Blackberry sweetened by Swedish software

Blackberry phones and playbooks will have greatly improved visuals and ease-of-use through Malmö, Sweden based The Astonishing Tribe, 'TAT' 

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  Among the competitors next year to Apple's iPad, the Blackberry 7-inch Playbook tablet by Research In Motion.

• A Swedish based, user-praised company that provides excellent visual enhancements for screens and devices, The Astonishing Tribe (shortened commonly to "TAT") has been purchased by Research In Motion (RIM). Tech trade analysts deemed that the move by the purchasing firm, which is about to release the BlackBerry 7-inch Playbook tablet, is intended to enhance the look and functionality of the new product line which will be among a number of competitors next year to Apple's iPad.

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  Screen dump from a section of TAT's (The Astonishing Tribe's) intelligent, rich media website.

• "We’re excited that the TAT team will be joining RIM and bringing their talent to the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone platforms," said David Yach, Chief Technology Officer at RIM. Critics of Blackberry's makers noted that RIM lacked leadership in the user area of ease, entertainment and experience. The amount of the purchase price was not released by press time.

• For those who don’t know, TAT is renowned for their innovative mobile user interface designs and has a good history of working with mobile and embedded technology. TAT focuses on delivering great user experiences, from a design, technology, and usability perspective.

• Their design technology is used today in a variety of industries including the consumer electronics and automotive sectors. Fujitsu, Google, Motorola, PayPal, Spotify and Sony Ericsson are just some of the companies that have used TAT’s services. According to the website of the Malmö, Sweden headquartered firm, TAT's Cascade user interface framework powers in-car infotainment systems as well as 20% of all smartphones shipped in 2010.

• More info, www.tat.se