Revamp

PlayBook OS 2.0 includes a number of features demanded by users ever since the 7-inch tablet made its initial debut in April 2011.

Although the PlayBook gained some early buzz ahead of its release, it subsequently faced an uphill battle for adoption in a market segment dominated by Apple’s iPad. Although the PlayBook OS 2.0 was supposed to hit sometime in 2011, RIM delayed the launch until February 2012.

In a bid to increase the PlayBook’s consumer appeal, RIM included a Video Store with downloads of popular movies.

The PlayBook also includes a music store, which you can use to become the ten-millionth person to download Adele’s latest album.

RIM has been encouraging developers to build apps for the PlayBook. Both the PlayBook and RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 smartphones rely on an operating system that uses QNX, which means that (at least in theory) apps developed for the PlayBook will easily port onto the upcoming smartphone platform.

An integrated email app was among those most-requested features by PlayBook users. With PlayBook OS 2.0, it finally arrives.

RIM has also integrated a calendar and contacts app into the PlayBook’s user interface.

The PlayBook offers tools for rich-text email composing and editing.

Tweaks to the PlayBook browser include a “reading view” that offers a streamlined way to read online news articles or Websites with large amounts of text.

A newsstand app consolidates media content into a single hub.

This app sends digital printouts to the PlayBook, sidestepping the need to print on paper (and kill trees).

Other apps remain firmly in place, including Documents to Go, which gives users the opportunity to create documents and engage in some light editing.