RIM demoed several features of the BlackBerry 10 OS to thunderous applause today, during the BlackBerry World keynote in Orlando, Florida.  RIM showed features not available on other smartphone platforms.  In addition, these features resonated with RIM’s traditional value proposition of allowing users to be productive and save time.

RIM showed the new “glance” feature, in which several apps can run simultaneously and be partially layered on one another.  Thus, someone can open and read a PDF while continuing to look at their email inbox.  This saves users time by not requiring users to switch apps.

RIM also demoed its new keyboard, which features an unique predictive text feature, as well as multi-touch gestures.  Perhaps most stunning was the demo featuring the new camera, which allows users to go forward and backward in time after taking a photo.  Despite the emphasis of other smartphone makers on their smartphone cameras, this feature clearly allows the camera on the BlackBerry to leapfrog those of other smartphones.  It also provides the “wow” factor that I expected QNX and TAT to bring to BlackBerry.

In addition, RIM gave each developer attending the BlackBerry Jam session a free Dev Alpha device.  RIM also launched its much-anticipated Cascades app development framework.

Flow of BlackBerry 10 OS

Thorsten Heins Introduces the BB 10 Dev Alpha Device

New BlackBerry Camera Allows “Time-Travel”

The BlackBerry 10 Keyboard