Blackberry 10 Beta 3′s homescreen on a Blackberry 10 Developer Device. (Photo credit goes to The Verge)

RIM sure is taking its sweet time developing Blackberry 10, but that doesn’t mean they’re not being open about their progress. The company today released Blackberry 10 Beta 3 SDK, which finally gives developers an opportunity to play with and develop for the near final UI of the new operating system on their Blackberry 10 Developer Devices.

The new UI is very familiar, yet puts a unique spin on a touchscreen operating system. Reportedly, the new UI puts a huge emphasis on gesture based computing, much more so than Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android operating systems. Basic functionality appears to be hidden behind swipes, taps, and drags; even partial gestures are supported and feature different functionality than a completed motion would. The app switcher, for example, can be accessed by swiping from the bottom of the screen up, while you can access the new messaging “Hub” (which combines Blackberry Messenger, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn messages) but drawing an upside-down L shape towards the bottom of the screen. Unique? Sure. Convenient? Perhaps not.

You can check out a full hands-on with the new OS at the source link below. Blackberry’s still being cagey about when the general public will get their hands on the new OS, but consider us patiently waiting.

Source: The Verge