Still no BES or BBM inside RIM’s PlayBook OS 2.0 update

RIM has released the first major software update for its BlackBerry PlayBook, known as BlackBerry Tablet OS 2.0, bringing native email, calendar and contacts to the device for the first time.

Another big thing that RIM had promised PlayBook users was an Android App Player that would allow them to download and use applications from Google’s Android Market. This promise was made over a year ago but has still yet to appear, despite multiple videos showcasing the feature appearing online.

There’s also no BBM or BES inside RIM’s QNX 2.0 update either. So anyone expecting full-on BlackBerry functionality will be bitterly disappointed. And who could blame them? The PlayBook, when it first launched, cost the same as an iPad or top-flight Android slate despite missing core features like contacts, email, calendar and a messaging application.

Fast-forward a year – a whole entire year – and RIM still hasn’t enabled full functionality on the device. Sure you’ve now got native email – well, whoop de doo! The only other positive is you no longer really need a BlackBerry handset to use the PlayBook properly. But is this enough? Will this make consumers take the PlayBook any more seriously?

We don’t think so. There’s still no BES or BBM and these services, which sit at the heart of the BlackBerry experience, are essentially RIM’s strongest USPs. Not having them aboard the PlayBook will continue to cost RIM dearly, just as it has done up until now.

We’ll be taking a look at the BlackBerry Tablet OS 2.0 tomorrow. But until then, here are some thoughts via BGR on the new software update for the PlayBook.

‘The email app opens to reveal a unified inbox with a list of messages on the left, and the body of highlighted messages appears to the right. Interactions with the menu buttons on the far left beyond the message list reveal a new panel on which users can perform searches, apply view filters, drill down to individual accounts and more.’

‘While BlackBerry Bridge is no longer needed for email, calendar or contacts, RIM has added some great new functionality. Most notable is the new remote control feature, which allows users to type, navigate and even perform gestures on a PlayBook using a BlackBerry smartphone.’

‘The PIM functions in PlayBook OS 2.0 support the standard mix of email services along with LinkedIn and Twitter right now, but more integration with various social services is coming.’

‘RIM did a great job with the apps as well, providing what is easily among the best email and calendar experiences we’ve seen on a tablet. Apps integrate with each other seamlessly and we’re big fans of the layered UI RIM used in the email app.’

All in all, BGR sounds pretty impressed with the update. We look forward to seeing it for ourselves.