BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) has released an update to its Playbook tablet software which includes support for video chatting between PlayBooks, a new Facebook app optimized for its 7″ screen and an improved browser that’s “more compatible with the entire Web.”
The update also allows for BlackBerry Messenger use via BlackBerry Bridge.
The Canadian firm has never really been known for its app prowess, but with a slew of new devices emerging of late – including its long awaited tablet – RIM says it has focused in on the software side of its business to offer a better user experience on the device’s high resolution, multi-touch LCD display. And where better to start than with a universally popular app – Facebook.
Tom Goguen, RIM’s vice president of collaboration and social networking said there were already over 30 million people using the firm’s smartphone version of the Facebook app, and said he hoped Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook would offer “highly engaging social experiences” for tablet users too.
These experiences include being able to view Facebook photos and videos on an HD TV at 1080p when hooked up to the Playbook, or browsing friends in a visually simpler and more attractive grid view format.
One of the Playbook’s biggest selling points is its incredible multi-tasking ability, and RIM says it has brought a taste of this to the Facebook app too. “On the BlackBerry PlayBook screen, users can enjoy side-by-side viewing of online contacts and active conversations. Notifications of new Chat messages are displayed on the Notifications Bar, so users can quickly and easily read and respond to new Chat messages while browsing friends’ profiles, viewing their pictures or reading their status updates,” RIM says.
The new app also offers better interactivity with the device’s browser, says RIM, allowing users to open links easily from within the app’s News Feed.
Speaking at BlackBerry World in Orlando, Fla., on Monday, RIM’s vice president of software, Alan Panezic said the firm could add major features and new applications to the PlayBook as frequently as every two weeks.
But, while this would go a long way to bettering the firm’s slow-to-update reputation, some still doubt whether it would be enough to ensure the tablet keeps up with the competition.
RIM has often blamed its sluggish smartphone update pace on the carriers, who need to approve any changes made to the BlackBerry operating system before it’s launched, but the company says it has ensured this will not be the case for wireless versions of the PlayBook due out this summer.
Indeed, Panezic promised that the PlayBook won’t need any kind of restrictive approval process unless changes are made to the radio.
