The latest update to the BlackBerry 10 operating system will start being made available to carriers for users of the Z10, Q10 and Q5 smart phones this week in Canada and a number of other countries.
However, it may be a few days before carriers finish testing the update and make it available to their subscribers. Telus said it is immediately available, but Rogers said today that it will be available “in late October.”
OS 10.2 adds a number of new features to the handsets:
–Priority Hub is said to learn what conversations are most important to the user and automatically puts them at the top of the inbox. A new attachment view helps find files and documents across messaging accounts and within specific message threads;
–The sound accompanying BBM Video and Voice communications between BB10 smart phones has been improved. BlackBerry [TSX: BB] calls it Natural Sound, and says “it’s the next best thing to being in the same room” with whoever you’re talking to;
–Instant preview of incoming messages. Email, BBM and SMS message previews will appear in any app the user is in. BBM and SMS messages can be responded to immediately, although the only way to reply in an email is to go to the Hub;
–Smarter keyboard on the Z10 and Z30. There’s now distinct audio tones for specific keys like backspace and shift to help reassure users they’ve hit the right key;
–Copying and pasting is said to be easier with more precise cursor control for text selection. When text is highlighted a popup menu gives editing options, including direct sharing with BBM, Facebook and Twitter;
–Lock screen notifications. If you password lock your handset – and you should – you don’t have to unlock it to see a new message. These messages can be set to be previewed from the lock screen;
–Reply Now lets users respond to inconvenient incoming phone calls with an automated response via BBM, SMS or email;
–the Calendar can be set to send a message to people that you’re running late. Also adding an event has been made easier.