BlackBerry Handheld OS 4.5 Available from RIM

Patience may be a virtue, but how long were U.S. BlackBerry users expected to wait for the substantial improvements enjoyed by most of the world? Of course I'm referring to the BlackBerry Operating System (OS) 4.5.

For reasons that remain unclear, carriers in the U.S. hadn't released OS 4.5 even though it had been available from carriers in other countries for months. Indeed many American customers have given in to the temptation to download the program from those web sites with decidedly mixed results.

Now we finally have the news we've been waiting for: OS 4.5 is now available directly from BlackBerry manufacturer RIM's own site.



Please note that the upgrade by downloading from this web site only applies to users of the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). If you use the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) or BlackBerry Professional Software please consult your IT department.

This software version provides improvements that BlackBerry users have been demanding for a long time. Here are some of the highlights of the OS 4.5 upgrade:

• HTML email is supported. You can view tables, images, and special formatting and font characteristics within the mail.


• Edit Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents, which could previously only be viewed. You can even download a free upgrade of Documents to Go from DataViz that will allow you to edit MS Excel spreadsheets.


• Video recording is now available for Curves. Videos can be watched in full screen mode. Also, some devices that previously didn't support Bluetooth now do.


• Several welcome improvements were made to the calendar and music management features.

Check out our smartphone reviews for more information on BlackBerry phones and other devices. Or keep on going with the blog posts:

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