So BlackBerry 10 is now official, having been unveiled at RIM’s BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, Florida. Yet what’s new and why should we be getting excited?

Still being developed, RIM demoed a few key features on the new operating system on the manufacturer’s Dev Alpha device to us to show just what it has in store for the new BlackBerry 10 operating system due out later this year. 

Conversations 

Conversations have been revamped over and above what you currently get with BB OS 7. The idea now being that the user becomes more immersed into conversation. Users will be able to glance between all their conversations quickly allowing them to move back and forth should they need to check on a previous correspondence.

Rather than moving to a new page, each screen sits on top of the others, and in a flipbook style. To choose the message you want to read, you can simply press on the relevant page.

Multitasking

It’s not just your messages that work in this way either, with all your apps running in real time again with a flowing layered list enabling fast and easy access to the one you wish to access.

Keyboard

Vivek Bhardwaj, RIM’s head of software was also keen to demonstrate the typing ability on BlackBerry 10. With Pocket-lint in the audience, Bhardwaj demonstrated a swiping type method that uses algorithms to learn your texting techniques.

For example, if you tend to hit the letter ‘m’ slightly off centre, BlackBerry 10 will soon learn this and adjust accordingly. It will also learn your most-used words and make suggestions accordingly.

Now for the really cool bit. When a word is suggested you can "throw" it, before you’ve even completed it, into the text box. To delete your last word you can simply swipe the screen to the left. The idea is that fewer keystrokes mean less time.

Camera 

A revolutionary camera experience is not something we’d necessary associate with RIM, but BlackBerry 10 offers just that.

You know that time when you take a great photo only for it to be ruined by one person closing their eyes? Well take a snap using a BlackBerry 10 device and you’ll be able to “go back and forth in time” ensuring you get the best possible shot. 

The camera takes multiple shots that enables the user to zoom in on a particular subject, for example the person with their eyes closed, and skip a millisecond back or forth to ensure your photo remains unspoilt.

Clever. 

Games 

Remember how we told you that the BlackBerry maker wasn't about to quit the consumer space any time soon? Well that is backed up even more by the focus on gaming at BlackBerry World. 

Gameloft has revealed that N.O.V.A. 3 would be coming to BlackBerry 10 as will 10 other games including Shark Dash, Ice Age Village, and Oregon Trail.

Meanwhile Fish Labs is promising a BB10 version of Galaxy on Fire, with Fish Labs saying the port from Android to PlayBook was incredibly easy.

Jetpack Joyride from half brick has also been promised. 

When

So when might we, the consumer, be seeing BlackBerry 10. Well according to RIM, hopefully before the end of the year.

The good news is that with RIM issuing developers at BlackBerry World each with an Alpha Dev device, by the time it does arrive there should be plenty of content to download. 

Something that couldn’t be said when the BlackBerry PlayBook first arrived.

What do you think to BlackBerry 10? Let us know your thoughts.