BlackBerry Tablet OS is an operating system based on the QNX Neutrino real-time operating system

Real-time operating system

A real-time operating system is an operating system intended to serve real-time application requests.A key characteristic of a RTOS is the level of its consistency concerning the amount of time it takes to accept and complete an application's task; the variability is jitter...

 designed to run Adobe AIR and BlackBerry WebWorks applications. A BlackBerry Tablet OS Native Development Kit (to develop native C/C++ applications with industry standard GNU toolchains) is currently in closed beta testing.
Support for BlackBerry Java and Android Apps is also due, enabling developers to repackage, code, sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World for approval. The new optional app players will be available for download from BlackBerry App World and will be placed in a secure sandbox on the BlackBerry PlayBook where the BlackBerry Java or Android apps can be run. The first device to run BlackBerry Tablet OS was be the BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry PlayBook

The BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet computer by Research In Motion , best known for the BlackBerry smartphone. It competes against Apple's iPad and a slew of Android-powered tablets....

 tablet computer

Tablet computer

A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...

.

A QNX-based OS will also replace the long standing BlackBerry OS

BlackBerry OS

BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system, developed by Research In Motion for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices...

 on handsets after the current version 7.

1.0.3

• Homescreen web browser bookmarks
• BlackBerry Bridge - the ability to connect to, and access data on, a BlackBerry smartphone using Bluetooth
  Bluetooth
  Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
  
  .
  • Document editing through BlackBerry Bridge. It is now updated.
  • BlackBerry Messaging
    Blackberry Messenger
    BlackBerry Messenger is a proprietary Internet-based instant messenger application included on BlackBerry devices which allows messaging between BlackBerry users.It was developed by Research In Motion , maker of the BlackBerry device...
    
     capability through BlackBerry Bridge
• Video chat capability with other BlackBerry PlayBook users

1.0.5

• Improved functionality within the Facebook app, inc. notifications
  • Video uploading direct from the camera or media folder & album selection for media uploaded
  • Improved search, news feeds and pages functionality
  • Message deletion
  • Options and help centre functionality incorporated
• In-app payment support to allow the purchase of new levels of a game or latest edition of a magazine/newspaper
• Additional language supports for most EU countries
• Power management and charging improved, including charging while powered down.
• Improved WiFi Hotspot detection
• Adobe Flash Player security fix
• Easier to download and save pictures

1.0.7

• Improved connectivity & productivity with the BlackBerry Bridge application
  • Enhanced Support for Saving Attachments
  • ZIP Attachment Support
  • Faster pairing between a BlackBerry smartphone and a BlackBerry PlayBook
  • Faster attachment opening
• Additional Multimedia Features
  • Portrait Support in Pictures App
  • Pinch to Zoom in Video App
• Additional Language Support
• Improved Wi-Fi connectivity over WEP networks
• Airplane mode
• Differential software updates to allow only parts of the OS to be updated instead of a full update, ensuring smaller file sizes for updates
• Security fixes to Flash 10.3 and Adobe AIR
• Running apps created using BlackBerry NDK
  Native development kit
  A native development kit is a software development kit based on a native application programming interface which allows computer software to be developed directly on a computing platform, rather than via a virtual machine....
  
  .

1.0.8

• Adobe Flash 11.1 update including security patches
• Adobe AIR 3.1 update
• Daylight savings time updates for time zones in the regions of Latin America, Australia and Central America
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi software update to help to improve connectivity
• Fixed issues some users were experiencing with account payments in the BlackBerry App World
  BlackBerry App World
  BlackBerry App World is an application distribution service and application by Research In Motion for a majority of BlackBerry devices. The service provides BlackBerry users with an environment to browse, download, and update third-party applications. The service went live on April 1, 2009...
  
  
• Improved synching when restoring applications with BlackBerry Desktop Software

2.0 (future version)

On October 18, 2011 RIM

Research In Motion

Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...

 announced version 2.0 Developer Beta of their tablet OS, called BlackBerry PlayBook OS. New version supports Adobe Air 3.0 and Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...

 11, as well as WebGL

WebGL

WebGL is a software library that extends the capability of the JavaScript programming language to allow it to generate interactive 3D graphics within any compatible web browser...

. PlayBook OS also includes BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps. It allows to run the Android applications, repackaged using presented tools and published via BlackBerry App World

BlackBerry App World

BlackBerry App World is an application distribution service and application by Research In Motion for a majority of BlackBerry devices. The service provides BlackBerry users with an environment to browse, download, and update third-party applications. The service went live on April 1, 2009...

.

External links

• Meet the Power Behind the BlackBerry Tablet OS, official announcement, QNX website