Great news for all you BlackBerry ® PlayBook ™ tablet fans out there. We have updated the operating system software to version 2.1 and packed some new features and functionality in to the already powerful OS. If you enjoy the multitasking, social integration and strong communications functionality in the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you’ll love what’s new. Here are my three favorite changes:

1. Updated BlackBerry Bridge: Now you can view, respond and compose new SMS messages on their BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet when connected to a BlackBerry smartphone over Bluetooth®. You’ll also enjoy increased performance and speed of other BlackBerry Bridge functions as well. So you can do more, more efficiently. Txt away, my friends.
2. Email and PIM Enhancements: You’ve asked for it and we’ve delivered portrait support for email, calendar and contacts, giving you the option to use your tablet in either orientation to message. This will definitely come in handy for those of you who enjoy thumb typing in portrait mode like I do.
3. Improved Android Application Support: Includes Multi-Window Applications, Camera Support and In-App Payments. We all love a richer app experience, and with the improvements to the Android runtime, that’s just what you’ll get. Running the applications in separate windows allows you to multi-task between Android apps easier, and in-app payments will make it easier for you to enhance your app content. Game on!

There are also a ton new features on the enterprise side so you can separate your work from personal data, check out Luke’s post on the Inside BlackBerry for Business blog for more details. We’ve added more apps and content as well including an update to the Print to Go app and the Canadian video store now comes preloaded into the OS so there’s no need for you to download it from the BlackBerry® App World™ storefront.

The update is available starting today for the WiFi® versions of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and availability for the 4G LTE™ BlackBerry PlayBook is expected within the next month, upon carrier approval of software.

How to update your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet:

You will automatically receive a software update notification on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet status ribbon, or you can check for the software update at any time by going to the settings menu under “Software Updates” and tapping “Check for Updates”. Then follow the steps to update.

Learning more and obtaining support:

For those that have some additional questions or need additional support, visit the BlackBerry PlayBook support website. To find the support website for your specific location, visit the following link and select Get Support next to your preferred language & location.

Have a BlackBerry PlayBook? Check out the update and let us know what you think in the comments.

Need a document to travel with you, but don’t have the time to transfer a file or wait for a printout? One of my favorite solutions is to “print” an electronic version of the file from my PC directly to my BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet using Print To Go®. I save time, I save paper, and I get my data transferred securely via end-to-end encryption.

Here’s how it works: If you have a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, Print To Go comes bundled with BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0. In order to use the Print To Go functionality, you’ll need to grab the Print to Go desktop driver (that can be downloaded for free) and install it on your PC. This combined solution allows you to hit “File” > “Print” from just about any program on your PC, choose “Print To Go” from the menu, and send whatever you’re looking at straight to the Print To Go app on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet over a local Wi-Fi® network.

Today, we’re excited to share that the Print To Go desktop PC driver has reached 125,000 downloads! This is great news for both your productivity and the environment; I figured that with Earth Day® coming up this weekend (Sunday the 22nd, to be exact), now is the perfect time to call on the BlackBerry community to check off the “Reduce” box on their “3 Rs” (reduce, reuse, recycle) list by downloading this driver with the intent to print less.

The response from #TeamBlackBerry about the Print to Go app has been fantastic – I’ve had the chance to hear about a few ways that you’re putting Print To Go to good use both at home and at work. Check out what some of our friends on Twitter® and LinkedIn® had to say:

“I use Print To Go both at work and at home. I use it at work to print documents to my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet before I go to meetings, and at home for printing recipes to my PlayBook so that I have them handy in the kitchen. Being able to create folders to organize my printouts makes finding what I want easy.” – @jharm73

“The end of last minute print jobs heading out the door are over. I was in a meeting last week and the person who prepared our presentation forgot a chart. Luckily, I’d printed it to my PlayBook and rolled right on through my presentation.” – @kmcooley

The adoption of the Print To Go app represents a massive amount of paper saved, and a true shift to working on tablets to get things done, stay organized, and access the information that we need at any point. The Social Media team here at RIM especially loves the fact that this app allows you to lower your ecological footprint by helping to save trees.

Head over to www.blackberry.com/printtogo in order to view more information about the app, as well as to check out a great video demo that explains the concept and helps you to get up and running in no time. Print To Go is included in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

Your turn, #TeamBlackBerry: Tell us how you’ve been using the Print To Go app, and where you see the future of virtual document management heading! Share in the comments below.

EARTH DAY® is a trade-mark of Earth Day Canada, used with the permission of Earth Day Canada.

For those that are unfamiliar with Docs To Go, it is a powerful mobile office suite that allows you to view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel®, and PowerPoint® files and attachments on BlackBerry® smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. You also have the ability to present PowerPoint documents from your BlackBerry PlayBook by plugging into a projector or TV via an HDMI connection. While in presenter mode, speaking notes are visible on your PlayBook, while your presentation itself is visible from the projector or TV. Updates to BlackBerry® Bridge™ in PlayBook OS 2.0 further enhance this feature by allowing you to control “back” and “next” functionality using your BlackBerry smartphone.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »