New BlackBerry Priv update improves Camera, Launcher, and Keyboard apps

Yesterday, BlackBerry unleashed a set of three software updates for the key apps on the Priv handset. These updates target the following stock applications: Launcher, Keyboard, and Camera. While this is not a major firmware update and each has to be downloaded individually via Google Play Store, the changes they bring make them important enough to talk about.

First, the BlackBerry Priv's camera gains slow motion capabilities. After the update, the user will be able to record video at 120 fps, four times as slow as the usual 30 fps speed. Unfortunately, audio is not supported in slow motion mode yet, but a future update will surely address this problem as well. In addition to this new mode, the Camera app update also packs general stability and performance improvements.

Second, we have the Keyboard app, which is now able to suggest names from the contacts list and processes both emails and social messages "to better understand the user’s typing style and provide a better out-of-box experience." Accuracy and control are also better now.

At last, the Launcher app offers a new organizational layout. Recent, Personal, and Work apps are now separated in the default view. In overview, any available panel can be set as Home and deleting one simply requires for the user to press down on it for a few seconds. Same as for the Keyboard and Camera apps, the updated Launcher brings multiple minor fixes and tweaks as well.