BlackBerry OS 6 is almost here, and it’s set to knock the interface of BlackBerrys up to the standards of its top rivals like Android. But how? Read on to find out.

Old dogs get new tricks
Like BlackBerry OS 5 before it, older BlackBerry phones will be treated to a BlackBerry OS 6 update as well as brand new ones. Low-powered and very old phones will likely be left off the OS 6 invite list, but if you have a high-end handset like the Blackberry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Storm 2, you’re in luck.

Multitouch
Not all BlackBerry OS 6-compatible phones will use touchscreens, but those that do will be able to use the multitouch pinch zoom feature that we now all-but take for granted. So far, RIM has only demonstrated this in use within the BlackBerry browser, but it’s likely to be incorporated into image viewing too.

New browser
If you’re a Blackberry user at present, there’s a good chance you won’t be a fan of its web browser. While functional, it’s not a patch on the iPhone browsing experience. BlackBerry OS 6 will push BlackBerrys way up the web-browsing ladder, with multitouch, proper multiple-window management and an aesthetically pleasing bookmark utitilty. Will it be enough to topple Android and iPhone though?

Deep connected feature integration
“Deep connected feature integration” may sound like marketing nonsense, but it’s one of the best features of Blackberry OS 6. Within the universal search, you can also search for YouTube clips based on the same search terms, so there’s no need to go to a separate app or the browser to find video. There are also built-in social networking apps, which cross-link so you can post on multiple networks at the same time — post a tweet and a Facebook status update at the same time, for example.

BlackBerry Messenger
Alongside BlackBerry OS 6, a new version of BlackBerry Messenger will also be released. We love BlackBerry Messener as it is, but it’s not what we’d describe as pretty. The new version goes some way to correct this, adding iPhone-style bubbles to chats and menus that are far easier on the eye. At present, you have to trawl through ugly text menus to send images and so on, but the new-look menus RIM has shown off are much more “up our street”.

Home screen-friendly apps menu
The current BlackBerry OS 5 home screen is a benign place to be. Pretty enough, sure, but not massively interesting. BlackBerry OS 6 shakes things up by introducing an apps menu that you can scroll through from the home screen. You can select favourites from your apps too, letting you make all your day-to-day picks accessible with just a swipe or button click.

Universal Search and Feed
The universal search is one thing, letting you search through your whole phone from just the one search bar, but the universal feed is what we’re looking forward to test driving. This puts all your social networking updates (Twitter, Facebook, BlackBerry Messenger) updates alongside phone updates (calls, SMS), giving you a one-screen update on your whole social life. Only a handful of apps have managed to pull this off successfully — hopefully BlackBerry OS 6 will too.

YOU SHOULD READ — BlackBerry OS 6 official video preview