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Screenshots: Leaked upcoming BlackBerry OS

The new operating system for the BlackBerry Curve has been leaked. So what's changed?
By Zack Whittaker, Contributor
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1 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The new Today screen will rival that of its Windows Mobile counterpart. With three sections at the moment - one for messages (email and text messages), missed calls and upcoming calendar entries - it is easier to keep track of what is going on in the here, now and present rather than the past.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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2 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
From the initial reinstall, you won't see any real differences except perhaps your icons at the bottom of the screen might have been re-jiggled. Your network may already have deep-rooted settings which survive even bricking your phone, so you may see your default network background like I have here.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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3 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
As you can see here, the BlackBerry About screen shows the current version of the operating system. Here it is v5.0.0.130, and also shows other bits and bobs which quite frankly make little or no sense to me.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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4 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The default services allow you to maintain which service books control the calendar and messaging aspect of things. I could have Windows Live Hotmail ("Hotmail" on my phone) as the calendar but as my university staff account uses Exchange 2007, it makes sense to use my Exchange account which bounces email and calendar entries back and forth.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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5 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The GPS settings also include location aiding which bridges the location gap. With this, it uses cell network information to point out roughly where you are in terms of radius on the map, allowing you to not use the GPS which wears down the battery quite rapidly. It isn't as accurate but gives you a rough ball-park figure of where you are in the world.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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The calling options seem to have been modified to allow to automatically enhance the sound quality on the call whether you use the handset or the headset. You can change the bass or the treble of the call from this menu, or just leave it as it is.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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7 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
With smart dialling, this allows you to set the country code and the length of the numbers used. Also, if you use your BlackBerry as a device for calling work, you can edit the settings for office extensions allowing you to dial straight through without being put through to an operator first.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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8 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
TTD mode allows deaf and those who are audiably impaired to use their phone as a text phone.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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9 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The encryption settings have changed slightly allowing you to set the strength of encryption or even whether to enable or disable it, along with which things should be protected over other things.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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10 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The firewall is an interesting feature, something which I am fond of. Depending on the mood you are in or setting you find yourself in, you can turn off specific areas of the network so you only receive certain correspondence through email, BIS or BES messages. Not a "firewall" per se but acts as a communications blocker from you to the rest of the world.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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11 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The security wipe which enables you to wipe the entire device securely has been simplified. With three sections, it's now easier but still as secure when bricking the phone.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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12 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The profiles screen has changed, allowing you to easily change the settings of each profile, as well as alert tones for each individual event, more so than before. It's important to note at the moment, the graphics of the plus and minus symbols look a little large and out of place. This could well change with time, but they don't look so much like placeholders though.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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For those using headsets, this comes as a useful feature. Not only can you now change the sensitivity of the speech recognition but you can also have it played back to you and with a set volume.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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Some of the icons have been updated in this version, such as the Music application which now has its own dedicated application.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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15 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The actions area allows you to customise even more options relating to the sounds and feedback that the operating system kicks out in notification, such as the holster settings and the vibration settings.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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With this release, the media center has been cut down into five separate applications which lets you keep track of everything from one folder. This isn't a removal of feature, more of a re-jig of features into a dedicated place.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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A new white-on-black search bar has been added to the new version to make it easier and more obvious to search for things, instead of scrolling through every single one to find what you are looking for.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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A small but useful addition to the pictures folder is the image name and the date it was taken in the bottom-left and bottom-right respectively. This way, you can see which image is the right one of you have taken many over the course of the day.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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Voice recording is very much as it was before except with a new media card meter in the bottom-left hand corner which shows you how much memory space you have left, and also more options which let you change the bitrate, quality and sound filetype of the recording.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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The browser is clearly different with a dedicated search area (which has been reshaped from previous editions). The v5 OS seems to be big on the text input bars which have changed somewhat since previous editions. At least this application makes it look at lot more like the start page of a web browser than just another WAP browser.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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The pre-installed search engines haven't changed in this edition, except Yahoo! Search is the first one instead of Google in the previous one. You'll note this as strange in a minute when you see the Google Gears application, which will make you consider whether a deal between the two companies has taken place or not. Either way, it'll be Bing search on top in the not too distant future.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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22 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
This web browser now supports embedded media. I'm not too sure what this means as such because I've tried loading up a Flash site and nothing seems to work. Perhaps later on in the development cycle this will allow Silverlight and Flash based media to work on the browser.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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Google Gears is pre-installed in this version which will enable users to store offline copies of certain parts of websites to enable online sites load faster. It seems that Research in Motion is giving up to some extent on the mobile networks bandwidth and overall performance and biting the bullet instead to provide the next best alternative.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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24 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
BlackBerry devices have never really had a file manager, until now. With its own dedicated icon, this application lets you search through your phone in a file manager to show you what is really on the phone, and where it is.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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25 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
This is what the new file manager looks like on the inside. I'm sure you'll agree, it looks relatively boring but in true BlackBerry style, the application remains simple, clean but gives you the information you need and nothing else.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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You also have the ability to search for what you want to find and send it elsewhere. Think of this as emailing yourself and adding an attachment... but in reverse. You can also send it over the air using Bluetooth and WLAN, through BlackBerry Messenger and instant messengers if you have them installed.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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Select the file you want and hit the option you want. At the moment, I haven't had the time to install an instant messenger and didn't have any wireless networks enabled, hence why only email is available...

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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...and emailing files is easy. You just have to add the recipient and you can send it within seconds. If you don't want to send it from the default account, you can just as easily change the account to another one.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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One of the smaller changes in this version is the change in icons for Documents to Go. The icons resemble icons very similar to older versions of Microsoft Office, but this isn't necessarily the issue for Research in Motion as they don't write the application.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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As you would expect from all BlackBerry OS releases, the user interface responses are still sharp. It doesn't leave you in the dark with what is going on and tells you straight and simply what you are waiting for.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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31 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
BIS doesn't change much and the options are very much the same. This shows work has only been done on the operating system and not the backend system - which as far as I know is stable and as good as it can really get.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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The power management in this release is excellent. It is much quicker turning off and on again, even from cold boot when you rip the battery out of the back of it. And when you have a reminder, calendar item or alarm set in the future, it will tell you when the device will automatically turn back on.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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33 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
In the music area, a small change with the addition of numbers next to the desired list, telling you how many items in that list you have. The shuffle setting has also changed as now it seems to randomise a bit better, rather than sticking to the same general loop of songs or podcasts.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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34 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The media player has changed slightly, with the album art (which downloads automatically) is almost full screen to the left of the screen with the title, artist and album to the right. The controls remain very much the same.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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35 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The one thing I like about this new release is the "try before you apply" setting which lets you change notification options and then test them out before you hit apply. This way, you know that the alarm notification is loud enough to wake you up in the morning.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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36 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The sound profiles have been expanded out to give a better set of options and clearer icons. Besides this, very little has changed.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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37 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
Here, nothing has changed except the small notification in the bottom mid-center left that the textphone option is enabled and working ("TTY"). Besides this, everything is very much as it is and remains unchanged for now.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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38 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
The in-call menu has changed slightly with the "Home Screen" option which lets you go back to the home screen with your Today options - seeing there and then what you have to do that day or the following day instead of routing around your contacts, calendar or messages - which of course are still available should you want to view them.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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39 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
This is definitely a new screen, allowing you to change the layout of the home screen as a Today screen or a traditional grid layout. Also applications which are downloaded and installed can be placed into a default folder, that other than the Downloads folder.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.
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40 of 40 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET
And in this part of the screen, you can easily change the wallpaper and the theme options. Also, if you encounter any issues with your icons, you can reset their arrangement on the home and menu screens to restore their positions to defaults.

For features which have been found in this leaked new operating system, head over to the article on the iGeneration blog.

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