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BlackBerry Playbook update disappoints those waiting for BB10

Troubled Canadian technology firm Research in Motion has released a major software upgrade for its BlackBerry Playbook, CBC's Melanie Nagy reports

Last week, the first BlackBerry 10 phone, the BlackBerry Z10, hit store shelves in Canada, getting people across the country excited about the new operating system. If you’re a BlackBerry Playbook user however, you might have to wait a little bit longer before you can join in on the fun.

BlackBerry pushed an update last night, dubbed “update 2.1.0.1526” (much less titillating than “BB10”) which includes improved bridging with “legacy” BlackBerry devices, improved browser speed, boosted audio and a better experience when setting up Yahoo! and Gmail accounts, Mobile Syrup reports. The BlackBerry App World has also been re-branded to be in line with the BB10 BlackBerry World App and the ability to make purchases in-app.

[ On Y! Finance: BlackBerry Playbook update coming on heels of BB10 ]

One of the biggest changes that comes with the legacy functionality improvement is the ability to interact with SMS messages on the BlackBerry Playbook.

But that’s going to do little to placate those who were hoping this update would move them into the much hyped world of the BB10 OS.

Back in March 2012, when BB10 was but a glint in the eyes of the BlackBerry loyal, Rob Orr, vice president of product management of what was then RIM said that “at some point after the [BB10 handset] launch we’ll be bringing BB10 to our PlayBooks,” The Verge reported. And at the January 30 launch event for BB10 and the first handsets of the OS, the company reminded everyone that yes, a BB10 update was still on the way for the Playbook.

[ More Right Click: Take your tablet on a vintage typing journey with a typewriter keyboard ]

Unfortunately, that reminder didn’t come with a timeline.

At this stage, almost a year and a half after the release of the BlackBerry Playbook, it would make more sense to start saving up now for an eventual tablet built for the BB10 system.

In an interview with Reuters, it appears that BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins is thinking along those very lines. Heins told Reuters earlier this week that the company is looking to the future of the BlackBerry brand, and already planning how it will use what Heins terms its “new mobile computing platform.”

When asked about the next generation of BlackBerry tablets, Heins had this to say:

“I’m not getting out of the tablet business, I’ve asked my teams to build another one, but I need to make money from it,” said Heins. “If the hardware doesn’t provide the margins I need, then it makes no sense in doing it.”

If you need a reminder on how to perform a software update on the BlackBerry PlayBook, watch this video from BlackBerry Support:

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