about the new Webkit browser in BB6 so I will keep this simple. My stress test for mobile browsers is always logging into my bank, and the blackberry did this admirably, even better than the much vaunted iPhone!
Overall Speed, Battery Life, and Memory
The speed of the OS is amazing. The animations are smooth, though I do feel that they are a bit too much. Then again, I prefer function over form or in this case speed over eye candy. That being said the animations do not impact the speed of the device at all. The battery life seems unchanged at the moment, but it will take more than 12 hours with the phone to establish whether or not there has been an improvement or not. Application memory, after installing my apps I have 72mb free, and since I don’t load a lot of apps this is more than sufficient for me.
Final Words:
A lot has already been said about the new OS, but those were mostly based on the touch screen version of the software. In short, BB6 is a great improvement over OS5, though it does feel as though it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary. In blackberry terms it’s a grand new design, but in the real word RIM is playing catch-up with the likes of Android and iOS. There is most definitely room for improvement, and I am sure that they will come. The camera interface for instance is as basic as they come and the video player lacks support for key formats. On the upside, I believe that there is no platform out there with better social media integration than blackberry. Everything fits together in a very clean, cohesive package that combines the best of social media with the best of business.
So is BB6 worth loading onto the ageing 9700? Most definitely! It is an upgrade that has been long time coming, and a most welcome one indeed. Sure the 9780 is just around the corner, but is it worth spending (what will probably be) a fortune just to have some more application memory and a 5mp camera? It comes down to choice. My choice is to stick with my trusty 9700 now that RIM have come to the party with BB6.
Last edited:
Hugo_ZA
Well-Known Member
marine1
Honorary Master
Excellent post
marine1
Honorary Master
Did you wipe your phone first or just load the file?
Hugo_ZA
Well-Known Member
I did a backup using the Blackberry Desktop Software and then did a clean install, instructing the AppLoader to not backup or restore anything. Then once the whole process was done I restored my personal data via the Desktop Software again. I didn't restore any settings though, as I believe that restoring them from OS5 to BB6 can cause problems.