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We’ve known for a while that RIM has been working on a new version of the BlackBerry Operating System. Early impressions were not that glowing — not that it’s bad, but just that it’s not that much of an upgrade over the current iterations. Now you can be your own judge, though I would not recommend it. The files leaked onto the BlackBerryOS message board, in its complete, unsanctioned entirety. If you were so inclined, you could head over there and install it on your device. However, BBGeeks does not recommend you install this software. It’s not an official release, so it could be buggy and cause your device to malfunction. Plus, as they note on the message board, it’s a pain to downgrade to your original OS. Thankfully for the curious, someone else loaded it up on his own BlackBerry.

Zack Whittaker of ZDNet.com was kind enough to take the plunge, using his Curve 8900. He takes note of many upgrades, including more advanced ways to customize profiles, better power management, and the addition of Google Gears, among many others. You can check out his findings at the link, or you can check out the gallery of screenshots. It will be a welcome upgrade, it seems, but perhaps not the big leap many hope to see RIM take with the BlackBerry OS.

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