PlayBook OS 2.0: A Lesson in tech humility

Say you are building a mobile operating system. What are the major applications you build into that OS? Email, calendar, and contacts apps right? Not Research in Motion. The company that built its business on business productivity failed to include that in the original PlayBook OS.

Fast forward to today. RIM attempts to right the sinking ship and fix the disastrous initial release of Playbook OS 1.0 with the second version of that mobile operating system. You guessed it: the signature additions to the operating system are those native email, calendar, and contacts apps missing from RIM's first try.

"Building on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet's proven web browsing, multimedia and multitasking strengths, the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 introduces a range of new communications and productivity enhancements as well as expanded app and content support", mobile computing senior vice president David Smith says.

A little confused here: shouldn't your strengths in any device your company releases be about keeping in touch, something you've made millions on over the past decade or so, not basic features that should be expected out of any device? Let's not beat up RIM too much here though, at least the company is making an effort to answer critics.

Hold the presses, there's still something missing yet: BlackBerry Messenger. I would call that a glaring omission, as the application is popular among the CrackBerry set. I guess RIM will fall back on its excuse to connect your PlayBook to your phone, but this was the strategy that got them into trouble with the technorati the first time.

Maybe we'll see that feature in PlayBook OS 3.0? Oh RIM, you are so fun to pick on.

There is some cool stuff to report: calendar and contacts include social integration, which pulls in information from friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. There are also enhancements to BlackBerry Bridge -- the application that connects the BlackBerry to the PlayBook -- offering faster file transfers and the ability to use the BlackBerry as a wireless keyboard and mouse.

If you're interested in finally getting the features that you should have had back in September, PlayBook OS 2.0 is available immediately as a free download. Now go and get that update, all ten of you (I kid, I kid).